Garfield Weston Foundation increases anniversary fund from £5m to £11m
Howard Lake | 10 October 2018 | News
The Garfield Weston Foundation has more than doubled its £5 million anniversary fund to over £11 million in response to the “overwhelming demand” it has received from charities. It will now support over 150 charities and community organisations across the UK.
The Foundation, one of the UK’s largest charitable funders, reports that small community charities are “rising to the challenges of unprecedented demand for their services by being proactive and innovative” and as such require further support. The Trustees, descendants of the founder, took the decision to more than double the fund after receiving over 2,300 applications, with over 60% from charities that had never applied to them before.
A recent survey by the Foundation found that 66% of small charities (with an annual income of less than £500,000) expected their income to stay the same or decline this year, yet 55% expect to be delivering more services.
The survey, based on responses from 149 small charity leaders, found that funding help for refurbishments or a new building was viewed as important by many charities as it helps them earn new income.
Weston Anniversary Fund
The Weston Anniversary Fund is a capital fund to make the Foundation’s 60th year. It was launched at the beginning of this year to provide funding to charities to improve their existing facilities or provide new ones. Grants range from £30,000 to £150,000 and are intended to be uses for facilities such as minibuses, village halls and other buildings.
This is also the year that saw the Foundation make its £1 billionth donation.
The Garfield Weston Foundation’s Director, Philippa Charles, explained why the total funding had been increased so substantially. “What really impressed our Trustees”, she said,”is the amount of volunteering and community involvement that’s going on across the UK. We heard about so many amazing projects involving local people who are helping their communities thrive – regardless of cuts, Brexit debates and other challenges.
“The response from charities to this new fund clearly demonstrates the voluntary sector is proactive and energetic; far from the complacency it is sometimes accused of. Yet we can also see the level of need that exists in our local communities and how much the services charities provide are so desperately needed. The impact of these grants will be significant, with benefits for many people lasting years.”
Garfield Weston Foundation
The family-founded charitable grant-making foundation supports causes across the UK. Typically it gives over £60 million each year to over 1,500 charities across the UK.
Its funding comes from an endowment of shares in the family business which includes Twinings, Primark, Kingsmill (all part of Associated British Foods Plc) and Fortnum & Mason, amongst others.
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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.