Your fresh news from Somerset Community Foundation:
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is looking for an individual to volunteer on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Awards Panel – and applications from people with knowledge of communities west of Hinkley Point are particularly welcome.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is delighted to announce that their 2023/24 Surviving Winter appeal has raised an incredible, record-breaking £185,000 so far, thanks to the generosity of local donors.
Just over a month after launching their Surviving Winter appeal, local charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has raised over £125,000 thanks to the generosity of local people. Today, around 10,000 older people in Somerset are living in fuel poverty – almost double the number last year. That means they face the stark choice between heating and eating this winter. (more…)
This year Summerfield Developments marked 200 years in business by choosing two new Taunton-based charity partners: The Albemarle Centre, Taunton and North Taunton Partnership. The local charities will both receive three years of flexible funding to support their vital community work through Summerfield’s Force for Good Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Interim Spaces, a charity that transforms otherwise empty commercial properties into cultural venues and workspaces, has recently secured £264,000 in funding to renovate 10 Market Place, a previously vacant historic building located in the heart of Shepton Mallet. The funding includes a £120,000 award from Somerset Community Foundation’s Somerset Social Enterprise Fund programme.
Local charity Somerset Community Foundation has launched their annual Surviving Winter appeal to raise vital funds for low income pensioners this winter. An estimated 10,000 pensioners in Somerset are living in fuel poverty – almost double the figure from just a year ago.
Somerset Community Foundation, in partnership with Somerset Council and NHS Somerset, recently awarded over £150,000 in grants to 44 local community groups in the latest round of Cost-of-Living grants this summer. The grants will help groups across the county cope with rising energy bills and offer more support to people in Somerset who are struggling to make ends meet. (more…)
Bridgwater Baptist Church is using a £220,000 grant from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), to power their community-focused ‘Energise’ project. (more…)
Local community groups in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge are benefitting from over £55,000 in grants from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), for outdoor events this summer. (more…)
Major food distributor and wholesaler Hunt’s Food Group, based in Sherborne with several sites across Somerset, is partnering with Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and Dorset Community Foundation to launch the Hunt’s Food Group Community Fund. The new charitable giving fund will build on the company’s longstanding commitment to supporting local communities and charities and is guided by three strategic themes to help meet local need: relieving poverty and disadvantage; improving mental health and wellbeing; and investing in the next generation.
The village of Wembdon, near Bridgwater, has recently received a boost of almost £40,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund to improve facilities for young people in the village. (more…)
Grants between £1,000 and £5,000 are now available from The Commissioner’s Crime Prevention Fund. This fund aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through community projects and activities across the region.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) set up the fund in partnership with Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and Quartet Community Foundation (QCF), who facilitate the application process and help communities become safer. (more…)
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has awarded a £1.25 million grant, their largest to date, to the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, to support the charity’s efforts to create a modern ‘home of Carnival’ in Bridgwater. The funding has been made available through the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, funded by EDF. (more…)
The Old Mill Fund – the home of financial experts Old Mill’s charitable giving – has reached the impressive milestone of awarding £50,000 in grants to grassroots good causes across Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire since the Fund was first launched just over three years ago.
Last month, the achievements of 15 newly qualified youth workers were celebrated at a special certificate presentation event at Dillington House, Somerset.
The event, which was hosted by the Somerset Youth Work Alliance (SYWA), brought together over 50 guests including youth workers, young people, councillors and commissioners, to celebrate and champion youth provision in the county. The training was made possible thanks in part to £25,000 of grant funding (money that does not need to be paid back) from Somerset Community Foundation which was awarded as a result of a joint application made by the SYWA and Spark Somerset.
Stacked Wonky, a not-for-profit contemporary dance company based in Porlock, is delighted to have received a second grant from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation. The team has now received a total of £15,000 from the fund since May 2022.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is pleased to announce that their 2022/23 Surviving Winter appeal has raised an incredible £150,000 so far, thanks to the generosity of local donors – which pushes total donations to over £1,000,000 since Surviving Winter was first launched in 2010.
Hundreds of young people in education and older people in residential care across Somerset West and Taunton and Sedgemoor have taken part in inclusion and equity workshops delivered by the charity State of Trust. The workshops were funded by a grant for almost £50,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF). (more…)
The Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Awards Panel has made a provisional award of £1.25 million to the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival charity, as part of the first phase of their ‘Home of Carnival Project’. The award is contingent on confirmation of a further £3 million of match funding as part of the Bridgwater Town Deal, which is expected to be awarded in March 2023. (more…)
As the temperatures plummeted this week, Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is pleased to announce that, following the launch last month [November 2022], the 2022/23 Surviving Winter appeal has already raised a phenomenal £100,000 – thanks to the incredible generosity of local donors. (more…)
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has raised an incredible £500,000 for vital local charities supporting communities affected by the cost-of-living crisis. (more…)
Staff from Mulberry and Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) received a very warm welcome when they visited the sites of two Somerset community groups to have benefitted from grant funding recently. (more…)
Neglected gardens in the Bridgwater area are being given a fresh lease of life thanks to new social enterprise Social Circles CIC, with the help of a grant for just over £4,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched this year’s Surviving Winter appeal, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help vulnerable older people in Somerset who are unable to afford to heat their homes to stay warm and well.
Michael Samuel MBE, a committed philanthropist and businessman who has supported charities through his family foundations for several decades, has become Somerset Community Foundation’s new Chair of trustees, following the retirement of Jane Barrie OBE DL at their AGM earlier this month (6th October, 2022).
The Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal, run by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), has raised over £100,000 since its launch just over a month ago [correct as at 05/10/2022].
The appeal is raising money to fund local charities and community organisations supporting those in most urgent need during the cost-of-living crisis. Donations have come from local individuals, charitable trusts and businesses, including £50,000 from Somerset County Council.
The charity is now offering grants to local charities with the funds raised to date and has launched the Warm Somerset Spaces Fund. Charities and community groups across the county offering ‘warm spaces’ to people experiencing fuel poverty this winter are invited to apply for a grant of up to £1,000. Grants will help fund dozens of community spaces to stay open longer over the winter months, helping to keep vulnerable people warm, safe and well. Funding will be awarded weekly to help charities respond rapidly to the cost-of-living crisis.
Local charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is celebrating its 20th anniversary and also marking an incredible milestone, having awarded £20 million of funding to thousands of Somerset’s local charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises since 2002.
Discovery, the organisation supporting autistic adults and people with learning disabilities in Somerset, has reopened applications for its Community Fund. Grants are available for a wide range of projects intended to help make community spaces and services more accessible for autistic adults and people with learning disabilities.
Applications through Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), who are administering the fund, are welcomed for grants ranging from £500 to £10,000.
On behalf of everyone at Somerset Community Foundation, we were saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty The Queen. We offer our sympathy, thoughts and best wishes to members of the Royal Family.
The Queen has, through her lifetime, shown selfless devotion, duty and service to communities throughout the UK and far beyond, including patronage of over 600 charities.
She led by example throughout her long reign and the legacy she leaves will continue to be an inspiration to us and will be reflected in the work and commitment of our local voluntary organisations.
Jane Barrie OBE, Chair & Justin Sargent OBE, Chief Executive
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched their Somerset Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal with an urgent call for donations which will help fund local charities helping local people living in poverty through the cost-of-living crisis.
With inflation at a 40-year high and energy bills rocketing, thousands of Somerset households are facing incredibly tough times ahead. The Somerset Cost-of-Living Fund, which will open for applications from local charities soon, will provide rapid support to local charities and community organisations across the county of Somerset, many of whom are already experiencing record numbers of people seeking help.
