# Guildford Philanthropy celebrates five years of local giving

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/06/10/guildford-philanthropy-celebrates-five-years-of-local-giving/
- Published: 2019-06-10T09:16:10+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Guildford Philanthropy, which was set up by Guildford Borough Council to encourage
local giving, is celebrating five years and £500,000 of fundraising.**

[Guildford Philanthropy](https://guildfordphilanthropy.org.uk/) encourages local
giving to tackle local need, and supports projects that deliver training opportunities,
work experience, jobs and other benefits to local people who need help. The aim 
is to build confidence and self-esteem by enabling access into a working environment
and by encouraging the development of new skills, through social enterprise initiatives.

To encourage support, the Council match funds every £1 of private donations with
a further 50p.
Projects or charities that [require funding](https://guildfordphilanthropy.org.uk/apply-for-grant/)
support to help address these issues are invited to complete an “Expression of Interest”
Form obtained from The Community Foundation for Surrey. Guildford Philanthropy was
established and is administered by the Community Foundation for Surrey which reviews
these grant applications on its behalf.

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Peter Cluff, Chairman of Guildford Philanthropy, said:

> “In the five years since it began, Guildford Philanthropy has raised over £500,000
> and made 46 grants to local organisations that have, in turn, benefitted over 
> 3,800 members of our Community.
> “The first grant was to help launch the Guildford
> Bike Project and the most recent was to the Matrix Trust, which supports local
> vulnerable young people, to raise funds for a social enterprise cafe.”

Its fifth anniversary was celebrated at a recent event at Guildford Castle, at which
a new initiative was also launched – the Corporate Ambassador initiative – which
asks businesses that are based or operate locally to sign up to help the disadvantaged
people in their community.

It is seeking 25 local businesses to support and become part of Guildford Philanthropy,
with 15 new Ambassadors unveiled at the anniversary event, with their donations 
of £2,500 being match-funded by the Council.

Cllr Caroline Reeves, Leader of Guildford Borough Council, said:

> “I am delighted that we have been able to support many to gain access to work 
> and new skills and I would like to thank all those that have worked hard to help
> people in our community.
> “Many give their time and expertise for free, meaning
> that the funds raised can all go to support local causes that provide opportunities
> for those that need it.”

 
[Image](https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/40702313600/): Guildford Castle,
by Matt Brown on Flickr, used under Creative Commons [CC by 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

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