Multiple charities in the East of England are set to benefit following the latest tranche of grant-giving from the Saffron Community Fund (SCF).
The SCF is fast becoming synonymous with offering unconditional financial support to charities across Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire. Its ‘no strings attached’ attitude towards grant giving means that it will support charities in all sorts of ways including with their running costs – an area that is so often overlooked by other organisations that prefer to fund projects or one-off activities.
The Saffron Community Fund provides grants to charities, community groups, and volunteer organisations within the East of England. The fund is run independently, in partnership, with Essex Community Foundation (ECF).
Claire Hunnable, Community Business Partner at Saffron Building Society, said: “Our approach to selecting the successful applicants for the Saffron Community Fund goes far beyond what each individual charity wants to use the money for, instead we look at the charity as a whole and base our decision on overall community impact. The harsh reality faced by so many charitable organisations at the moment due to increased costs is how they can keep the lights on, and the Saffron Community Fund is on-hand to support them in this time of need.”
This year saw the Saffron Building Society opened applications for its Saffron Community Fund twice – the first time since it was masterminded 11 years ago.
Successful charities, all located within the building society’s heartlands, will receive more than £25,000 between them over the coming months.
The full list of beneficiaries can be found below:
Essex
– Accuro Care Services, Saffron Walden
– Colchester CAP Debt Centre (CCDC)
– Forget Me Not Café, Saffron Walden
– Hatfield Heath Village Hall Trust Men’s Shed, Bishop’s Stortford
– Kool Carers South East Limited, Brentwood
– YMCA Thames Gateway, Brentwood
Suffolk
– Families Together Suffolk, Haverhill
– Memories Are Golden, Haverhill
Hertfordshire
– Young Concern Trust, county-wide
Caroline Taylor, Chief Executive of ECF, said: “Saffron is an excellent example of a local business putting community at the heart of everything they do. Their decision-making panel, made up of employees and members, recognises the importance of supporting running costs, which is a priority for many charities at this time. By choosing to give local, they get to visit the groups to see the difference their funding has made.”
