CFN acts as an umbrella to promote and support philanthropy in the UK and has a number of partnerships:
Fair Share Trust
“I wanted to be part of a project that celebrated the positive in the community. I got the opportunity to increase my skills and knowledge by working on the project, and I also got to know others in the community, and make new friends. My confidence grew because my ideas were used.”
Local resident, Brent
CFN is responsible for using its local giving expertise to ensure the effective implementation of the £50 million UK-wide Fair Share Trust programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund.
The Fair Share Trust’s aim is to build community skills, confidence, experience and networks to improve local neighbourhoods and leave a positive lasting legacy in areas that have not received their fair share of Lottery funding in the past. They help local communities to make a difference, by putting regeneration into their hands. The network of 29 local delivery partners work with communities to help change lives for the better in 80 neighbourhoods across the UK.
Working in collaboration with community foundations and other partners across the UK, to date more than £42m has been committed to local projects.
Visit Fair Share Trust's website
Local Giving
Localgiving.com is a website for local charities and community groups to raise money, awareness and support. Localgiving.com allows supporters and donors to search for and find small charities and voluntary organisations in their community.
Every charity listed on Localgiving.com has been independently vetted by their local Community Foundation, in a process approved by the Charity Commission. Unlike other online giving websites that only list charities large enough to be registered with the Charity Commission, Localgiving.com includes small community organisations vetted by their local Community Foundation.
Because all donations are processed through local community foundations, Localgiving.com automatically processes Gift Aid for charities and vetted voluntary organisations.
Localgiving.com was founded in 2008 by Marcelle Speller and is equally owned by CFN and the Ardbrack Foundation; both are registered charities.
Beacon
The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust
The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust was established to encourage individual contributions to charitable and social causes and to celebrate and showcase best practice in giving.
Each year Beacon awards prizes to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to charitable causes or to organisations that benefit the public and have transformed other people’s lives through their gifts of time, skills and money. Previous winners have included Jamie Oliver, Sir Bob Geldof, Zac Goldsmith and other celebrities, but the real stars are members of the general public. They not only embody the new culture of responsibility that the Government is trying to promote through the Big Society but are also extraordinary role models who inspire and encourage others to make their own contribution towards building resilient, inclusive communities.
It is a unique scheme as it recognises, equally, the good work done by major donors as well as the man and woman in the street who are inspired to go to extraordinary lengths to support a cause that moves them.
Visit the Beacon Fellowship website
London Evening Standard’s Dispossessed Campaign
In July 2010 CFN launched a partnership with the London Evening Standard in support of the ten local funders delivering the Grassroots Grants programme across London. The Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund linked to the paper’s previous "Dispossessed’ campaign which raised awareness of and funds for individuals and groups struggling with poverty across the capital. The campaign had two elements. Firstly, a fundraising drive to raise £1 million in endowment which, with the match, could total over £2 million to support communities across the capital in the future. Secondly to encourage community and voluntary groups across London to apply for up to £1 million of grant funding linked to the following ‘Dispossessed’ themes:
- Training and educating people who have dropped out of mainstream education
- Getting people into work such as through apprenticeship or mentor schemes
- Fighting gangs, knife and gun crime
- Improving mental and physical health and well-being, such as through sports clubs and helping carers
- Addressing other manifestations of poverty such as homelessness, pensioner poverty or the working poor
The campaign reached its target of £1m in only 24 days
The Dispossessed Fund has now passed the £7.2 million mark and is still growing. More than £1.75 million has been donated by individuals and businesses, matched by government through the Grassroots Challenge. Prime Minister David Cameron said: “This is a remarkable milestone in a campaign that is already changing the lives of people for the better and tackling extreme poverty in our capital city. The Government is proud to have matched the generous donations by readers of the Evening Standard, knowing that every penny will go to community-based schemes that give people the means to help themselves and to help others.”
Major corporate donors include many of the City’s biggest banks such as Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Rothschild, while others contributing five and six figure sums include the Westfield Shopping Centre, Lush owners Mark and Mo Constantine, and Top Shop boss, Sir Philip Green.
Stephen Hammersley, chief executive of Community Foundation Network, said: “This is a remarkable milestone for the Evening Standard, for all of the readers who contributed to the fund. But most of all it's a critical milestone for all of the people who are working in London to help people who are dispossessed and who are now being supported by money directed to them by the Evening Standard.”
Visit the London Evening Standard’s Dispossessed Fund website