The Community Development Foundation is hosting a debate and question and answer session at this year’s Local Government Association (LGA) Annual Conference in Birmingham.

The event ‘Financing local activities: How councils can help get cash into communities’ will discuss how communities can remain resilient in a time of financial austerity, how councillors can support community access to cash and resources and how communities can ensure ownership of how the money is spent.

Confirmed speakers include:

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Leader of Portsmouth City Council

Councillor Agatha Akyigyina , LB Merton and Chair of Figgie’s Marsh Community First Panel

Alison Seabrooke, Chief Executive of CDF

Chaired by:

Professor Peter Latchford OBE, Chief Executive of Black Radley, Chair of CDF, author of African Igloos: And Public Service Heroes.

Attendees will hear about Community First and other programmes providing resources directly to communities.  They will find out what role councils and councillors can play in supporting this and have an opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities this presents.

Refreshments will be provided. For more information, please read our Blog on the LGA Knowledge Hub, or contact us at communityvoice@cdf.org.uk.

These figures give the clearest indication yet that despite the economic climate there is still a positive culture of community support and philanthropy in this country.  Community First is an £80 million government funded programme being delivered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF) that helps communities come together through new and existing community groups, to identify their strengths and local priorities, plan for their future and become more resilient.  It includes a £30m small grants programme for some of the most deprived areas in the country and a national £50m endowment match challenge.

Community First runs until April 2015, and during 2012/13 a further £15m of matched funding is available offering those who want to establish Community First endowed funds a bonus of £1 for every £2 donated.  The programme is mobilising both national and local giving and philanthropy and will raise £100m to be matched with £50m of government investment.  This money will continue to grow over the life of the programme ensuring a sustainable source of funding for communities in years to come.

Stephen Hammersley, CFN’s chief executive, comments: “This is a fantastic achievement. The aim of the Community First programme is to help neighbourhoods become more self-reliant and grow their capacity to make the changes they want to see in their area, and this first £17 million of endowed funding is a great start.”

Alison Seabrooke, Community Development Foundation’s chief executive said: “Our work leading this programme has demonstrated that communities are resilient but they deserve our support. We are working with communities who tell us what a difference small amounts of money makes. The Endowment Match Challenge will make sure that communities are supported for years to come.”

Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said: “As part of a wider drive to revive social action and build a bigger, stronger society, we’re giving power back to people and supporting them to make their communities better places to live.  We set up Community First so that local people have access to funding on the ground, to enable them to work together, take control of their lives and create the change they want to see in their local area.

I am pleased by the success of the first year of the Endowment Match Challenge, with over £17 million of endowment funding raised so far – through generous donations by individuals and businesses matched by the government – creating a lasting legacy of support for communities across the UK.”

Alistair Lang, chief executive officer, Birketts LLP said: “Birketts LLP is delighted to be able to support the Community First match funding initiative.  As a regional law firm, we work closely with the community foundations of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex so this represents a very special opportunity to boost our local giving by 50% and make an even greater impact in the counties in which many of our staff and clients work and live.”

For enquiries please contact:

Community Foundation Network – Stephen Hammersley or Jane Rawnsley on 020 7713 9326 www.communityfoundations.org.uk

Community Development Foundation – Jenny Olsen, 020 7812 1572
jenny.olsen@cdf.org.uk

Find out more about Community First here:
http://www.cdf.org.uk/content/funding-programmes/community-first

Find out more about Community First Funds here:  http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/working_in_partnership/community_first/

Notes for Editors

Community First is funded by the Office of Civil Society, part of the Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Government and delivered by the Community Development Foundation, in partnership with:

What are Community First funds?

Community First funds are set up by people and organisations who want to make change possible, and who want to support their community and causes they care about.

Individuals, groups and companies can make their charitable donations go much, much further because your support will attract match funding from the Government through the Community First Endowment Match Challenge.

