Charity celebrates second anniversary

A Shropshire charity that has already distributed £45,000 to organisations and individuals across the county is celebrating its second birthday.

Shropshire Community Foundation was set up in August 2022 to connect those who want and are able to give, with the local organisations and projects most in need of their support.

The charity is run by a group of nine trustees who all work and live in the county. They are able to use their combined experience and knowledge of the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin community and the volunteer and charity sector to ensure funds go where they are needed and will have the most impact.

Chair Selina Graham DL said that the Foundation had spent the last two years building its knowledge and understanding of funding issues in Shropshire. It has now developed partnerships with public sector organisations and key expert stakeholders to develop a three year strategic plan of fund raising and giving.

“The Foundation was set up to support communities and individuals in need across the whole of Shropshire by connecting them to donors and channelling funds to them.

“Over the last two years we have been working very hard to encourage contributions from both the public and private sectors and building a grants programmes targeting the most pressing challenges and issues in our county.

“Our mission has and will always be to use philanthropy to build a long-term source of sustainable, strategic grant funding for the good of those communities and people most in need across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin."

Since its launch, the Foundation has been involved in distributing £15,000 in grants from Zac’s Fund, a fund-raising effort originally set up to help Zac Oliver of Broseley get pioneering cancer treatment in the USA. The legacy of that fund raising effort is now being used to provide grants to children and young people with cancer.

In Telford & Wrekin, the Foundation administered the council’s Welcoming Spaces grant scheme offering grants totalling £15,000 to not-for-profit organisations to support activities tackling loneliness and social isolation.

The Foundation has also assigned grants totalling £15,000 to 14 youth-led groups across the county from the new High Sheriff of Shropshire’s Fund and helped launch a £1m fund raising campaign in memory of professional footballer Dalian Atkinson who was brought up in Telford.

The team has also created the thriving Shropshire Investors in Community scheme with over 30 members, including businesses and private individuals, all working together collectively to empower and build stronger communities across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.

Selina said that the Foundation’s nine trustees were looking forward to further developments in the future including the launch of a new fund to be announced shortly.

“We are cause neutral and provide an informed and professional channel for anyone looking to give within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.  We hope that we have achieved that over the past two years and laid the foundations for many more years of working in partnership to create and sustain united and thriving communities.”