Giving young people a racing start
7th February 2022
A budding sports star from Clacton has received a welcome funding boost to support his dreams of becoming a professional racing driver.
Calum Foster, who is 13 and has autism, found himself unable to afford the £1,000 needed to buy specialist safety equipment, including rib protection, a new helmet, gloves and boots, that would allow him to continue his race training and take part in competitions.
After hearing about the local independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, and the funds they have available to support talented sporting individuals, Calum contacted them to see if they could help.
Calum’s mum, Sara Foster, said: “While I had seen details of grants, I had never applied before as usually they are for charities or businesses, but ECF offer grants for individuals, so we applied.”
“When we heard our application had been successful, we were in complete shock and over the moon. Racing means the world to Calum and keeping him as protected as possible is paramount. Thanks to this grant we can purchase the equipment he needs. We can’t thank ECF enough for their support.”
The funding boost of £1,000 came from the Annabel and Gerald Malton Charitable Fund and the Essex and Southend Sports Charitable Fund which are just two of the charitable funds managed by ECF.
Perry Norton, Head of Development at ECF, said: “Some of our donors want their Funds with us to help young people further their talent and achieve their ambitions in sport, music or performing arts. We connect them with young people in Essex, like Calum, who need support.”
If you would like to discuss how ECF can help you or your business support voluntary and community organisations or individuals in Essex, please contact us 01245 355947. You can also click here for more information.
More than £43,000 in grants awarded to community organisations across Essex
4th February 2022
The region’s largest independent retailer, the East of England Co-op, has awarded £43,978 in grants to 16 organisations supporting the local community in Essex, in the latest round of funding from its Community Cares Fund. The funding is expected to support nearly 20,000 local people.
The East of England Co-op set up the fund in April 2020 in response to the pandemic, and together with this latest round will have donated more than £490,000 to support local communities. The funding is supplemented by East of England Co-op members who contribute through their annual dividend.
Grants were awarded to local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations that deliver projects supporting community action, food justice or mental health and well-being.
Beneficiaries of the £84,000 awarded across the region this round have ranged from community gardens to counselling services, reaching thousands of people in the community in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.
One of the beneficiaries is Inclusion Ventures, who have received a £4,500 grant to create a new community garden in Jaywick, Essex. The new space will be used by both children and adults to grow fruit and vegetables to help promote healthy eating and encourage appreciation for food.
Project Director, Sarah Hannass, comments: “News of this funding was so welcome in January; what a great start to the year. It will enable us to bring some warmth and nourishment to a variety of activities for our children, families and seniors from our brand new community hub in Jaywick.”
Lawford Church of England Primary School in Tendring has also received £1,500 to replace raised beds that help children’s understanding of gardening and how to produce healthy vegetables. The grant is awarded as the school is projected to double in size over the next 7 years.
Headteacher Abbie Fairbairn commented: “I am so pleased that we will be able to replace the raised beds that were lost through the construction process for our new building. The opportunity to support children’s wellbeing by gardening and making the links to where our food comes from will be an invaluable part of the support we can give our children for many years to come.”
Niall O’Keeffe, joint chief executive of the East of England Co-op commented: “Our Community Cares Fund is as important as ever to help support our communities through this challenging time. It was an incredibly difficult decision to choose the recipients as we once again had a large number of applications from lots of impactful and inspiring projects. We look forward to seeing all the work come to life and make a genuine difference at a critical time.”
The East of England Co-op works with the Essex Community Foundation to distribute and deliver the Community Cares Fund.
The next round of funding from the East of England Co-op Community Cares Fund is due to open in late Spring.
If you are in need of funding before then, please visit our apply for support page.
To find out how we can help you to support charities and community groups, click here or call Perry Norton on 01245 355947.
Make a difference where you live – Trustee opportunity
19th January 2022
For over 25 years we have worked passionately to develop the charitable sector in Essex, Southend and Thurrock. We want to create a culture of generosity and support, inspiring charitable giving to provide vital funding to voluntary and community organisations working at the heart of our communities.
On average each year we provide grants to over 400 large and small organisations who are meeting the needs of their communities and making a real difference for local people, with funds provided by over 170 donors and national schemes.
We are recruiting for a number of voluntary positions to join our Board of Trustees to help shape our work now and in the future.
Our Trustees tell us that they feel they can make a real difference through their involvement and applying their skills to support and develop our work. There are a number of skills that we don’t currently have on our Board, so you might be able to support us if you have one of the following skills: accountancy, digital engagement with stakeholders, marketing and communications, and legal skills.
We want to ensure that our Board better reflects the diversity of those who belong to the communities that we support and so we particularly welcome interest and applications from Black, Asian and ethnic minorities, people under 40 years of age, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people.
This could be your first Trustee role, or you could already have some experience as a Trustee. We have a full trustee induction process, ongoing training, and a mentor scheme to support you through your first years. You will have the opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge of the charity sector through participating in the work of our Board committees.