The proceeds from a recently-published book called Deepest Somerset – which explores the history, the characters, the stories and diversity of the county of Somerset – have benefited three local charities, including Somerset Community Foundation.
St Peter’s Church, in Stolford, has undergone a major refurbishment enabling it to become the Stolford & Wick Community Hub, after being awarded over £37,000 from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund, which is administered by Somerset Community Foundation.
The Commissioner’s Crime Prevention Fund, a partnership between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and Quartet Community Foundation (QCF) is open for applications from charities and groups that run community projects and activities helping to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.
A team of 22 intrepid Mulberry staff members recently completed the Three Peaks Challenge 2022, raising over £6,000 so far for mental health charities across Somerset. The team is raising money for the Mulberry Somerset Community Fund (MSCF), administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), which gives money to local charities and good causes to make a difference in local communities across Somerset.
Local communities working hard to benefit the environment have been awarded nearly £35,000 by Burnham & Weston Energy, a local enterprise generating electricity from one of the largest community solar farms in the UK.
Local charities and social enterprises seeking funding to start a new service or develop an asset could benefit from the Somerset Social Enterprise Fund (SSEF), run by SCF. Compass Disability used their money – a social investment award of £71,000 – to convert a building into their Compass Wellbeing centre.
SSEF provides funding, typically between £20,000 and £100,000, through a blend of grants (money that does not need to be paid back) and unsecured loans.
Money to support community projects and activities that help to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour is now available from Somerset Community Foundation. Community groups and charities can apply for grants (money that does not need to be paid back) of between £1,000 to £5,000 from the Commissioner’s Crime Prevention Fund.
Grants up to £2,500 are now available for smaller charities, community groups, sports clubs and social enterprises based in Somerset. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) manages The Somerset Fund and is encouraging groups that run on less than £100,000 a year to apply now for funding. The grants from The Somerset Fund can be used to pay for essential running costs, like rent, utilities, insurance, or staff time – sometimes known as core costs.
Somerset Community Foundation has awarded eight grants totalling almost £44,000 to voluntary and community organisations in Somerset from Arts Council England’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund.
The Crafty Teacup, a community hub in Burnham-on-Sea, has undergone a refurbishment after being awarded £4,199 from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund, which is administered by Somerset Community Foundation.
A Wiveliscombe food project set up during the pandemic, a therapeutic counselling service for children and young people, and a personal development project for those not currently in employment, education or training are among the first charity projects of 2022 to receive backing from Taunton-based legal firm Clarke Willmott.
Sedgemoor Dementia Action Alliance (formerly Bridgwater Dementia Action Alliance) was awarded a grant for £5,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund in October 2021 towards the costs of setting up a weekly Memory Café for people living with dementia, and those who care for them.
Looking for a new challenge for 2022? An exciting opportunity has arisen at Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) to join and lead their board of trustees. This unique local philanthropic charity is seeking an ambitious person to provide inspiring leadership as their new Chair and help steer the Foundation into the future.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is thrilled to announce that, following the appeal launch at the end of November, the 2021/22 Surviving Winter appeal has already raised a phenomenal £100,000 – thanks to the incredible generosity of local donors.
Somerset Community Foundation will be one of the network of community foundations distributing the Arts Council England Let’s Create Jubilee Fund, a £5 million programme that will support community and voluntary organisations in England to develop creative and cultural activities as part of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched this year’s Surviving Winter appeal, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help vulnerable older people in Somerset who are unable to afford to heat their homes to stay warm and well.
Somerset charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is inviting businesses to help support vulnerable older people and help spread some festive cheer in our county this Christmas, as part of their long-running Surviving Winter appeal.
The Hinkley Point C Community Fund has recently been supporting the more vulnerable members of our community. Somerset Sight was awarded a grant for £85,000 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund in August 2020 to both deliver and expand their befriending service in Sedgemoor, over a three-year period.
The Discovery Community Fund is open for applications until Friday 17 December. Administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), the Fund provides grants to support improvements in the health and independence of people with learning disabilities and/or autism across Somerset.
If you work or volunteer for a group that needs money to help pay for staff, activities or project costs and you are based in the district of Somerset West and Taunton (SWT) – or your group provides support to residents of the district – then grants of up to £1,000 are available now. The deadline to apply is by 5pm, Friday 26 November 2021.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) would like to support community groups in Somerset that can help to reduce loneliness and share some Christmas cheer through food and festive activities.
Enterprise Grants and Training and Employment Support Grants are available from Somerset Community Foundation for young people who live in Somerset who have an idea for a business, or have recently launched a business, or for those who are going into training, an apprenticeship or have recently started a new job.
Tales of the unique community of Somerset have been unveiled in a new book called Deepest Somerset – the proceeds from which will benefit three local charities: Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), and The Farming Community Network (FCN).
The book, written by Fanny Charles and Gay Pirrie-Weir, has an introduction by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, and has been funded by Lord Rothermere’s Rothermere Foundation. Its contributors include some famous names including Michael Eavis, Cameron Mackintosh, and Alice, Julian and Matilda Temperley.
REFLECT, RECOVER, RENEW
Working together to create a Roadmap to Recovery for the Somerset VCSE sector.
Time is running out for charities and community groups who were significantly affected during the height of the coronavirus outbreak to apply for grants to support their day-to-day running costs.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has opened a special round of the Hinkley Point C Small Grants programme and is encouraging applications for grants of up to £5,000 from community groups and organisations who work in places that are impacted by the Hinkley Point C (HPC) development.
Horseshoes and Handprints is a new Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Somerset, East Devon or North Dorset, to access horse-facilitated therapy sessions.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is looking for an individual to volunteer on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Awards Panel – and applications from people with knowledge of west Somerset are particularly welcome.
Mary’s Beat is a fund created in the memory of Mary Christabel Dyer, to help disabled people take part in activities that will build self-confidence and encourage participation, that they may not otherwise be able to afford.
Grants of up to £1,000 are awarded for individuals to take part in music therapy, music experiences or outdoor adventures and activities, and are made possible thanks to Mary’s family, who normally organise fundraising activities every year.
Since the Fund was launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) in July 2017, a total of £12,405 has been awarded in grants, to 23 individuals with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or both, living in Somerset or Devon. However, the pandemic has meant that Mary’s family haven’t been able to do their planned sponsored cycle ride or other fundraising activities. To be able to award grants early next year more funding is now desperately needed.
Made By Sport has partnered with community foundations across the UK to distribute £4.4m of funding to organisations and sports clubs who deliver sports development programmes for young people up to the age of 25. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is managing the applications for Somerset and grants of up to £2,021 will be awarded to eligible organisations from the #ClubsInCrisis Fund.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has recently awarded £50,000 in grants to 22 groups to create or develop green community spaces across Somerset. These grants were made possible thanks to Somerset County Council and with the support of Somerset Community Food.
A special round of the HPC Community Fund small grants programme has been launched to support the day-to-day running costs of community groups impacted by the HPC development by offering funding for running costs.
Grants up to £2,500 are now available for core costs for smaller charities, community groups, sports clubs and social enterprises based in Somerset. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) manages The Somerset Fund and is encouraging groups that run on less than £100,000 per year to apply now for funding. The grants from The Somerset Fund can be used to pay for ongoing running costs, known as ‘core costs’. Applications to the Fund can be made through SCF’s website and the deadline to apply is 5pm, Friday 13 August 2021.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has an exciting opportunity for up to three people to shape their future by joining their board of trustees. Successful candidates would help passionate people change the world on their doorstep by supporting SCF’s grant-making programmes and helping to grow their philanthropic services.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is looking for an individual to volunteer on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Awards Panel – and applications from people with knowledge of West Somerset are particularly welcome.
The Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation, is committed to improving the environment as a catalyst for change in people’s lives in the communities impacted by the construction project. Over £167,000 has been awarded to environmental projects from the HPC Community Fund since 2017, which builds on over £370,000 that was previously awarded from the Community Impact Mitigation Fund, both of which are funded by EDF.
Funding is available from Somerset Community Foundation for young people, from two grants programmes:
• Enterprise Grants
• Training and Employment Support Grants
Both programmes are open to young people who live in Somerset and are not in education, training or employment and the deadline to apply is Wednesday 30 June.
The team at Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) are incredibly proud to announce that their Chief Executive Justin Sargent has been recognised with an OBE for services to the community in Somerset in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Grassroots sports clubs and organisations in Somerset who have been affected by the pandemic – whether financially or operationally – can apply for grants to help them continue invaluable community work through Made By Sport’s Clubs in Crisis fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation.
Somerset Community Foundation recently published their annual impact report for The Somerset Fund, which matches donations by 50% thanks to Somerset County Council.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) welcomed His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex at The Royal Bath and West Showground, during his recent visit to Somerset.
The Earl asked how the voluntary sector dealt with the pandemic in Somerset, and heard about the incredible local community response, and how the charity and voluntary sector in Somerset responded so swiftly and nimbly to the immediate need at a local level, with many organisations adapting their services almost overnight.
Horseshoes and Handprints (H&H), a charity supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access equine facilitated therapy sessions, are delighted to be handing over the reins to Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) to manage the Fund in the future.
In 2018 Diversity Voice were awarded a grant of £180,000 over three years from the HPC Community Fund, to work with those directly connected with Hinkley Point C (HPC) and the wider community in Sedgemoor and the west of Somerset. The key aim was to help provide legal and welfare advice, and deliver events and training to bolster intercultural integration and English language support, for migrant workers and their families.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is delighted to have been awarded a High Sheriff’s Special Recognition Award, which cites their ‘outstanding work to the community in Somerset and for their acts of thoughtfulness and kindness during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.’
SCF launched the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal on 19th March 2020, just a few days before the first national lockdown was announced. The High Sheriff’s award is made on the anniversary of the first emergency Somerset Coronavirus Response grants, which were approved for payment less than a week after the appeal was launched. These first grants were made to food banks across the county, and in those first few weeks of lockdown SCF continued making emergency grants to frontline charities across our county, every day.
The Somerset West and Taunton Small Grants Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) on behalf of the Somerset West and Taunton Council, awarded £18,000 of grants in the area to help support charities during the early days of lockdown last year.
The funding helped 21 groups and was matched with an additional £39,650 of funding which was raised by a national coronavirus appeal run by the National Emergencies Trust (NET).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is absolutely delighted to announce that the 2020/21 Surviving Winter appeal has smashed its target, raising an incredible, record-breaking £160,000, thanks to the generosity of local donors.
Fortitude Wellbeing is one of the latest groups to receive a grant from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund. With their work on improving mental health and wellbeing having even greater significance during the latest lockdown, the group has used a grant of almost £5,000 from the HPC Community Fund to deliver a new project to families in Somerset West & Taunton, based around the beneficial impact of woodworking on mental health.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by local charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) at the start of the pandemic, has raised a phenomenal £1.5 million. The funding has enabled the Foundation to award grants to over 300 local charities [correct as at 19/01/2021] in just 10 months, thanks to the generous support of local individuals, businesses, charitable trusts and public sector partners, as well as funding from a national appeal run by the National Emergencies Trust (NET).
Grants up to £2,500 are now available for smaller charities and grassroots groups based in Somerset. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) manages The Somerset Fund and is encouraging smaller charities and community groups that run on less than £100,000 per year to apply now for funding. The grants are ‘unrestricted’, which means they can be used to pay for ongoing running costs, also known as ‘core costs’. Applications to the Fund can be made through SCF’s website and the deadline to apply is Monday 22 February, 2021.
SCF is delighted to announce the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton has pledged her support for another year.
Bishop Ruth says: “Pensioners who can’t afford to heat their homes are going to bed early, cutting back on food and are often living in one room simply so they can stay warm. Making a donation from your Winter Fuel Payment to Somerset Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter appeal will help support some of the most vulnerable in our community. Please consider donating if you can.”
An incredible £4 million has been awarded to local initiatives in Somerset since the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund was launched in 2017.
Grants worth £72,886 have been awarded to 37 smaller, grassroots charities and community groups in the latest round of The Somerset Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched this year’s Surviving Winter campaign, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people who are unable to afford to heat their homes.
To celebrate 15 years of trading, Wells business TelePA decided to mark the occasion by offering to support telephone calls for local charities, free of charge, for a period of two years. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is taking advantage of this generous offer for a second year, and TelePA are managing the extra phone calls they receive during their Surviving Winter appeal 2020/21.
Community groups wishing to apply for funding from the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal can now visit the SCF website where they can find guidance on how to make an application: www.somersetcf.org.uk/grants-groups
Three streams of funding from the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal are currently available:
- Grants of up to £2,500 to continue the response to the coronavirus pandemic through the winter
- Grants of up to £5,000 for recovery from financial difficulty and to build more resilience for the future (for groups with a turnover of up to £250,000)
- Blended funding of grants and loans up to £20,000 for recovery from financial difficulty and to build more resilience for the future (for groups with a turnover over £250,000)
North Petherton Playing Fields Charitable Trust has raised the funds needed to turn the community’s ideas for a multi-purpose park and green space into a reality, including an £80,000 grant from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Grants worth over £70,000 have been awarded to eight local charities and community groups directly supporting homeless people to move into independent living. Funds were awarded from The Somerset Move-In Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) would like to support community groups that can help to reduce loneliness and spread Christmas cheer through food and festive activities. The Festive Fund for Somerset offers a £250 grant to groups if they can tell SCF how their work can combat the isolation and loneliness that many people can feel in the winter months.
Grants worth £20,911 have been awarded to 19 smaller, grassroots charities and community groups in the latest round of The Somerset Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
In 2018, Westfield United Reformed Church in Bridgwater was awarded a three-year grant for £226,400 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, to support their work in the community and renovate their facilities. Unfortunately, this work was completed while the country was in complete lockdown, meaning they were initially unable to welcome back the 80 groups and countless members of the community that had used their facilities prior to the pandemic. However, the church did not allow this small set back to prevent them from continuing to be active and support the community.
Wessex Water is providing more financial help for community groups in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new Wessex Water Recovery Fund aims to strengthen communities following the Covid-19 outbreak, with an emphasis on local rather than national projects.
Are you passionate about Somerset, with good local knowledge of Bridgwater and the wider Sedgemoor area, west Somerset, and Taunton? Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is looking for two enthusiastic individuals to volunteer as independent members on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Awards Panel.
If you are a grassroots community group based in Somerset, grants are available up to the value of £2,500 from The Somerset Fund. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) manages the Fund and is encouraging applications from smaller charities and community groups that run on less than £100,000 per year. The grants will be ‘unrestricted’, which means they can be used to pay for ongoing running costs, also known as ‘core costs’. Applications to the Fund through SCF’s website can be made from Monday 14 September, 2020 and the deadline to apply is Friday 16 October 2020.
A recent survey has suggested that since the coronavirus pandemic started, more than 170,000 private tenants have been threatened with eviction by their landlord or letting agent, and an estimated 230,000 renters in England have fallen into arrears [source: Shelter]. Local charity, West Somerset Advice, fear that this will increase when the government lifts the ban on evicting tenants.
