OUR YEAR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN WALES ANNUAL REVIEW 2016 www.cfiw.org.uk
02 ANNUAL REVIEW 2016
WELCOME This celebration of our year views the work of the Community Foundation in Wales through the lenses of our beneficiaries and our donors. It focuses on growth: how our grants help people, charities and communities to develop; how our donors grow their giving, and grow through their giving; and how we have grown as a community foundation in terms of making a financial and social impact. On behalf of our Fund holders, donors and clients we made more grants this year – in number and value – than ever before. We awarded £2.9m to over 700 groups, charities and people. This is due to the dedication of our team of Trustees, Staff, and others with whom we work who are committed to making a difference in Wales through their philanthropic actions in giving to, and working alongside, communities. Wales needs and deserves a thriving community foundation which can stimulate giving in, and into, our country. We are determined to fulfil our ambition to be the place for philanthropy in Wales, and we thank all of you who are supporting our journey.
CONTENTS
ALUN EVANS Chairman info@cfiw.org.uk
LIZA KELLETT Chief Executive liza@cfiw.org.uk
Welcome 2 What we stand for 3 Highlights 4 Thank you to our donors 5 Philanthropy story Giving as a family 6 Where philanthropy meets community 10 Giving options 11 Helping our donors to give 12 Philanthropy leadership Philanthropy week 14 Philanthropy awards 16 Philanthropy story Giving globally and locally 18 Vital Signs 20 Spotlight – a timeline of community energy 22 Philanthropy story Making a difference in my community 25 Our finances 30 Our team 31
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VISION
MISSION
VALUES
A Wales with a thriving voluntary and community sector, where local people lead projects and have the financial resources to develop their own solutions based on needs.
To strengthen and enrich local communities across Wales by inspiring and managing philanthropy.
Knowledgeable, pro-active, innovative, creative, inclusive, professional, advocating, leading, collaborative, inspirational, sustainable and graceful.
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HIGHLIGHTS £20 million awarded in grants by the Community Foundation in Wales since registering as a charity in 1999, and £2.9 in the last year alone. 15 funding fairs and workshops delivered to enable better asking and support better giving. 13 new Funds established this year. 11 philanthropy themed events managed all across Wales (with one in London and one attended in Canada!) Wales’s first Vital Signs report reflecting on needs in Wales and how philanthropy is making a difference. Our first event to encourage women and young people to become Trustees.
AND ONE THANK YOU LETTER THAT SAYS IT ALL FROM A MUM WHO RECEIVED A CRISIS/HARDSHIP GRANT FOR HER SON: “Thank you all so much... you really don’t know what a confidence boost this [grant] has given my son – one that he very much needed. Now he can hold his head high in the team knowing he has his very own kit like the rest of the lads, and not a borrowed one. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I haven’t seen him smile like that for a long time.”
“This year we’ve developed a number of opportunities to involve beneficiaries and organisations, giving them a voice in the grant decision making process. Many of our grant recipients have ‘pitched’ their project idea publicly at these events, and to a grant making panel. The advice, knowledge and interest of those who volunteer their time to participate on our grant panels is extremely helpful to inform our decisions. The team really enjoyed working with the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s office in partnership with Victim Support, to bring the experiences and personal perspective of victims of crime within a panel to advise our grant-making. We also worked with the Pears Foundation on a programme to deliver grants to organisations supporting interfaith and community cohesion work. Groups were able to present their exciting project ideas as a bid for funding and then tell their inspirational stories and reflections at the end of the programme. Feedback from this approach has been very positive; groups have told us how empowered and how proud they felt and how grateful they have been for the opportunity to show the passion they have for their work in person rather than simply through an application. This year has been particularly strong in terms of responsive, knowledgeable and experienced grantmaking.” Andrea Powell Grants & Programmes Manager
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THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS OUR FUND HOLDERS INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY AND COLLABORATIVE DONORS The Daisy Fund * Dr Dewi Davies Endowment Fund * The Dory Fund The Ferndale Fund The Lord Merthyr Fund Martyn Groves Adventure and Travel Fund The Navigation Fund * The Skiathos Fund The Sloman Family Fund for Ely Martyn Sloman Fund * Owen Sloman Fund * Hywel Sloman Fund * Jedrek Holownia Fund * Rowan Holownia Fund * Wales in London Philanthropic Fund * The John Andrews Charitable Trust Fund