Community First Partners:

Community Development Foundation (CDF) is a charity and social enterprise that is passionate about helping communities.  Leaders in community-led solutions, they have managed multi-faceted community programmes to the value of £250 million over the last five years. Most recently CDF is delivering Community First which comprises a £30m small grants programme and an endowment raising programme of £50m. CDF’s has experience of managing the £130m Grassroots Grants programme and have also led a consortium to develop a business plan for a new trust endowed by the Big Lottery Fund worth £200 million over 10 years. Other national programmes they have led include Take Part, National Empowerment Programme (NEP), Tackling Race Inequality Fund, and Faiths in Action. www.cdf.org.uk

CFN – Community Foundation Network
Community Foundation Network represents the community foundation movement in the UK.  Its aim is to help donors create lasting value from their local giving through its network of 57 community foundations.Community foundations are charities located across the UK dedicated to strengthening local communities, creating opportunities and tackling issues of disadvantage and exclusion. Community foundations manage funds donated by individuals and organisations, building endowment and acting as the vital link between donors and local needs. 97% of the population live in the area of benefit of a community foundation and CFN manages funds on behalf of the Office of Civil Society, Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief as well as private philanthropists. http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/

CCLA provides specialist investment management for charities, faith organisations, and local authorities. They deliver sustainable and growing income – fixed interest, balanced investment, global equity income, ethical investment and property. They offer cash management services, and a free asset allocation advice service to support trustees, investment committees and officers in their decision-making. They invest money for more charities than any other fund manager in the UK (Charity finance magazine) and do not offer services to private individuals. CCLA Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. For more information visit: www.ccla.co.uk/

Asda, the supermarket chain has access to 18 million Asda customers, 163,000 Asda staff and 500 Asda stores.  Through Asda’s nationwide community, customers and colleagues will be able to identify local priorities and support local groups through fundraising in store and online.  Asda already partners the Big Society Network on the Your Square Mile programme. www.asda.com

The Social Investment Business is the largest social investor in the UK, exists to help social enterprises, charities and community organisations do more of what they do best – supporting people and communities most in need. They help organisations prosper by providing innovative financial solutions, business support and long term strategic thinking. www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org

The Adventure Capital Fund is the parent charity of The Social Investment Business. The ACF has been making investments in community enterprises since 2003 and offers a range of investment tools and support services to organisations looking to develop income streams that enable them to stand on their own two feet.  www.adventurecapitalfund.org.uk

•  A £30m neighbourhood grant programme; and

•  A £50m programme designed to encourage the development of local endowments to be a long-term source of grants and other social investments. Through leveraging private sector investment on a two for one match, we expect this to be worth £140 million plus gift aid by 2015.

To access the neighbourhood grants each eligible ward has been asked to set up a Community First Panel. These panels will raise awareness of the programme and work in the community to create a plan for how they will match and spend the money. The panel will make recommendations to CDF, who as administrator of Community First, on behalf of OCS, will release funds provided the panel is able to demonstrate community involvement and support for the plan. To be effective, these panels need to be genuinely representative of the community and credible in the aim of using the funds strategically. Each Panel will be asked to also nominate a Panel Partner who will validate the Community First Panel on the ground and confirm they are using the funds appropriately.

To access funding, which is now available, Community First Panels must first be created and registered on-line with CDF by 31 May 2012. Registration is open and Panels should register on the website at www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/community-first

540 panels across England are already up and running.

There are still 50 wards which are eligible for funding, please check this list to see if your ward is included.

For any queries on the programme please contact: CommunityFirst@cdf.org.uk

New Start, 9th February

Alison talks transition, commissioning, and having a new voice for CDF. In the article she talks about CDF’s switch from a public body to a charity, and how the change allowed CDF to become more outspoken and innovative.

Read the full article here.

Politics Home, 6th March

Alison speaks in Politics Home about working with communities and building cohesion in difficult times. Using the Community First programme to illustrate this, she shows how a community eyesore can become a community asset and how communities can come together to address local priorities.

Read the full article here.