Based in Minehead and delivering their service across the west of Somerset, West Somerset Advice runs a housing advocacy project which was set up in response to increasing demand for housing advice. In 2018 they were awarded a 3-year grant for £108,923 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Last summer Somerset Bridge Primary School, in Bridgwater, received a grant of £1,652 from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), making a significant difference to pupils and their families during the summer holidays. With three million children in the UK at risk of going hungry during the school holidays every year, ‘Holiday Hunger’ is a reality for many families. This year, the holidays will add even more pressure to an already difficult situation.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by local charity Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) in late March of this year, has grown to over £1 million [correct as at 29/07/2020] thanks to generous contributions made to the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal by local individuals, charitable trusts and businesses, as well as funding from the national appeal, run by The National Emergencies Trust (NET).
Two years ago, St George’s Parish Centre in Wembdon, near Bridgwater, received a grant of £35,000 from the HPC Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation, to fund a new Centre Development Worker for three years. The project’s aim was to reduce isolation and provide emotional and practical support through various activities to bring the community closer. No-one could have predicted that in the middle of the project, the country would go into lockdown.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), is offering funding of up to £10,000 to local charities and community organisations delivering frontline work that will help communities recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
The new Wessex Water Foundation, a multi-million pound initiative launched by Somerset’s water and sewerage company, will focus on supporting people hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis in its first year.
The Foundation is providing dedicated funding for projects across the Wessex Water region in partnership with Somerset Community Foundation, as well as Wiltshire, Dorset and Quartet Community Foundations, and is already prioritising those worst affected by the pandemic.
Somerset Skills Bank, run by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) in partnership with Spark Somerset, is an exciting initiative that aims to encourage volunteers to donate their time and expert skills to support local charities. If you’re looking to develop new skills and experience, or have recently been furloughed and would like to use your free time to volunteer in Somerset, this could be just what you’re looking for.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is launching the next phase of their Somerset Coronavirus Appeal today, in a bid to raise £1.5m for our communities across the county.
As part of our commitment to mental and emotional health & wellbeing in the workplace, our office will be closed Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June, giving the team time to rest and recharge. We’ll be back and raring to go on Monday (22 June).
A job club based in Taunton has, against the odds in these unprecedented times, continued to provide vital support and advice for unemployed and vulnerable people living in Taunton and the surrounding area since the coronavirus outbreak.
A message from Annie Maw, the Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset and President of Somerset Community Foundation.
Somerset cricket legend Marcus Trescothick has featured in a new video promoting Mindline Somerset, a confidential listening service with a 24-hour telephone service to give emotional support and counselling to anyone in need and help them find further support.
Two community groups based in Somerset have been helping people with disabilities adapt to a new way of life since the coronavirus outbreak, thanks to grants awarded from the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, which was set up by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) in response to the current crisis.
Community groups and volunteers across Somerset have been lending their time and expertise to the fight against coronavirus by helping local NHS staff and health workers. The groups have received a welcome boost to their work thanks to donations to the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, which was set up by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) in response to the current crisis.
A grant from the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal has funded a children’s Lockdown Activity Pack, which has become a hit across the UK and beyond.
Bridgwater Together, an annual event celebrating the Somerset town’s vibrant cultural diversity through music, food, storytelling, dance, film and information sharing, recently took place online. The team used existing funding from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund in a new and innovative way to ensure communities were still able to connect – even when they couldn’t be together.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), has grown to over £450,000 since its launch just a month ago on Thursday 19 March.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), is offering fast-tracked funding for all local charities, community organisations and volunteer groups helping those in most urgent need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Grants up to £10,000 are available, and SCF pledges to award funding within three working days.
The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) to fund local charities and community organisations supporting those in most urgent need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, has grown to over £275,000 in just over a week.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is delighted to announce that just five days after its launch, the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal has already raised more than £70,000, thanks to the swift response and generous donations of local individuals, trusts and businesses.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched the Somerset Coronavirus Appeal to get vital funding to local charities and community organisations that are helping the most vulnerable people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. A full list of grants made from the Somerset Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund can be found here.
The National Emergencies Trust (NET) has today, Wednesday 18 March, launched an appeal to raise funds to help local charities to support those individuals suffering hardship as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The National Emergencies Trust will distribute money raised through a number of charitable organisations including local Community Foundations, to ensure it reaches those who need it most.
Community Foundations are well placed to support local charities to overcome challenges presented by this ongoing emergency.
Details of the NET fund and criteria for groups to apply for funding will follow in the next few days. SCF is also drawing up plans for using existing local funds alongside the NET funding and we will be announcing our approach shortly.
Somerset Community Foundation’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), updated 15/06/2020
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a major event and we recognise that many smaller, local charities and community groups will be worried about its impact on their work, their beneficiaries and the communities they live and work in. Our website has now been updated as our response to the pandemic evolves. This page is now where you’ll find other sources of information and advice.
A statement on our approach to grant making through the HPC Community Fund in light of recent allegations made against one of the organisations supported by the Fund.
Over £3 million in grants has been awarded to local initiatives in Somerset from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund since it was first launched in November 2017.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is delighted to announce that the 2019/20 Surviving Winter appeal has raised a record-breaking £110,000, thanks to the generosity of local donors.
Extra help is at hand to support families in Somerset meet and beat challenges before they develop into crises.
Somerset Community Foundation is working in partnership with Somerset County Council, who have set aside £200,000 each year for the next three years towards funding community groups working with families with children aged 0-19 who need that extra helping hand.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available from The Local Community Fund for local charities, voluntary or community groups, sports clubs, or social enterprises based within Somerset West and Taunton and the deadline to apply is Friday 20 March.
Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Men’s Shed (BOSHed) was one of the first community groups to receive a grant from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund’s Small Grants programme two years ago. The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6 and Men’s Sheds provide community spaces for men – and women – to connect, converse and create, filling a void and re-establishing a sense of community that older or retired people can experience.
The West Somerset Youth Trust, which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation, is accepting applications from young people aged 14 – 25 for grants to help them pay for course or event fees, travel costs, or equipment that can enrich their education.
Somerset Skills Bank is an exciting new initiative set up by local charities Somerset Community Foundation, Spark, and Engage, that aims to encourage volunteers to share their unique talents with local charities. Sign up and boost your career, your wellbeing and your community.
Our Hidden Somerset reports shine a spotlight on, and raise awareness of, some of the important issues affecting people in Somerset – as well as the great work being done by local charities and groups. Read more about the results of our second survey and the launch event for Hidden Somerset: Homelessness.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available for people living in Somerset or Devon with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or both to take part in music therapy, music experiences and outdoor adventures. The deadline to apply is Monday 2 March 2020.
Taunton-based legal firm Clarke Willmott recently celebrated awarding a total of £40,000 from their charitable fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation. The Clarke Willmott Fund, which was launched in 2010, awards grants between £250 and £5,000, focusing particularly on grassroots voluntary groups, local charities and social enterprises located in Taunton and the surrounding area.
Wessex Water is offering financial support to grassroots groups that bring people together across the county. The fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation, is open for applications on Monday 6 January 2020 and the deadline for applications is Friday 14 February 2020. Grants of up to £1,500 are available to organisations that build cohesion in communities, with priority given to smaller groups that work in areas of financial deprivation or rural isolation and/or work to raise awareness of drinking water for healthy living or saving water.
If you are a grassroots community group, grants are available up to the value of £1,500 from The Somerset Fund. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) manages the fund and is encouraging applications from smaller groups that run on less than £50,000 per year. The grants will be ‘unrestricted’, which means they can be used to pay for ongoing running costs. Applications can be made from Monday 6 January, 2020 and the deadline to apply is Friday 14 February, 2020.
A woman with a learning disability is arranging a Christmas party to thank the pupils at Castle Cary Community Primary School where she listens to the children read every week.