FUND FOR WALES MAJOR GIFTS Big Lottery Fund for Wales Trust Waterloo Foundation Moondance Foundation Earl of Plymouth Estates Limited
BUSINESS DONORS ASDA Bristol & West Coventry Building Society Community Fund Melin Tregwynt * Emma Kate Jewellery * Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards
FOUNDATION FUNDS AND TRUSTS
OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Anglesey Community Endowment Fund Cardiff Community Endowment Fund Cardiff Citizens Charity Education Trust for Cardiff Citizens Foundation Schools Fund Denbighshire Community Endowment Fund Education Trust for Denbigh and the Surrounding Area The Educational Foundation of John Vaughan The Emrys Davies Legacy Fund * Fund for Wales * Flintshire Community Endowment Fund Gronfa Hiraeth/Staff Giving Fund The Gwent High Sheriffs’ Community Fund Hawarden & District Relief in Need Fund The Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund The Monmouthshire Further Education Trust Newport Community Endowment Fund Mary Jane Foundation Trust Powys Community Endowment Fund Foundation Powys Fund Former Girls Grammar School Brecon Llandrindod High School Charity Fund Montgomeryshire District Trust Fund Montgomeryshire Intermediate and Technical Education Fund Powys Welsh Church Act Stanley Bligh Memorial Fund The Rudbaxton Parish Education Fund South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victims Fund Wrexham Community Endowment Fund
Big Lottery Fund UK Community Foundations Welsh Government
TRUST PARTNERS Ashley Family Foundation Comic Relief The Dulverton Trust Fairwood Trust The Henry Smith Charity The New Beginnings Fund Pears Foundation The People’s Health Trust Spirit of 2012 The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
CAMPAIGNS Fund for Wales BIG Match Challenge Surviving Winter Wales Flood Recovery Fund
GIVING CIRCLES Supported by the Pears Foundation Aberystwyth University Giving Circle Global Giving Circle High Sheriff of Gwynedd Giving Circle High Sheriff of Clwyd Giving Circle
* These donors, along with hundreds of others, have all made gifts to support our Fund for Wales – the world’s only national community endowment fund.
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PHILANTHROPY STORY GIVING AS A FAMILY We walk alongside our donors, helping them to make the difference they want with their giving. Fund holder Lulu Burridge explains her philanthropic journey with the Community Foundation in Wales, and how this is going to continue with her children.
PLANNING FOR GIVING
PUTTING THE FUN INTO FUNDING
“So why choose Community Foundation in Wales, and why put a legacy gift to the Foundation in your will? First of all I have to declare my interest! I am a Trustee and also a Fund holder at the Foundation. So I would say choose them wouldn’t I?
This involved discussions around what theme, or particular geographical area we might want to give to, and also how much involvement we would want in the process, and whether we would want to be anonymous donors or not.
But let me start at the beginning. Several years ago my husband and I decided we would like to give to charity in a structured way. We looked at setting up a foundation of our own, but very quickly realised that it is a very time-consuming, paper heavy and expensive way to be philanthropic. Besides which, unless you have £1 million or more that you want to give, it’s really not worth considering as the financial side just doesn’t make sense. A close friend of ours, who knew this only too well having set up her own Foundation, pointed us towards the Community Foundation in Wales as an alternative solution.
After a few meetings (actually it was quite a few and I think I drove Liza a bit potty, and all with no fee!) we set up an Immediate Impact Fund with the theme of giving to physical and mental health projects across Wales. We named it the Daisy Fund and its seed was planted.
We met Liza and her colleagues who spent time with us talking about setting up a charitable Fund with them and what we would like our Fund to achieve.
And this is where the Community Foundation puts the ‘fun’ into funding. They beetled away doing all the research and background work. They put the various options before us, and we had the pleasure of finding and checking out community groups and charities that fit our bill. We then had the ‘fun’ bit – they put the various options before us, and we had the pleasure of advising how much, and who, to fund. I had the delight of visiting some of the projects we funded, which makes it so incredibly real and humbling. The energy of these charities is truly impressive. I watched a charity called Bullies Out delivering a workshop for teenage mentors in a local comprehensive school where they were making real progress in reducing bullying. And the value for money was so impressive: they made just a few hundred pounds stretch across several workshops! Another visit was to a youth club in a deprived area where we were simply paying for bowls of fruit to be available for the kids to eat – it’s so important to teach young people how to live healthy lifestyles. Through these visits I learnt that small amounts of money can make a big difference.