Our Board meets four times a year, and participation can be in person or virtually. Trustee positions are unpaid, but we don’t expect trustees to be out of pocket for carrying out their role, so expenses are paid.
How to apply:
Applying couldn’t be simpler. Click here to view our Trustee Recruitment Pack.
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 2 March.
We would also like to offer you an opportunity to have an informal conversation with one of our current trustees and/or to attend an informal gathering of trustees to find out more about the role. Just email recruitment@essexcf.org.uk and we will arrange this.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Improving and increasing access to community health services
11th January 2022
Local charities and voluntary organisations that help improve and increase access to community health services are invited to apply to the Provide Foundation.
Provide is an Essex-based social enterprise owned by its staff members and delivers a broad range of community health services in the County and beyond. Their Fund, which is managed by Essex Community Foundation (ECF), is offering grants of up to £20,000 to support local charitable activities.
To be eligible for this funding, applicants must demonstrate how they have adapted well during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their work supports those who are socially isolated, particularly those most vulnerable.
Links to health and social care should include one of the following:
- To help keep people out of hospital
- To help people leave hospital more quickly
- To help people stay healthy in their community
- To improve health and wellbeing in the community
The decision-making panel at Provide is particularly interested to hear how your work is addressing gaps in the community, compliments statutory provision and if you have contact with their services. For more information about Provide and their work in Essex, click here.
How to apply:
The deadline to apply to this Fund was Friday 4 February 2022. Successful applicants will receive grants in early April 2022.
If you didn’t apply in time for this deadline, we still may be able to help you. Please call our grants team on 01245 356018.
(Pictured: Essex Dementia Care who received a grant previously of £9,287 towards the salary of a dementia key worker to provide support to people living with dementia in mid Essex).
Grants available for Essex charities
A fund set up by Essex County Council is offering grants to local charities and community groups to help support their work.
Essex Fund, which is managed by the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation, has already channelled £1.4 million into local communities and is calling for new applications.
This year, voluntary organisations in Essex (not Southend and Thurrock) can apply for funding of between £500 to £7,500 towards their core operating costs, projects or capital items.
The Fund can support activities that help unpaid carers, improve the environment or engage people with the environment, provide a community resource or those that help young people to explore culture and heritage.
Cllr Eddie Johnson, Chairman of Essex County Council, said, “Essex has a diverse range of voluntary and community organisations that do so much to improve the lives of local people and make their communities a better place to live.
“The impact that their work has is immeasurable and I am so pleased that the grants we award annually help to further their work.”
Among the charitable activities that have received funding in previous years are a virtual classroom for people with learning disabilities, a horticultural project for people with mental health issues and support for young carers.
Andy Payne Worpole, Head of Programmes at ECF, said: ““The decision-making panel has a particular interest this year in supporting smaller voluntary organisations, projects that are working in deprived communities or organisations that are led by members of the community.
“There is a short application form on our website, but our friendly grants team are on hand to help on 01245 356018 if you have any questions.”
The deadline to submit an application was Friday 4 March 2022. If you missed this, but are still in need of funding, please call our grants team on 01245 356018.
Helping people in need during the festive season
22nd December 2021
A local charity that provides support to those who are struggling with their mental health has received a funding boost that will make it easier for people to access the help they need.
Mind in West Essex offers a wide range of services including one-on-one counselling and online peer support groups, and a grant of £18,244 from the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF) is helping them to make their work more accessible.
The funding will enable Mind to set up a new online booking system, increase the mental health training they offer and subsidise the cost of counselling for some of their clients who would struggle to pay for the support they need.
Alison Wilson, chief executive of Mind in West Essex, said, “We are so grateful for this funding as it will enable us to help more people and expand our services.
“Christmas and New Year’s is a time of celebration, but it can also be a difficult time for many people, especially those who may be struggling for all sorts of reasons and the additional stress and worry created by COVID-19 has caused great anxiety.
“We would encourage people to check-in with each other, their neighbours and their friends over the festive season, to see if they want a chat or a walk outdoors. Just letting them know that you understand this time of year can be difficult and you are there for them, to talk and offer a listening ear can make such a difference.
“If you think someone needs more help than you can give, please encourage them to phone us on 01371 876 641, use our web chat service or email us on admin@mindinwestessex.org.uk .They can also text 85258 for a free 24/7 confidential text service run by another charity, SHOUT.”
Andy Payne Worpole, Head of Programmes at ECF, said: “Being responsive to the changing needs of our local communities is a key part of our grantmaking at the Foundation.
“It is thanks to local people who choose to channel their charitable giving through us, that we are able to award vital grants like this to Essex charities that are helping local people.”
To find out more about the charity, visit mindinwestessex.org.uk.
To make a donation to Essex Community Foundation and support other local charities like Mind in West Essex click here or call 01245 355947.