Thanks to more than 300 generous supporters across Somerset, the annual Surviving Winter appeal – which provides funding and support to our older neighbours who are struggling to heat their homes – is already over halfway to reaching its target of £100,000. Surviving Winter encourages pensioners who can afford to, to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment. SCF is delighted to announce The Rt Rev’d Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who is a Vice President of Somerset Community Foundation and Patron of Age UK, has pledged his support for the campaign.
Home-Start West Somerset is making a difference to young families in Somerset and one of a growing number of organisations benefitting from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation.
The Somerset VCSE Strategic Forum, in partnership with Spark Somerset, has launched the second Somerset VCSE State of the Sector Survey.
Somerset business TelePA is celebrating 15 years of trading this year, and to mark the occasion they are offering to support telephone calls for local charities, free of charge, for a period of two years.
We’re delighted to welcome solicitors Mogers Drewett as our newest supporters of The Somerset Fund!
Somerset Community Foundation has launched this year’s Surviving Winter campaign, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people who are unable to afford to heat their homes.
Supporters, friends, trustees and charity organisations from across the county attended Somerset Community Foundation’s (SCF) Annual Celebration last month at Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton, kindly sponsored by Old Mill.
Financial experts Old Mill have launched a new strategic partnership with Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), with a fund to support local charities across Somerset, Wiltshire and Devon.
A networking event hosted by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) was recently held for the recipients of grants from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund at St George’s Parish Centre in Wembdon.
Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, is encouraging local community projects and charities to apply for funding from the Nationwide Community Grants programme, where £500,000 has been made available to help make a difference to communities across the South West.
The Active Living Programme provides small grants of up to £2,000 to grass roots community groups and local charities that promote and help older people in their community to stay physically and mentally active in later life – but there’s not long left: the deadline to apply is Monday 21 October.
The Discovery Community Fund has been created to help adults with learning disabilities and autism live fulfilling lives in their own communities and grants of £500-£50,000 are now available. Applications should be submitted by Thursday 31 October, 2019.
The wonderful Sing for Somerset Christmas Carol Service will be held in Wells Cathedral on Saturday 14 December, 2019. It is with enormous pride and a slightly heavy heart that we share the news that we have passed the baton to another charity. The NSPCC will be taking over the reins from this year on.
We are delighted to announce the Burnham and Weston Energy Sunshine Fund is open to applications from Tuesday 1 October – Friday15 November, 2019. Read more about the groups the Fund has funded so far this year.
We’re delighted to welcome estate agents Wilkie May and Tuckwood as our newest supporters of The Somerset Fund!
Somerset Community Foundation is encouraging charities and community groups working across Somerset to apply to the #iwill Fund for projects that encourage young people aged 10-20 to take action on issues that matter to them.
Two organisations which have benefited from grants from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation, have made a significant difference in their communities, particularly during the school summer holidays. With 3 million children in the UK at risk of going hungry during the school holidays, ‘Holiday Hunger’ is a reality for many low-income families, when faced with the cost of providing additional meals for their children.
The Frome Cheese and Grain is the latest charity to secure a social investment from Somerset Community Foundation’s Somerset Social Enterprise Fund, enabling them to expand their café to increase revenue for the charity and invest in IT upgrades.
From Monday 5 August, community groups in the Somerset West and Taunton council area can apply for small grants of up to £1,000.
We ask everyone who has applied for a grant from us to complete a customer satisfaction survey. Here are the results of our 2019 survey, what we think they mean, and what we plan to do in response.
More than 20 generous individuals have joined our Philanthropy Network since it was launched in 2018. Read more here.
Our new Hidden Somerset reports are designed to shine a spotlight on, and raise awareness of, some of the important issues affecting people in Somerset – as well as the great work being done by local charities and groups. Read more about the results of our survey and the recent inaugural launch event.
The Somerset VCSE Strategic Forum has had a busy summer, connecting and convening at events across the county. Click through to read more.
The HPC Community Fund, administered by Somerset Community Foundation, has recently awarded over £220,000 to four community groups. The Fund supports community projects that help mitigate the impacts and increase the opportunities of the Hinkley Point C development. Read more about the latest groups to benefit from the Open Grants programme, which mainly awards grants to larger applications.
It is with great sadness that we learned that former SCF trustee, Charles Clark, passed away last week. He is remembered with great fondness and appreciation for his support of the Foundation.
Local learning disability support provider Discovery is delighted to announce the first round of grants from the Discovery Community Fund have been awarded to seven community groups, totalling almost £90,000.
The latest to benefit from the Myakka Grassroots Fund is Wincanton group, Guardian Adoptive Parental Support (GAPS). Set up in September 2017 by Liz Morley and Sammie Peckover, this inspiring group offers support to families caring for children under special guardianship orders and adoptive parents.
The Somerset Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), has recently awarded its first grants to community groups in Somerset, supporting almost 30 projects across the county with grants of more than £26,000.
We’re delighted to welcome law firm Stokes Partners as our newest supporters of The Somerset Fund!
Wessex Water Community Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), has recently awarded its first grants to 14 projects across the county. The fund, which aims to bring communities together across the county, offers grants of up to £1,500 to smaller community groups and charities.
Over £2 million* in grants has been awarded to community groups, charities and social enterprises in Somerset from the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund since it was first launched in November 2017.
The deadline for groups to apply for funding for projects that will help local communities or community organisations become more sustainable is fast approaching. Burnham and Weston Energy Sunshine Fund was set up by Burnham and Weston Energy CIC and is managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), and the first deadline for applications is Tuesday 30 April, 2019. Grants of up to £2,500 are available for projects covering an area stretching up the Somerset coastline from Burnham-on-Sea to Weston-super-Mare, and inland to Mark and Winscombe.
If you feel that your community is impacted by the Hinkley Point C (HPC) build and could benefit from the funding available, then a visit to one of the upcoming drop-in days being held across Sedgemoor and West Somerset could help.
Elliot’s Touch is organising a charity Easter Egg Hunt in Watchet on Sunday 21 April (Easter Sunday) and a team from Kingspan Water & Energy, based in Wiliton, are also raising funds for Elliot’s Touch by organising The Minehead Half-Marathon & 10km Run. The marathon is being held on Sunday 12 May.
An update on the latest VCSE Stratgic Forum and The Good Lunch.
Perrys Recycling is encouraging the people of Somerset to recycle all their unwanted paper (including newspapers, magazines, greetings cards, junk mail and telephone books) in their charity paper banks, which can be found at most supermarket car park recycling areas across the county. For every tonne of paper recycled through one of the dozens of paper banks, £10 is donated to the Foundation.
Local community groups and organisations have benefitted to the tune of over £30,000 in the seventh and eighth rounds of grants recently awarded from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme.
We’re delighted to announce that our 2018/19 Surviving Winter campaign has been a phenomenal success! The appeal is well on the way to reaching this winter’s target of helping over 500 vulnerable older people in Somerset, and, thanks to the generosity of donors this winter, the campaign has already helped over 350 people across the county so far.
We’re delighted to welcome Graeme Crosbie from Level Up South West as our newest supporter of The Somerset Fund.
Taunton Deane Borough Council has recently awarded grants totalling £20,355 to 23 groups based in the Taunton Deane area. Administered by Somerset Community Foundation, the fund supports local charities, community groups and social enterprises, based within the Borough, for projects, capital purchases or core costs.
Profits generated from Burnham and Weston Energy CIC’s 36,000-panel community solar array at Wick Farm, between Lympsham and Brean, will be made available for projects that will help local communities or community organisations become more sustainable. Burnham and Weston Energy Sunshine Fund has been set up by Burnham and Weston Energy CIC and is managed by Somerset Community Foundation. Grants of up to £2,500 are available for projects covering an area stretching up the Somerset coastline from Burnham-on-Sea to Weston-super-Mare, and inland to Mark and Winscombe.