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On another occasion I visited Tŷ Hapus, a day centre for people with early onset Alzheimer’s and their carers in Barry, to hear a concert put on by Live Music Now. This was an interesting project, as it shows the adaptability of the Community Foundation to provide very personal donor care. I am a supporter of both these wonderful charities, which I had come across through other pathways. I asked the Community Foundation if they could set up a grant to enable funding of both these charities in one project. Liza’s team spoke to both charities, carried out due diligence, and awarded a grant for a series of musical workshops at Tŷ Hapus. That’s how proactive community foundations can be, by listening to their Fund holders and finding creative ways of supporting communities. We have continued to add to our Daisy Fund on an annual basis, adapting our theme as we go. And more recently we have changed it to an Endowment Fund so that our Fund can grow over time and then keep on giving year after year.”
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SO WHY CHOOSE A LEGACY FUND AT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN WALES? Lulu continues, “It was a natural choice for us. We can pass on a ‘legacy of giving’ to our family, for them to continue to contribute to communities in Wales. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. The flexibility of a Legacy Fund is very appealing. We happen to revisit our wills on an annual basis, for which our lawyers love us as you can imagine! With a Community Foundation Fund you can revisit your themes and ideas and the nature of your fund as often as you like, without being charged and without having to change your will.
And don’t overlook the tax effective giving aspect. Inheritance tax is 40% on anything above the £325,000 threshold. If you give 10% or more to charity this is reduced to 36%. Pretty good, eh? So it’s really a no-brainer: you get the tax benefit and in addition you get the chance to give to whichever charitable cause you want in Wales, by name or by theme, or even by geography. You can choose to involve family and friends in an advisory role or simply leave it in the safe hands of the Community Foundation.
THE DAISY FUND HAS SUPPORTED A RANGE OF EXCELLENT INITIATIVES OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WHICH INCLUDE: •
Funding the “Don’t eat with your eyes” project, a healthy eating programme for children in Merthyr Tydfil.
•
Purchasing gardening equipment to help young homeless people in south Wales learn to grow their own vegetables.
•
Supporting a year-long programme of cooking workshops for young carers in north Powys.
•
Enabling Lowri, a young aspiring ice skater, to achieve her dreams by funding her ice skating lessons for two years.
•
Helping young families in Blaenau Gwent learn about the importance of healthy eating and exercise through a series of health and wellbeing workshops.
When we chose the name of the Daisy Fund we didn’t realise it might end up metaphorically pushing up daisies across Wales after our death! What a lovely legacy to leave.” To find out more about establishing a Legacy Fund please contact our Development Manager, Mari-Wyn Elias-Jones. Tel: 029 2037 9580 Email: mari-wyn@cfiw.org.uk
DID YOU KNOW? According to the Institute of Fundraising, legacies are worth over £2 billion per year to fundraising organisations in the UK. This represents by far the largest source of voluntary income to the sector.
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GROWING A LEGACY
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WHERE PHILANTHROPY MEETS COMMUNITY DONORS
FUND HOLDERS
CLIENTS
£216,902 £167,112
CLWYD GWYNEDD
£43,898 OUTSIDE WALES
£563,088 POWYS
CHARITABLE GIVING TO THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN WALES £229,320
DYFED
£470,187
£11,000,000
£2,854,606
Value of endowment entrusted to our stewardship as at 31st March 2016
Value of grants invested in strengthening local communities and charities
£574,140
MID GLAM SOUTH GLAM
740
6,200
70,000
Number of grants awarded 2015/16
Number of volunteers who commit their time and talent to support these
Number of people who benefit from the work of the organisations
organisations
we fund
THANK YOU
WEST GLAM
GWENT
£290,101 £299,858
MORE THAN THE SUM OF OUR GRANTS Philanthropy leadership Underpinning & partnering Local knowledge National expertise
Sharing & collaborating Convening & chairing Meeting needs Celebrating & promoting
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GIVING OPTIONS We make giving fun! We know where charitable giving can make the best impact thanks to our research into needs and issues, and to our relationships with charities and community groups all across Wales. We review, monitor and evaluate diligently so our donors can have full confidence in our grant-making.