In 2009 CDF began preparing for an uncertain future – the collapse of the banks, expenses scandal and general election on the horizon presented the prospect of substantial change.

Alison Seabrooke, Chief Executive of CDF, comments on service delivery

The Community Development Foundation (CDF) has, today, released a report showing how the combination of immediate cash grants and longer term fund raising through endowments can prove a winning formula in providing support to small, voluntary organisations.

Grassroots Grants directly funded approximately 19,000 groups over two and a half years (September 2008 – March 2011). Over 7,000 of these voluntary groups had never previously received public funds. The endowment element also attracted new donors, with one fifth donating to local causes through the endowment programme, for the first time. Many donors cited the government match funds as a powerful incentive to donate. Grassroots Grants endowments have £2.7 million available in 2011-12 to distribute to local groups, demonstrating the programme’s effectiveness at providing long-term sustainable funding.

Grassroots Grants was a £130 million government funded programme that aimed to support the voluntary sector in building stronger, more active communities. It had two elements:

• An £80 million small grants programme that provided grants of £250 – £5,000 to small, local community and voluntary groups in England with an annual turn-over of £30,000 or less

• A £50 million endowment match challenge, where donations raised by local funders were matched by government and invested to provide sustainable grant funding to community and voluntary groups into the future.

The evaluation shows that the programme met its aims of:

• Increasing immediate grant funding and capacity building to grassroots groups across England. It increased volunteering (estimated at over 40,000) and benefited around one million people;
• Increasing long term funding available to grassroots groups from community-owned endowments, with a £90 million fund created across England; and

• Improving the sustainability and quality of local grant making by strengthening independent funders throughout England. Local funders who had a dual role of grant giving and endowment raising said it allowed them to demonstrate to philanthropists the tangible results of small grants in local communities.

Alison Seabrooke, Chief Executive of the Community Development Foundation said:

“The combination of giving immediate grants to grassroots groups, while encouraging long term investment into endowments to create sustainable investment for similar causes in the future is a winner. Grassroots Grants provided immediate support to those groups which are often off the radar but can have significant impact at a local level. Seeing the impact of this investment encouraged donors, often for the first time, to invest in local endowments that will continue to fund grassroots groups in the long term.”

Daniel Pearmain, CDF Research officer and report author, said:

“CDF’s evaluation of the Grassroots Grants programme shows that while relatively small sums of money were given to community and voluntary groups, this had a significant impact. It supported groups to build capacity and introduce new activities to meet local needs. The endowment was made attractive to donors both by the match funding and the visible impact of activity on the ground.”

Grassroots Grants was funded by the Office for Civil Society (OCS) and managed by CDF. It was launched in September 2008 and ran until March 2011 across England.

To download a copy of the Grassroots Grants evaluation report, click here.

To download a copy of the Grassroots Grants executive summary, click here.

-ends-

For more information, please contact:

Jennifer Tankard

Director, Communications

Community Development Foundation (CDF)

Email: jennifer.tankard@cdf.org.uk

Tel: 0207 812 1572

Website: www.cdf.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

Community Development Foundation (CDF) is a charity and social enterprise that is passionate about helping communities. Leaders in community-led solutions, they have managed multi-faceted community programmes to the value of £250m over the last three years. CDF delivered the £130m Grassroots Grants programme. They are also working with six partners to set up a new organisation that will manage the Big Local Trust and deliver the Big Local programme on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund. The new trust will be endowed by the Big Lottery Fund with £200m to work with up to 150 local areas over 10 years. Other national programmes CDF have led include Take Part, National Empowerment Programme (NEP), Tackling Race Inequality Fund, and Faiths in Action.

The new Community First endowment, which aims to raise £150million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England, has been launched by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society today.

The Government will give 50p for every £1 raised from individual, corporate and philanthropic donors – pledging up to £50 million in total. This combined with Gift Aid tax relief will create a pot worth in excess of £150 million. The money will be invested and the return, expected to be up to £12 million per year, will be used to provide grants to local community and social action projects from 2015 onwards.

