£4m in Vital New Funding from Lloyds Bank Foundation for 90 Small and Local Charities Tackling Disadvantage

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales has committed £4,014,903 in new grants to 90 small and medium-sized charities in the first of its three annual grant rounds. The much-needed funding will help charities with an income of £25,000 - £1m tackling disadvantage in local communities across England and Wales, which, as highlighted in the Foundation's recent research [1], are facing real financial pressure.

The Foundation has made 60 grants under its Invest programme, which will help charities fund their core programmes and sustain vital services, and 30 grants under its Enable programme which will help strengthen charities through developing their capacity and infrastructure. Of the 90 grants awarded, 21% will help people overcome long-term unemployment, 17% are focused on combating domestic abuse and 14% will be supporting people to move on from homelessness. Receiving funding for up to three years, these charities will be able to invest in practical and lasting solutions and focus on the people at the heart of their work.

Paul Streets OBE, CEO of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales said,

“We are delighted to fund small and medium-sized charities which have a deep knowledge of their local communities and are able to reach and support disadvantaged people in a way that larger organisations often cannot. As our recent research showed, small and medium-sized charities have been hit hardest by reductions and changes to public funding, yet at the same time demand for their services has risen. We are more committed than ever to providing vital funding to strengthen and supporting charities such as the 90 we have just funded, so they can grow, help more people, and thrive in the years to come.”

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is an independent charity and the largest corporate foundation in the UK. The Foundation is funded by Lloyds Banking Group as part of its Helping Britain Prosper Plan.

Charities that have just received grants from the Foundation include:

• Healthy Minds, in Calderdale, Yorkshire, which received £44,264 over two years to support people with mental health difficulties.

Jonny Glenn, Manager at Healthy Minds said of the grant: “As a relatively small charity, securing reliable funding is a constant challenge. The support from Lloyds Bank Foundation is a terrific boost to the support we can offer people to move towards mental health recovery. Through working closely with the community, we know what support people want and need – this funding means that we can get on with delivering a programme of courses and workshops to meet those needs. Lloyds Bank Foundation also offers advice and support for organisations to help them achieve their wider aims and we welcome this opportunity.”

• Amirah Foundation in Birmingham, which received £72,738 over three years to support women affected by domestic abuse.

Shaz Manir, Director at Amirah Foundation said of the grant: “Amirah helps the most vulnerable in our society - women who are homeless and destitute, and often fleeing from horrendous abuse. Our aim is to manage the immediate crisis and offer holistic programmes to empower women in all aspects of their lives.

For a small charity like Amirah, we desperately need stability to be able to offer stability and ground-breaking, life-saving and life-changing services. With this grant from Lloyds Bank Foundation, we now have certainty for the next few years and can continue to deliver our award-winning programmes with complete security that our core costs are funded.”

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For more information on the Foundation contact Annie Abelman: aabelman@lloydsbankfoundation.org.uk/ 020 7378 4613

[1] Read our research: Small and Medium Sized Charities After the Crash: What Happened and Why It Matters