As local grant-makers, we want to think global, and act local. We want to make a difference by working together to tackle challenging and deeply concerning areas of focus within Buckinghamshire.
The creation of the Buckinghamshire Capacity Fund, an initiative collectively funded by four charitable foundations, will provide the local not-for-profit sector with additional resources to deliver a larger local safety net than would otherwise exist to tackle poverty and financial insecurity.
The funders – Anson Charitable Trust, Rothschild Foundation, T&S Williams Charitable Foundation and Heart of Bucks, have awarded a one-off grant of nearly £160,000 to a collaboration of five local charities: Age UK Bucks, Carers Bucks, Community Impact Bucks, Connection Support and Youth Concern for their project ‘Charities Together: Tackling financial insecurity in Bucks’. This collaborative project will focus on practical support for residents experiencing poverty in three towns where inequality is prevalent: Aylesbury, Wycombe and Chesham. There will be a particular focus on supporting residents who currently may not know of, be able to engage with, or trust existing services and support.
Following the awarding of this grant, the funders issued a joint statement saying:
“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work collaboratively to establish this larger funding opportunity for the non-profit sector in Bucks. The calibre of applications was extremely high and we are grateful for the opportunity to consider such a wide range of excellent potential initiatives. Congratulations to the ‘Charities Together’ group on their successful bid, which aims to reach out to people experiencing poverty in Bucks by finding ways to identify, engage, and adapt pathways to existing services. We would also like to thank the independent grants panel who gave significant time and expertise to the consideration of applications for this fund.”
Alice Copping, Deputy CEO at Connection Support, on behalf of the project partners said:
“As five well-established local charities, we are all too aware of the difficulties faced by people of all ages and backgrounds across Bucks. We are delighted to come together in this new initiative to increase our support to residents and to grass roots organisations who are helping people facing financial insecurity.”