Donations have started with Arthur Green contributing to the Big Society endowment – he is a long-standing donor to the Sussex Community Foundation.  This donation builds on his existing commitment to support local communities in Sussex through the Arthur & Doreen Green Fund. The income generated by the fund will provide a contribution to the financial needs of some of the many worthy and deserving causes that exist throughout East and West Sussex.

The Community Development Foundation (CDF), which manages Community First, is working with local Community Foundations in the Community Foundation Network (CFN) to raise more money for the endowment.

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, said:

“It’s time we invested in our future rather than borrowing on it. The Community First endowment will be a lasting source of money to help local community groups achieve what they want, whether that’s turning wasteland into parks, holding social events for older people or starting sports clubs for the young. This is money on the ground for the Big Society and the 5000 Community Organisers we are training will encourage people to get together and use it.

“Some of the oldest charities in the country are founded on endowments invested many hundreds of years ago which still pay out for good causes today. This is a chance for people like Arthur Green and businesses to be part of something really special, an endowment for the nation.”

Arthur Green said:

“My late wife Doreen loved children but sadly we were not blessed with any of our own. As the sole surviving family member our line would have ended with me – but now through giving to the endowment our legacy will live on.

“I am pleased to extend my support to the Community First programme as this will make a real difference to the lives of others.”

Alison Seabrooke, Chief Executive of CDF, said:

“CDF, working with CFN, is delighted to open the Community First Endowment Match Challenge. With over 40 years of experience in supporting communities, CDF knows that funds invested at a local level can have real impact in helping people take positive action on issues that matter to them. This model of financing community investment, using Government funds to encourage philanthropic, individual and corporate giving, is one we know works well. The endowment will provide a long term, sustainable source of funding for social action projects for years to come.”

Stephen Hammersley, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Network, said:

“Now more than ever local communities, causes and charities need support they can depend on for the longer term – the kind of support that endowed funds can provide. Community foundations also understand how supporting and sustaining long term change can be rewarding to philanthropists and companies who have an interest and stake in the development of local communities. The match challenge will help more people discover how rewarding this can be and we are pleased to be part of delivering Community First.”

This year, the Community First fund will also pay out £30million in small grants to community groups and local social action projects in the 600 communities in England which need the support most, through the Neighbourhood Match Fund. People in these communities are being asked to form local panels to distribute the funds themselves. ASDA has pledged its backing through in-store promotions, by allowing communities to use its stores as meeting places for community panels and through its existing community investment strategy.

This story has been covered in Third Sector and Civil Society.

Notes to editors

1.     Community Development Foundation (CDF) is a charity and social enterprise that is passionate about helping communities. Leaders in community-led solutions, they have managed multi-faceted community programmes to the value of £250m over the last three years. CDF delivered the £130m Grassroots Grants programme. They are also working with six partners to set up a new organisation that will manage the Big Local Trust and deliver the Big Local programme on behalf of the Big Lottery Fund. The new trust will be endowed by the Big Lottery Fund with £200m to work with up to 150 local areas over 10 years. Other national programmes CDF have led include Take Part, National Empowerment Programme (NEP), Tackling Race Inequality Fund, and Faiths in Action.

2.     Community Foundation Network (CFN) (http://www.communityfoundations.org.uk/) is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “community philanthropy”.

3.     CCLA (http://www.ccla.co.uk/) invests money for more charities than any other fund manager in the UK. We are owned by our charity and public sector clients, and manage our business for their benefit. This puts us in a unique position to help charities and the public sector achieve their objectives. Our segregated management service and wide range of pooled funds enable us to meet the needs of organisations of all sizes. With over 50 years’ investment management experience, we currently manage assets of more than £4.2 billion. CCLA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

We would like to thank all who voted for us and see this as an encouraging testament  – not only to the hard work of staff at CDF, but also to the fact that our work is having an impact.

For more information on the DSC Social Change Awards, click here.