The Wesleyan Foundation has now awarded a total of more than £1million to good causes since its launch just over a year ago, it was announced today.
The Foundation, launched by the Birmingham-based financial services mutual Wesleyan, has awarded the money in the form of more than 200 separate grants to charities, community groups and social enterprises across the UK.
The Foundation was set up in the summer of 2017 to support projects that are important to Wesleyan’s customers and the communities in which they live and work.
The charity to receive the millionth pound was ‘Sensory Learning & Play, a Nottingham-based group set up to help children with disabilities, additional needs and behavioural needs, including autism and ADHD. It runs daily activity sessions including social groups, sensory play, arts & crafts and mentoring to children across the region.
Nathan Moss, Chair at Wesleyan, said:
“When we set up the Foundation last June, we set ourselves an ambitious target of supporting 100 causes in the first year and I’m delighted to say that we’ve doubled that.
“As a mutual we’re committed to giving our customers a say on how we support communities and charities, which we’re able do through the Foundation. The organisations we’ve supported all have a place in our customers’ hearts, so it’s a privilege for us to be able to support the great work they do in their communities.”
The Wesleyan Foundation partners with the Heart of England Community Foundation, which administers the funding and distributes it to organisations across the UK.
Tina Costello, CEO of the Heart of England Community Foundation, said:
“We often forget that charities and community groups depend solely on the support and goodwill of the public and other organisations.
“Since we partnered with Wesleyan last year, we’ve supported all sorts of charities from all over the UK, and it’s been an honour to learn and understand about the vital work the different groups do.”
For more information about the Wesleyan Foundation and to apply for funding visit http://www.wesleyan.co.uk/foundation/.