New home for philanthropy in the North East
Howard Lake | 16 September 2015 | News
North East England has a new philanthropy hub as Philanthropy House opens in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Formerly known as The Old Chapel, it has become the new base for the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, which now owns the property. It shares the venue with Northern Rock Foundation and the Shears Foundation.
The former Methodist church, opened in 1882 as the Emma Robson Memorial Church, has an appropriate history of philanthropy. In 2001 it was bought by Northern Rock Foundation and used as offices and meeting space. As the Northern Rock Foundation began to wind down its giving, it made a number of legacy awards, the first of which was a grant to the Community Foundation towards it purchasing The Old Chapel. The remaining purchase costs were supported through a gift to the Community Foundation from its Patron, Lyn Shears, in memory of her late husband, Trevor Shears OBE.
Why Philanthropy House?
Philanthropy House is opened
The Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in the UK, chose to rename the building Philanthropy House specifically in honour of its heritage in Gosforth and the support of the two funders.
It also reflects its continuing role as a home for philanthropy advice, services and support. In addition to office space for the three organisations, recipients of the three Foundations will also be offered space in the building for meetings and events free of charge.
Ashley Winter OBE, Chair of the Community Foundation, said:
“Philanthropy House is a name which reflects both the heritage and future of this significant building. We are delighted to make it our base. This would not have been possible without the support and generosity of Northern Rock Foundation and our Patron, Lyn Shears. We look forward to working with them, and with others, to make the building a genuine home for philanthropy.
“Owning our building will further strengthen the Community Foundation, enabling us to invest in other ways to benefit the area in years to come. We look forward to welcoming donors, partners and grantees of the three foundations to this fantastic space.”Advertisement
Alastair Balls CB, Chairman of Northern Rock Foundation, added:
“Northern Rock Foundation is pleased that through our grant to the Community Foundation, the chapel, in its new guise as Philanthropy House, remains as a local community asset and a resource for the voluntary and community sector throughout the region.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.