Local community groups and organisations have benefitted to the tune of almost £51,000* from the fifth and sixth rounds of grants recently awarded from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme, managed by Somerset Community Foundation.
Laura Blake has joined Somerset Community Foundation in a brand new post as Development Director, with the aim of spearheading the growth of local giving in Somerset.
We are delighted to report that the total raised by our award-winning Surviving Winter appeal now stands at £97,000 but there’s just a little way further to go. The cold winter months are a perilous time of year for older people, especially those who live alone. Surviving Winter aims to tackle social isolation and make winter less lonely for older people, as well as helping them stay warm and better connected. Help us to help over 500 vulnerable, older people in Somerset who are living in fuel poverty.
If you are a grassroots community group, grants are now available up to the value of £1,500 from the newly launched Somerset Fund. Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), who manages the fund, is encouraging applications from smaller groups that run on less than £50,000 per year. The grants will be ‘unrestricted’, which means they can be used to pay for ongoing running costs, and the deadline to apply is Friday 22 February, 2019. If you run a business and would like to increase the impact of your charitable giving by up to 80% the Somerset Fund may also be of interest to you.
As part of our Enhance Social Enterprise programme, we recently worked with Cosmic and Somerset County Council’s early years team to deliver a series of training events for social enterprise pre-schools in Somerset. You can read more and watch the video here.
West country legend Les Davies MBE, FRGS is the latest local celebrity to endorse this year’s Surviving Winter appeal. Les, who trades as ‘West Countryman’, is President of the Mendip Society, Chairman of the Youth Environmental Awards Committee at the Royal Bath and West of England Society, a lifetime member of the Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue team, and Chairman of Mendip Ploughing Society was delighted to pledge his Winter Fuel Payment to the Surviving Winter appeal again this year. Les says: “It’s time to think about spreading a little warmth to help those who are vulnerable and in need. Can you help by sharing your Winter Fuel Payment with someone less fortunate, through the Surviving Winter campaign? Every little helps and goes to make someone else feel better this winter.”
The Discovery Community Fund has launched! The fund aims to support improvements to the health and independence of adults with learning disabilities and autism right across the county of Somerset, and Somerset Community Foundation is managing the distribution of up to £200,000 of funding.
West Somerset was recently found to be the worst performing area for social mobility in the whole of England. With grants from the West Somerset Youth Trust now available, funding could go some way towards helping young people in West Somerset reach their full potential. Somerset Community Foundation, who manage the trust fund, is encouraging young people aged 14 – 25 to apply for funding that can go towards the cost of an enrichment activity such as travel, courses, events or associated equipment.
Thanks to many generous supporters across Somerset, the annual Surviving Winter appeal – which aims to help keep isolated older people who are living in fuel poverty keep warm and better connected this winter – is already over halfway to reaching its target, but the campaign still has some way to go! SCF is also delighted to announce the latest ‘celebrity’ to support the campaign is The Rt Rev’d Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath & Wells.
We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who came to Sing for Somerset in Wells Cathedral on Saturday night – we were delighted to see a record-breaking congregation attend the service this year. Following our carol service we caught up with Wells Cathedral Virger, Kieron Rowley to ask him a few questions…
West Country Master Baker, Robert Burns MBE of Burns the Bread, is the latest local name to back Somerset Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter campaign. The annual appeal aims to raise over £100,000 to help isolated and older people living in fuel poverty this winter. Bob opened the first Burns the Bread in Glastonbury in 1983 and now has seven baker’s shops across the county, including Street, Wells, Castle Cary and Somerton.
Glastonbury Festival organiser and long-time Surviving Winter supporter Michael Eavis CBE has endorsed this year’s campaign once again. Surviving Winter, administered by Somerset Community Foundation, is an award-winning appeal which encourages people to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people living in fuel poverty.
Since it first lauched one year ago, The Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund has awarded 39 grants to local projects and schemes, community groups, charities and social enterprises, totalling a remarkable £1,824,807.
One of the longest established and one of the newest community organisations in Mendip are two of the latest social enterprises to have benefitted from the Somerset Social Enterprise Fund (SSEF), administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) recently awarded a £5,000 grant towards an ambitious project to build a new community facility in the village of Bishops Hull. The project arose due to the need to replace the existing and well-used parish hall, which had provided a popular venue for the village for over 30 years.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched this year’s Surviving Winter campaign, which encourages people to join the growing number of contributors who donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people living in fuel poverty. This year, any online donations to the campaign made during the week-long Big Give Christmas Challenge – midday Tuesday 27 November to midday Tuesday 4 December – will be doubled!
Supporters, friends, trustees and charity organisations attended an inspiring Annual Celebration last night, held at Monks Yard in Ilminster.
Liz Simmons, one of our Associates, is stepping down from her role as the Somerset VCSE Strategic Coordinator to become the new Chief Executive of Headway Somerset. Here we reflect on how Liz has helped build stronger bridges between the local voluntary and public sectors…
The VCSE Strategic Forum held a special meeting this month where members of the public were invited to join in the debate. Read more here…
A small grant of just £450 to Living Paintings has made a huge difference to blind and partially sighted older people in Somerset. Read more…
There is good news for Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) and the wider network of charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises working in the heart of our communities, following an announcement in the Government’s Civil Society Strategy, released earlier this month [09/08/2018]. Click through to read more.
Wessex Water, in partnership with Somerset Community Foundation, is offering grants of up to £1,500 to organisations that build cohesion in communities, with priority given to smaller groups that work in areas of financial deprivation or rural isolation – and/or work to raise awareness of drinking water for healthy living or saving water.
A further nine local groups are set to benefit from £40,000 worth of funding in the fourth round of the Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme. Administered by Somerset Community Foundation, the fund aims to mitigate the impacts and take advantage of the opportunities of the Hinkley Point C project. .
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is looking for an individual who is passionate about Somerset, with good local knowledge of Bridgwater and the wider Sedgemoor area, to become one of three independent members serving in a voluntary capacity on the Hinkley Point C Community Fund Awards Panel.
Defibrillators can save lives – especially in remote village locations where response times are longer than the national target. Three perviously derelict telephone boxes located in villages in the Borough of Taunton Deane have now been lovingly restored to their former glory by volunteers in the Parish of Creech St Michael – with the installation of some smart new defibrillators, and with the help of a grant from our TDBC Defibrillator Fund.
Liz Simmons, our VCSE Strategic Project coordinator, in partnership with Somerset County Council, updates us on plans for the future.
The village of Henton held its annual Summer Fete recently, raising over £3,000 for the village church and £320 for its chosen charity of the year, Somerset Community Foundation.
We ask everyone who has applied for a grant from us to complete a customer satisfaction survey. Here are results of the survey, what we think they mean, and what we plan to do in response.
The Hinkley Point C Community Fund Strategic Grants Programme, which focuses on community cohesion, has made its first awards. Six local groups will benefit from funding, totalling in the region of £650,000.
Mary’s Beat, a memorial fund that was established last year to support individuals with physical and/or learning disabilities to access music therapy and outdoor adventures, has awarded its first two grants.
The Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme, administered by Somerset Community Foundation, has awarded six new grants, which total over £33,000 in this third round of awards. The awards have been made to Somerset Area Cruse Bereavement Care, Bridgwater; Friends of Berrow Beach, Burnham-on-Sea; Nourish Bumps, Babies and Breastfeeding, Cannington; The Quantock Foodbank, Watchet; Minehead Cycling Club, Minehead; and Wembdon Cricket Club.
Liz Simmons, our VCSE Strategic Project coordinator, in partnership with Somerset County Council, reports back from a very successful VCSE Leaders’ Conference.
