Milestone £1m in grants for local charities
ONE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ALSO MARKING ITS’ 10TH ANNIVERSARY
THE One Community Foundation has reached the milestone of £1m in grants awarded to support local charities and community groups.
The news coincides with the Kirklees organisation celebrating its tenth anniversary, having been established in the wake of the UK’s recession in 2010.
The Foundation was established to support voluntary groups across Kirklees by creating a new source of independent funding.
It works by connecting donors with other charitable projects in support of children, adults, older people and people with disabilities, while promoting education, sports and health.
Last year, the Foundation distributed over £350,000 across 206 grants - its highest amount in a single year since the charity’s establishment.
Ian Brierley, Chair of One Community Foundation and fund holder, said: “It is fantastic to be announcing this achievement.
“It is with grateful thanks to our growing family of local donors that we have reached this milestone of awarding £1 million of grant funding across Kirklees, to support a wide range of vital community initiatives.
“I have a fund with the Foundation and have been able to witness firsthand the inspirational response our local voluntary groups make to improve people’s lives, and how philanthropy plays a vital role in bridging many of the gaps in Kirklees.
“Our professional partners have played an instrumental role in our success over the last decade and we owe them an enormous gratitude.
“They have collectively provided pro-bono support to help the Foundation succeed; without them we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
But despite their success, general manager Paul Johnson says the Foundation struggles to meet local demand for funding.
He said: “We still need to encourage more donors to establish charitable funds. Sadly, we are always oversubscribed with funding applications.
“Just recently we operated the national Tampon Tax Fund; and unfortunately we only had £20,000 of funds to give out, but received over £130,000 of funding applications.
“It’s heartbreaking not being able to fund local projects, when there is a clear and urgent need for support.”
The Foundation’s professional partners are Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors, Robertston Baxter Ltd, Revell Ward Ltd, NatWest, Parsons Accountants, Spark of Madness, University of Huddersfield and Lambert, Roper and Horsfield.
For more information about the Foundation, contact 01484 468397.