New report shows that community foundations like Northamptonshire will prevail through tough times

The report’s main points:

• Northamptonshire Community Foundation is part of the UKCF network which collectively covers every postcode in the UK.

• The network has together distributed over £170.6 million – 40,804 grants – to charities and voluntary organisations in the financial year 2022-2023.

• Tackling the root causes of social inequity has been a key focus of local funding, collaborating with donors and communities alike to support grassroots resilience.

• Over £811 million is being managed by the UKCF network in community-focused endowments, being invested by communities for communities. This has risen by 14% since 2020, showing a drive for more sustainable support at a local level.

• Climate change is affecting UK communities in inequal measures. Philanthropic collaboration with Northamptonshire Community Foundation across the county is supporting diverse communities to adapt to the inevitable impacts of an increase in global temperature.

Read the full Philanthropy 2023 report online here.

UK Community Foundations (UKCF), one of the UK’s largest funding networks which Northamptonshire Community Foundation is a member of, has published its annual report, ‘Philanthropy 2023’. It highlights the determination of UK communities to overcome the financial crisis and the root causes of social inequity through local philanthropic action.

Increasingly, individuals and households are finding themselves in need of support from charities and funders – some for the first time in their lives. Philanthropy 2023, featuring Northamptonshire Community Foundation, looks into the root causes of the rise in demand for frontline services and the barriers that charities themselves are having to fight through to provide the necessary support.

Together, UKCF members have distributed over £170.6 million – 40,804 grants – to charities and voluntary organisations in the financial year 2022-2023. Regional insights show that, while the resilience of community-focused organisations has not faded, there is still so much to be done to improve social equity at a local level.

The UKCF network is collectively managing over £811 million in endowments, being invested by communities for communities. This has risen by 14% since 2020, showing a drive for more sustainable support at a local level. The report explores the promising landscape of place-based philanthropy, where building community endowments ensures a long-term revenue stream, stating ‘the potential of new philanthropic opportunities by unlocking dormant trusts and assets is huge’.

Supporting communities in regaining resilience for the future is high on the agenda for UKCF. Rachel McGrath, CEO at Northamptonshire Community Foundation, said: “We are very proud of the achievements of community foundations across the UKCF network over the last year, and we are dedicated to continuing this commitment to bettering the lives of our most vulnerable local residents.

“The ongoing cost of living crisis means this year has been incredibly challenging. More and more people are finding themselves in need of food banks and community larders to make ends meet, and in our county approximately 40,000 local residents are at risk of fuel poverty this winter.

“Last year at Northamptonshire Community Foundation, we awarded over £2.5 million in grant awards to community groups and charities across the county who are working day in and day out to help those most in need. We will continue our hard work to provide life changing, and often lifesaving, funds to community groups, volunteer-led organisations and charities across Northamptonshire.”

Find out more about Northamptonshire Community Foundation at www.ncf.uk.com