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10 Essex Community Foundation Annual Review 2024Each new fund set up with us by an individual, a family, a company or a public agency, is tailored to meet the founders%u2019 wishes to meet needs in the local community. The stories behind all our funds and the reasons why people work with us are as different as the donors themselves. You can read about our funds on our website, but here we have highlighted three new fundholders who started working with us this year. New funds this yearSince we were founded almost 30 years ago, we have seen so many generous people embrace the simple idea that charity begins at home by directing their giving through us. We believe that people who want to support causes close to home and heart are community philanthropists. As our new strategic plan takes us through to 2030, we want to encourage many more people along the way to get involved in supporting their communities by giving through us. It is only by growing our funds we will be able to help more charities and voluntary groups tackle local issues and support people in need.Community philanthropy - inspiring new givingUsually when we think of philanthropy or philanthropist, we tend to think of people who are rich and famous, like Bill Gates. But the Foundation is redefining philanthropy within our community and making it accessible to a new generation of people who may not be incredibly rich but care about others and can give within their means. For us, they are philanthropists in their community.Sandra Hollis, Trustee and fundholder%u2018%u2018The Montpellier FundJill and Andy Vicary, currently live in Roxwell, but they have also lived and worked in Greece, Sudan, Belgium, Algeria, Germany, and other areas of Essex. Their love of travel and diverse cultural experiences inspired them to buy a house in France near Montpellier, which led to the name of their fund. Witnessing extreme poverty in Africa and hardship in Europe motivated them to help those less fortunate. Through fundraising and the Chelmsford Round Table, they have actively supported many charities. They were introduced to ECF by friends a few years ago and now feel the time is right to get more involved and support local charities, where a relatively small donation can really make a difference. %u2018%u2018We are excited to start this journey and learn more about how we can not only help now but encourage our families to continue this support when we are not quite so hands on!Jill and Andy Vicary