Newcastle Building Society Community Fund
The Newcastle Building Society Fund was set up in 1992 and has increased its commitment significantly over the past few years. Each year the Newcastle donates around £100,000 to worthwhile charities and individual causes.
It was more cost effective for the Community Foundation to manage Newcastle Building Societys' charitable giving, as it has the expertise and specialist support systems for grant-making. It can also assess and monitor grants awarded to make sure the money is well spent and goes where it is most needed.
All charitable requests to Newcastle Building Society are redirected to the Community Foundation, registered, acknowledged, assessed and then processed through to the grant making decision. Normally, applications are processed and a decision made within three months, but often much sooner.
Click here to read our 'Supporting Communities' brochure in PDF Format.
Community Foundation Background
Community Foundations provide an efficient service to those members and external donors who wish to give back to the area where they live and work. The foundations were originally initiated in America and are now a well established concept all over the UK.
The Community Foundation in this region, the 'Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland' has gone from strength to strength and is now the largest Community Foundation in Europe.
We have chosen therefore to work with the Community Foundation in this region as we view this as the most efficient method of distributing funds to local projects, not just in the North East but throughout the UK.
Who's Who Within the Community Foundation?
The President of the Community Foundation is the Duke of Northumberland who also has his own charitable fund at the Community Foundation which benefits community groups in the Alnwick district. The Community Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees who are drawn from all walks of life and all sectors.
The Chief Executive of the Community Foundation is George Hepburn who set up the Foundation in 1988 and is now an internationally recognised leader in the community foundation movement.
Distribution of Grants
Most grants are kept within the boundaries of the particular Community Foundation. However, Newcastle Building Society is an exception and donations from our fund are awarded to charities wherever we have a branch and in the surrounding areas. Via the Community Foundation in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, we can choose the causes that we wish to support. Click here to view 'Grant Guidelines'.
Our Criteria
The groups supported must be ‘not for profit’. They do not have to have charitable status but preferably should have a management committee and a constitution, although this is not essential.
The types of groups we support are:-
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Voluntary projects that provide education to the young and old, e.g. breakfast clubs, IT projects for the over 55's |
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New talent – projects that encourage new activities and skills and participation in sports that will help develop team building and other life skills, e.g. sports clubs, community drama |
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Community centres and other facilities that benefit the community at large and are used by all the family |
Groups from all over the country where we have a branch are encouraged to apply.
Examples of Grants Awarded
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Society Helps Jack
and Jill Back To The Top of the Hill
Newcastle Building Society has come to the rescue of a Prudhoe Nursery by giving them a £5,000 donation to dig them out of a financial hole. |
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Newcastle Serves up a Treat for Local Children CHILDREN from a North-East primary school can look forward to a tasty start to the day, thanks to a major donation from Newcastle Building Society. |
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Improving Access for All Visitors to a working Farm in Sheffield can now get much closer to experiencing true farming life, with the use of improved viewing platforms and pathways, thanks to a £2,500 donation by Newcastle Building Society. |
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Creating a Happier Environment for Children of Prison Inmates Just think back to when you were around five years old. Didn’t the world seem such a big and scary place? Well imagine how frightening it is for a small child to be left without their mother or father and then to face a daunting trip to prison each week just to visit them. |
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Newcastle Gives a Lift to Mencap Carlisle A MAJOR donation from Newcastle Building Society is helping disabled people and their carers in Carlisle enjoy a greater degree of freedom. |
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Disabled Anglers Net Cash Prize from the Newcastle A GROUP of disabled anglers from Tyneside is looking to net an international fishing trophy thanks to help from Newcastle Building Society. Alan Carr Fishing Friends was awarded £1,200 from the Newcastle, and has now raised enough funds to enter the Jack Charlton International Angling Competition for disabled people. |
How to Apply
A covering letter should be sent which includes background information and a full explanation of how any grant will be used, together with an application form.
To download an application form Click here.
Please send your completed application to:
Newcastle Building Society Community Fund,
Cale Cross,
156 Pilgrim Street,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
NE1 6SU
For further information, contact Lisa Cappleman at the Community Foundation on 0191 222 0945.
All charitable requests to Newcastle Building Society are immediately
re-directed to the Community Foundation. They are then registered, acknowledged,
assessed and processed through the grant-making decision process.
