Saffron Building Society hands out funding to charities
21st May 2024
Eight charities across the east of England are sharing more than £25,000 from the Saffron Building Society Community Fund.
Among the recent charity grant recipients are Brightview Farm in Uttlesford, Dig It Community Allotment and Enterprise East Group CIC – both in Saffron Walden.
Saffron Building Society launched the Community Fund 12 years ago, to provide grants to charities, community groups and volunteer organisations, in partnership with Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
Claire Hunnable, community business partner at Saffron Building Society, said: “It’s a real privilege to be able to support our local communities with the Saffron Community Fund, and to see the impact this will make to each organisation brings us such joy.
“At Saffron Building Society, we do the right things for the right reasons and reaching out to worthy community causes across the East of England is paramount to us and our members.
Financially struggling charities offered new lifeline as Saffron Community Fund grants open
14th November 2022
As the cost-of-living crisis impacts everyone, donations to charities are on the decline as people count their pennies to get through what is likely to be a difficult winter. The Saffron Community Fund is offering a lifeline to smaller local charities as it announces that applications open today to apply for a grant from the Saffron Building Society initiative.
The Fund is operated in partnership with Essex Community Foundation, who receive and manage all grant applications on behalf of Saffron Building Society.
Grants are open to charities, not-for-profits, community, and volunteer groups. Each application for a grant is assessed individually to ensure all funding is fairly distributed to charities during this difficult period.
Claire Hunnable, Saffron’s Community Business Partner, explains: “Our Fund is an essential source of funding for some of the smaller charities and community groups around our branches. We have developed a unique and important working relationship with Essex Community Foundation that ensure all grant decisions made by our panel are undertaken with expert guidance from them.
“Every year we are amazed by the diversity of the applications and are always delighted to be introduced to groups we may never normally have been aware of. I also have the pleasure of meeting the people behind the projects and to see the amazing work that is happening all around our communities.”
In 2021, Saffron Community Fund announced it had reached the milestone of £100,000 in grant funds in the ten years since the launch, spread out over yearly grant funds totaling up to £20,000 per year.
However, this is now going to be significantly increased by Saffron joining the Reclaim Fund Scheme. The government backed scheme allows monies that are unclaimed and currently held in dormant accounts to be used for social and environmental schemes. In 2022, Saffron was able to claim over £436,000 from the Reclaim Fund initiative which has been added to the endowment fund which will now be used to bolster the value of grants from 2023 onwards. 2023 will also be the first year that grants will be issued twice yearly, to ensure if a deadline is missed, the recipient doesn’t have to wait another year to apply.
Claire added, “We are pleased to say that applications for the Fund are officially open, and we are always keen to hear from new groups who may need our support. If you run a charity or group and are unsure if you qualify for a grant, all the information and links you need are all available on our community fund webpage, with a step-by-step guide on how to apply. But you must be quick!”
How to apply
The deadline to apply to this Fund has passed. If you are still in need of funding for your voluntary or community organisation, please contact the ECF grants team on 01245 355947 or e-mail grants@essexcf.org.uk.
A decade of charitable giving
14th March 2022
Over the past decade Saffron Building Society has awarded £100,000 to a wide range of local charities and voluntary groups.
In 2011, the local mutual established the Saffron Building Society Community Fund with the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, to support local communities now and in the future.
Claire Hunnable, Community Business Partner from Saffron, said: “This is a significant milestone which we are pleased to celebrate, but it also reflects the continuing needs in our local communities.
“Setting up our endowed charitable fund with ECF 10 years ago has enabled us to bring all our giving under one banner and have a long-term approach. ECF takes care of all the administration and presents us with details of groups looking for support. A panel made up of our staff and members are then involved in discussions about which grants we will award.”
This year, the Fund has awarded £19,327 to nine local organisations. Among them are those that are helping people with a disability, are bringing people together to tackle isolation and supporting those experiencing financial hardship.
One of the recent funding recipients is Ending Life’s Taboo which offers rapid access to counselling and vital support for young adults aged 18 – 40 who have been told they have a life-limiting or end of life diagnosis.
Another grant went to the community Toy Library in Colchester, which gives local families access to free toys to aid the development and overall well-being of children. This funding has helped to cover their rent and insurance costs.
Claire added: “Every year, our Fund supports charities that are local to our branches and provide an essential service to people in their community.
“Working with ECF is helping us to learn about the wide range of charities and voluntary organisations and understand where our funding can have the most impact.
“Helping smaller, lesser-known charities is really important to us and our Fund is just one way that we give support. We have launched Saffron Community Link a community space in Saffron Walden that can be used free of charge by local charities.”
To find out about ECF and how your business can give back locally in Essex, click here.