Small and local charities awarded over £5.6m of new grants from Lloyds Bank Foundation to continue vital work helping people overcome complex social issues

Small and local charities across England and Wales have been awarded new grants worth over £5.6 million by Lloyds Bank Foundation.  

The Foundation today announced it has awarded £5,686,810 in funding to 58 small and local charities who help people overcome complex social issues. The new grants of up to £100,000 over three years will help cover the day-to-day running costs, enabling them to make a life-changing impact on people facing complex social issues such as sexual abuse, mental health and homelessness.

So far in 2019, the Foundation has awarded 126 grants worth over £12.2m to charities. Charities supporting people made homeless received 21% of grants awarded – more than any other complex social issue. Charities supporting survivors of domestic and sexual abuse received 18% and small and local mental health charities received 17%.

Research from the Foundation shows it is often small, overstretched and underfunded charities that are providing services to the most disadvantaged communities, bringing distinctive benefits which large charities cannot provide. But with local authorities facing ever-shrinking budgets and 84% of local government funding being diverted to larger charities, small charities are being put under immense pressure and are being pushed to breaking point.

Paul Streets OBE, Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, said: “Small and local charities play a vital role in their communities, reaching and helping people facing complex social issues to overcome them and move forward with their lives.

“But with public funding getting tighter and tighter and demand for their services rising, such charities are more important than ever. That is why at Lloyds Bank Foundation we are delighted to award new funding to charities which will enable them to help more people overcome complex social issues in the years to come.

“We are committed to supporting small and local charities working in communities across the country, funding their work, helping them become stronger and more sustainable and helping raise their voice with policy-makers.”

Thanks to a new £97,541 grant for the charity ARCH North East from Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, men and women in Teesside, who have experienced sexual violence and abuse, will be able to access the support they need.

Nicola Harkin, CEO of ARCH North East said: “Every penny we receive counts and will help to make a life-changing impact. Because of this grant from Lloyds Bank Foundation, we will be able to continue being there for survivors who need the support and advice to come to terms with and recover from sexual abuse. It takes real courage to come forward to share your experience of sexual abuse and so we at ARCH North East want people to know that they will be believed and listened to.”

The new fund builds on previous Foundation grants worth £90,627 in total awarded to the charity over the last 10 years. Oxford-based charity Arts at the Old Fire Station, which supports people made homeless and facing disadvantage, was awarded a grant worth £99,840. They offer a lifeline to those who have nowhere else to turn by welcoming them to their theatre, gallery, shop and studios to take part in comedy, theatre, dance and spoken word. The latest Government figures show the number of households living in temporary accommodation in England is at its highest level since 2007^[i].

Director of Arts at the Old Fire Station, Jeremy Spafford, said: “Oxford needs the Old Fire Station because it is about openness, inclusion and thinking differently. It acts as a bridge between sectors, organisations and people. Every penny we receive will help to make a life-changing impact. Because of this grant from Lloyds Bank Foundation, we will be able to empower people who are extremely vulnerable and isolated.” 

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales partner with small and local charities helping people overcome complex social issues such as mental health, homelessness and domestic abuse. With the Foundation’s support, small charities who are often underfunded, under pressure and too often ignored, can make a life-changing impact where others can’t.

 

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Contact Lloyds Bank Foundation Press & Communications Officer Imthiaz Rehman via 020 3988 3742 or IRehman@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk for more information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson from the Foundation or the charity.

 

Notes to Editors:

About Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales partners with small and local charities who help people overcome complex social issues. During 2018 the Foundation distributed £20 million through new and existing grants, supporting more than 900 charities which helped 142,000 people experiencing disadvantage.

Through long-term funding, developmental support and influencing policy and practice, the Foundation helps those charities make life-changing impact. The Foundation is an independent charitable trust funded by the profits of Lloyds Banking Group as part of their commitment to Helping Britain Prosper.

For more information visit www.lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk

 

About ARCH North East

ARCH North East is a sexual violence service offering support to people in the Teesside area who have experienced rape and sexual abuse at any point in their lives. ARCH offer free and confidential services to support recovery.

Based in Middlesbrough, it has over 21 years of experience delivering services, having evolved from a women’s domestic abuse project to specialising in providing trauma informed rape and sexual abuse support. In 2007 the charity extended its support offer to men and boys. Today they are the largest provider of sexual violence support in Teesside.

To find out more, visit www.archnortheast.org.

 

About Arts at the Old Fire Station

Arts at the Old Fire Station is a charity and arts centre in the heart of Oxford. They share a building with the homelessness charity, Crisis, and through this partnership can offer people who are homeless a creative space to define themselves and choose their own labels by including them in the running of the centre.

They look for ways of including others who are socially isolated and disadvantaged. This improves the quality of what they do, helps develop networks, builds resilience and leads to more stable lives.

For more information, visit www.oldfirestation.org.uk