Mental health charities in Somerset and Dorset are to receive a long-term boost thanks to the generosity of the founder and the trustees of the Graham Burrough Charitable Trust, who have chosen to wind the charity up after 20 years of helping people living with mental health problems. Somerset and Dorset Community Foundations will invest the Trust’s funds as part of their endowments and the income will be used to support local grassroots projects helping people living with mental health problems.
Perrys Recycling has created an easy and straightforward way for people in Somerset to raise money for their local community: by recycling their unwanted paper in their Charity Paper Banks. For every tonne of paper recycled through one of the dozens of paper banks located at supermarket car parks across the county, £10 is donated to Somerset Community Foundation.
Piers and Rachel Dyer will be using vintage pedal power to cycle over 800 miles in less than a month this summer, raising funds for Mary’s Beat.
Mary’s Beat is a charitable fund for people living in Somerset or Devon with physical and/or learning disabilities, to gain access to music or outdoor activities. The fund, which was set up after Mary Christabel Dyer sadly died in 2017, is administered by Somerset Community Foundation.
The Hidden Needs Trust’s (HNT) latest fundraising idea for Somerset and Dorset’s Opportunity Groups is a physical challenge with a difference! Taking place at the Sherborne Summer Festival on Saturday 16 June, Rachel Goodfellow, founder and fundraiser at HNT, is planning on completing a marathon in a specially modified ‘Motivation’ sports racing wheelchair.
Mugs of tea, biscuits and cake were in plentiful supply at the official Somerset Levels and Moors Shed (SLaMS) relocation opening ceremony last month [April 2018]. The Men’s Shed, which has previously benefitted from grant funding from Somerset Community Foundation, recently moved to a larger premises in Bridgwater, having outgrown their original premises in Burrowbridge.
The two latest groups to benefit from the Somerset Social Enterprise Fund (SSEF) are We Hear You, based in Frome, and GrassRoots Power, based in Taunton. Click through to read more about the groups’ funding and what they plan to use it for.
Six more local groups are set to benefit from the Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme administered by Somerset Community Foundation.
The grants, which total almost £30,000 in this second round, have been awarded to Old Cleeve Community Hall, Old Cleeve; St. Francis Holiday Club, Bridgwater; Bridgwater Cricket Club; Work-wise, Taunton; Wilstockhub, Wilstock; and Friends of Minehead First School, Minehead.
Social enterprises from across Somerset attended our inaugural Ready, Steady, Grow! workshop earlier this month at Monks Yard, Ilminster.
On a very spring-like day earlier this month, we welcomed Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex to our office. The Countess, who arrived by Royal helicopter, met with SCF trustees and senior staff where they discussed how the lack of social mobility in Somerset was a growing problem and among the worst in the country, and ways that SCF will be tackling this and other issues that young people in our county face today. The Countess then met with representatives from three groups that provide opportunities for disadvantaged young people in our communities, all of whom have previously received grant funding from SCF.
Yeovil Opportunity Group (YOG), who provide specialist care to pre-school children with additional needs and their families, have recently been awarded a £3,000 grant from Somerset Community Foundation – which includes a contribution from Hidden Needs Trust (HNT).
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) is delighted to announce that its 2017/18 Surviving Winter campaign has reached its fundraising target of £100,000!
Thanks to the inspiration of one Somerset pensioner, hundreds of vulnerable older people in our communities can look forward to a warmer and more sociable winter each year. Since Surviving Winter first launched in Somerset in 2010, the appeal has raised an astounding £600,000 in total for the county, with the nationwide campaign raising over £550,000 since October 2017.
Twenty chief executives and senior executives from the charity and voluntary sector recently attended the second Good Lunch, earlier this month. The inspiring networking event is held every four months for senior charity leaders, and the next event is being planned for June.
Ten organisations that are working with communities in Somerset who are feeling the effects of the development of Hinkley Point C have successfully made it through to the second round of the Community Cohesion grants programme.
Somerset Community Foundation’s award-winning Surviving Winter appeal has almost reached its target and is now standing at £97,500. With just £2,500 to raise before reaching their target of £100,000, SCF’s CEO Justin Sargent is urging people to donate.
Following the first Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants Programme panel meeting last month [January 2018], Middlezoy Arts and Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Men’s Shed (BOSHed) are the first groups to have been awarded grants, which together total nearly £10,000.
Surviving Winter, the appeal run by Somerset Community Foundation that encourages pensioners who feel they don’t want or need their Winter Fuel Payment to donate it, has just received a welcome boost in the shape of £5000 from EDF Energy – but there is still a little way to go before the appeal reaches its target of £100,000 to help 500 older people this winter.
Michael Eavis CBE has joined the Bishop of Bath and Wells, celebrated potter John Leach and West Countryman Les Davies MBE, FRGS in endorsing the 2017/18 Surviving Winter appeal. Now in its eighth year, the Surviving Winter appeal, which is managed by Somerset Community Foundation, asks pensioners who can live without their Winter Fuel Payment to donate it to help local older people who are struggling to stay socially connected and warm this winter.
As the peal of the mighty bells rang out from the south-west tower, over 500 people filled the magnificent Wells Cathedral on Saturday night for our annual ‘Sing for Somerset’ carol service. Read more here…
Community Foundations around the UK are proud to announce, on Local Charities Day, that collectively we have distributed ONE BILLION POUNDS to local charities.
Generous Surviving Winter supporters in Somerset have already donated over £70,000 to the campaign, which aims to help keep isolated older people who are living in fuel poverty warm and connected this winter.
West Country legend Les Davies MBE is the latest local name to back Somerset Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter campaign. And, following a recent television appearance where Les endorsed Surviving Winter on a BBC Points West report with Clinton Rogers, the appeal has had a massive boost – with donations now well on their way to reaching 50 per cent of the £100,000 target!
Somerset Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter campaign is off to a great start with over 10% of the £100,000 target already raised! Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), who administer the annual award-winning programme, is also delighted to announce the latest celebrity to support the campaign, celebrated potter John Leach, who is the eldest grandson of renowned potter Bernard Leach and son of potter David Leach. Now in its eighth year, the award-winning Surviving Winter appeal asks people to think about donating some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help SCF reach their target of raising £100,000 to help 500 isolated and vulnerable older people this winter.
Our Community Christmas Dinners grant was once again a huge success, with a total of 34 grants awarded this year – twice as many as last year! Read the full story here.
We’re delighted to announce that the Rt Rev’d Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath & Wells, has endorsed our Surviving Winter campaign again. Now in its eighth year, the award-winning Surviving Winter appeal asks people to think about donating some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help SCF reach their target of raising £100,000 to help 500 isolated and vulnerable older people this winter.
As work at Hinkley Point C continues, communities in Somerset can now apply for grants from £15 million of new funding as a result of the Hinkley Point C Project.
‘Tis the season….! Somerset Community Foundation is once again inviting members of the public to join them for their annual Sing for Somerset carol service in the magnificent Wells Cathedral on Saturday 16 December at 7pm. Admission is free, no tickets are required and doors will open at 6.15pm.
Somerset Community Foundation hosts an evening of inspiring philanthropy at Taunton School.
Somerset Community Foundation and Community Council for Somerset, in partnership with Clarity CIC, have launched a survey for people living and working in communities that will be directly affected during the Hinkley Point C construction period. The survey asks individuals and local community organisations – such as parish councils, village halls and local schools – what they feel would help to improve community well-being and quality of life and the deadline to complete the survey is Monday 6 November.
