Lloyds Bank Foundation celebrates 35 years of philanthropy
The Lloyds Bank Foundation has celebrated its 35th anniversary of supporting small charities across England and Wales.
According to the foundation, it has distributed £530m in funding over the last 35 years, and £25m in the last year alone to help communities continue to respond while adapting to Covid.
It funds hundreds of charities every year, while providing a range of developmental support and championing the work of small and local charities and the causes and communities they serve with influencers and policy makers.
And it has awarded a total of 173 grants to help charities respond to the COVID-19 crisis. These include:
- Two-year unrestricted grants of £50,000 to 149 small and local charities. The largest causes being charities addressing racial equity, and those supporting asylum seekers and refugees.
- 38% of these grants were awarded to charities that are led by and for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities – in recognition of both longstanding racial inequalities and the greater impacts of Covid on these communities.
- Over £800,000 to charities and projects seeking to influence policy and practice on key issues affecting charities and the people they serve.
In addition to funding, the Foundation will provide a range of support to help charities adapt and develop including working with Lloyds Banking Group who will support staff to volunteer to help charities build capacity and develop further.
The foundation’s anniversary comes at a crucial time for the small charities and the people they support. Demand for these charities has increased throughout the course of the pandemic but they have adapted well to the challenges they have faced.
‘We’ve always known that small charities are vital to the communities they serve,’ said the foundation’s chief executive, Paul Streets.
‘But this year they have been never more needed, helping people through Covid whilst facing many challenges of their own. We have worked hard to ensure we can get as much money as possible to these frontline charities, particularly those led by and coming from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
‘For 35 years as a foundation we have been proud – thanks to the backing of Lloyds Banking Group -to be able fund and support charities and communities helping people overcome complex social issues and move forward with their lives. We look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.”
One of the charities the foundation supports is Bethel Health and Healing Network, who received additional top up funding this year to help them adapt their services as a response to Covid.
Bethel Health and Healing Network are a Birmingham-based charity, predominantly led by Black and Asian women, that provides emotional and birth partner support for isolated pregnant women and new mothers across the city.
Madge Milligan-Green, the charity’s CEO, said: ‘As a small charity, Bethel Health and Healing Network has been supported by Lloyds Bank Foundation for the past three years which has enabled us to continue supporting some of the most vulnerable people in and around Birmingham. The funding we received is absolutely vital and the projects would not have developed without it.’
Photo Credit – Supplied