Charities and social enterprises in Somerset could soon benefit from a new boost to the Somerset Social Enterprise Fund (SSEF), which is delivered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF). A blended range of funding, which will combine grants with loans, is now available and funding packages will range from £25,000 to £100,000 to support groups that benefit society as well as generate financial returns.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) have bid a fond farewell to trustee and grants panel member Jane Lock after nine years of expert advice and £3.9m of grants funding to 1,787 community groups and charities across Somerset.
Somerset Community Foundation is teaming up with Comic Relief to deliver part of a £2 million national investment, supporting small, community-led organisations with grants of £1,000-£5,000 towards their core running costs.
We’re looking for volunteers to join the EDF Energy Community Fund Awards Panel which will help communities affected by the Hinkley Point C development and build a lasting legacy in Somerset.
We once again opened our doors to all during The Royal Bath & West Show this June, and enjoyed tea and cake with visitors including the folk from Home-Start West Somerset and award-winning PALS.
New paper banks in Glastonbury and Wincanton raise vital funds for Somerset Community Foundation, supporting local communities.
A new report released this week celebrates the amazing work of the thousands of charities and voluntary groups providing vital support in our communities, but it also highlights a sector under pressure.
The Huish’s Exhibition Foundation is the latest charitable trust to transfer to the stewardship of Somerset Community Foundation. Established in the nineteenth century, the trust has supported the education of young people in Taunton Deane for almost 150 years, and now it begins a new phase in its history.
The Youth Social Action Fund offers grants to groups working with young people between the ages of 10 and 20 years old in Somerset.
Val Stones of Great British Bake Off fame endorses the Somerset Surviving Winter campaign!
Arguably Surviving Winter’s original celebrity supporter, Michael Eavis once again endorses the campaign that helps vulnerable older people stay warm and connected.
Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) welcomed Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex to their head office to meet some of the grassroots groups working on the frontline to tackle disadvantage and build vibrant communities in our county.
Somerset Community Foundation will have an important role in supporting communities most affected by the construction over the next decade
The fund was set in 2015 in memory of Anne Dodgson and to recognise her contribution to astronomy in Somerset
A new fund has been created to support communities in the Wincanton area thanks to work with a local financial planner
The support and generosity of our patrons is vital to helping us transform lives across Somerset
We have raised over £40,000 towards our target of £90,000
Our annual carol service was held at Wells Cathedral on Saturday 12th December
The first blast of cold weather hit the south west this weekend – people in your community will be struggling to stay warm
Congratulations to Peter Wyman on his selection to Chair the Care Quality Commission
At the end of the first day £1,000 has already been donated to the Surviving Winter Campaign. If you would like to contribute, please click here
Better off recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment are already donating to Somerset’s Surviving Winter Campaign launched today.
Join us for our annual carol service at Wells Cathedral on the 12th December
Snap up your Christmas cards early and support disadvantaged young people in Somerset
This year’s Annual Celebration was held at the stunning North Cadbury Court
Taunton Athletic Club benefits from the very first loan to be given from the Somerset Social Enterprise Fund
An independent evaluation of the £1.5million Flood Relief Fund has praised the work carried out by SCF
Somerset Community Foundation launches the Anne Dodgson Fund to help Somerset residents access science education through astronomy
Mrs Jane Barrie OBE DL has been appointed as our next Chairman and Somerset’s new Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Annie Maw has also been appointed as our Honorary President
Somerset Community Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of our latest fund called Elliot’s Touch
The inaugural Taunton Deane Mayor’s Fund Award Ceremony took place last Friday at Queens College
Somerset Community Foundation held a beneficiaries lunch with property development company Summerfield at their Taunton office on Thursday, as a way of saying thank you to the firm for their grant making in the local area.
Representatives from the Youth Group attended a lunch reception at Clarke Willmott’s Taunton office last week, which brought together charities and community groups funded by Somerset Community Foundation.
Somerset Community Foundation looks at the work carried out over the past year to help residents who were affected by the floods, and the projects being planned to support the area in the future.
Click through to read a brief update and view the latest infographic for the Somerset Flood Relief Fund
This is your chance to raise money for the Youth Fund, whilst celebrating the first ever Somerset Day!
Somerset resident leaves a legacy that will continue to help communities and residents for many years to come.
Tackling loneliness in Somerset – 147 people attend Christmas Day Lunch at St Benedict’s Church in Glastonbury.
Two charity dinner events in Taunton raise £5,850.00 for The Deane Dragons project – next event being held on the 11th February.
Justin Sargent, SCF Chief Executive, was invited to an exclusive charity reception at No. 10 Downing Street hosted by Samantha Cameron.
Small voluntary or community groups in the Frome area are invited to our ‘Meet the Funders’ event.
Sing for Somerset 2014 kicked off the festive season in style!
Somerset Community Foundation are pleased to announce the appointment of Victoria Malcolm as their new Marketing and Events Executive.
Social enterprises in Somerset could benefit from a loan of between £10,000 and £100,000 from Somerset Community Foundation.
Surviving Winter has launched today through local media partners with a goal to raise £100,000 to help older people stay warm and healthy this winter.
A corporate supporter of the Somerset Youth Fund accompanies Mary Hancock on a visit to Somerset Rural Youth Project.
Supporters, friends and recipients of grants attended Somerset Community Foundation’s Annual Celebration last week. Keynote speaker, Tracey Bleakley, spoke about her involvement in the successful campaign for financial education to be in the National Curriculum in England and also the life cycle of a charity, from inception to merger.
We’re continuing to celebrate the UN’s International Youth Day this week by highlighting our newly launched Somerset Youth Fund and local charities making a difference, such as Streetspace.
This is the second in a series of articles highlighting the work of charities across Somerset that work with young people, celebrating the launch of the Somerset Youth Fund.
This week we’re looking at charities across Somerset that work with young people to highlight our newly launched Somerset Youth Fund.
Somerset Community Foundation are celebrating the UN’s International Youth Day on Tuesday, August 12 by highlighting the newly launched Somerset Youth Fund.
Wadworth, the Devizes-based brewer, has donated £2,046 to Somerset Community Foundation to help those affected by the floods on the Somerset levels.
Council Leader Cllr John Osman approves new fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation, to support social enterprises in Somerset.
Employees of Francis Clark will scale the highest summits for Somerset Community Foundation.
Francis Clark employees and Somerset Community Foundation trustees collected hundreds of pounds for the Somerset Flood Relief Fund at Taunton Racecourse last week.
Two months after the launch of our Flood Relief Grants programme, Somerset Community Foundation has awarded over £122k worth of emergency grants and raised over £660k for the relief effort.
It’s been a busy month at Somerset Community Foundation, but thanks to volunteers from across the county, it’s smooth sailing through these wet times here in the office.
From coffee shops to law firms, beauty salons to high street retailers, dozens of Somerset Businesses are doing their bit to raise money for flood relief.
HRH The Prince of Wales attended a reception at Stoke St Gregory villllage hall today to hear first hand about the plight of rural communities who are struggling with severe floodings as a result of the wettest January since records began.
In response, the Prince’s Countryside Fund has announced it will donate £25,000 from its Emergency Fund to the Foundation’s Emergency Flood Relief Appeal.
Somerset Community Foundation’s Emergency Flood Relief Fund has grown to almost £70,000 towards its £150,000 target. Dozens of emergency relief grants have been issued already, and now the Foundation is broadening the scope of its support. The appeal has received endorsement from the Bishop of Taunton, the Rt. Revd Peter Maurice and MP for Somerton and Frome, David Heath CBE.
Somerset Community Foundation has launched an Emergency Flood Relief Fund thanks to a £50,000 donation from Somerset County Council.
Somerset Community Foundation held its Annual Celebration in November at
Pennard House in East Pennard, with key note speaker Lord Wei of Shoreditch
inspiring over 170 guests.