OUR FUND OPTIONS YOUR PHILANTHROPY CHOICES 1. ESTABLISH YOUR OWN FUND Immediate Impact – a Fund for today. Endowment Fund – an invested Fund which fuels grant-making in perpetuity. Hybrid Fund – a Fund which makes an impact today whilst investing for the needs of tomorrow. Funds can be themed according to a donor’s wishes, for example, as area or topic-specific grant programmes.
GIVE
Immediate Impact Fund
GROW
GRANT
IMPACT NOW
Endowment Fund
IMPACT FOREVER
Hybrid Fund
IMPACT NOW & FOREVER
2. LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR WILL 3. DONATE TO ONE OF OUR CAUSE-RELATED FUNDRAISING FUNDS Join a community of donors who support our collaborative giving Funds. These include: • Fund for Wales • Wales in London Philanthropic Fund • Gwent High Sheriffs’ Community Fund • Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund • and our County Funds.
Our team works with each Fund holder to develop a portfolio of giving in line with their philanthropic ambitions. Contact Mari-Wyn Elias-Jones, our Development Manager, on 029 2037 9580 to discuss how your donations can make a difference. Website www.cfiw.org.uk
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HELPING OUR DONORS TO GIVE EFFECTIVELY & EFFICIENTLY Our new Development Manager, Mari-Wyn Elias-Jones, gives an insight into how the Community Foundation in Wales connects people who care with causes that matter. “My previous positions have been development focused, albeit in different guises, which means I bring to this role a lot of transferrable skills as well as a willingness to grow and flourish. However, I’d never worked for a charity before. One thing that became apparent very quickly was the diverse and interesting ways in which the Foundation works, allowing me to meet some truly inspirational people along the way.
Since starting at the Foundation, one of my main areas of work has been to increase our network of professional advisors who are so important in signposting donors. We support them and their clients as trusted philanthropy advisors. My work continues with increased clarity, confidence and knowledge: I’m exploring our two worlds which meet at the point of philanthropy. My next focus will be on increasing our trust transfer work, which we’ve already been so successful in managing.
One of my main tasks is to promote what we do to individuals and families, businesses, trusts and foundations, as well as professional advisors. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting new, existing and prospective donors, which not only makes my work enjoyable, but very interesting. The highlights to date include: • Attending the St David’s Day Dinner at the Guildhall, London, where I met guests who had donated to, and continue to support, our new Wales in London Philanthropic Fund.
This work is particularly interesting because these trusts can be quite historic. Trustees often find the task of running these trusts quite onerous and they find it difficult to continue making efficient and effective grants, not to mention keeping up with the accounting and reporting requirements! We work with the trustees in transferring their funds whilst also honouring the charitable aims of the trust. It’s satisfying to see these trusts brought back to life. What has been evident from the outset is the passion and commitment that people have towards our
• Working with a family who is setting up a significant Endowment Fund in their late relative’s name. Shaped by the relative’s interests and passions, the legacy will live on by funding projects in north Wales. • Receiving an out-of-the-blue donation of £150,000 from a private donor to support older people’s projects. • Working with a corporate body wishing to establish a cause-related Endowment Fund.
beautiful country. Our donors are committed to helping those Welsh causes that are close to their hearts and it’s an honour to help make this happen. It’s also heart-warming to see those community groups that benefit so much from our donors’ philanthropy. Whilst at our recent Pears Fund event, a grant scheme targeting community cohesion and inter-faith groups, we heard firsthand the difference the grant had made to these varied and diverse groups and how grateful they all were for the support that the Pears Foundation has given to date.
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This motivates me to find even more generous people and organisations, helping them to realise their philanthropic ambitions and further support those communities that need it the most. We’re always looking for different ways to promote, manage and inspire charitable giving. With this in mind it was a proud moment to link with local jewellery designer, Emma-Kate Francis. She has designed a collection based on our daffodil logo, and generously donates 30% of the profits from each sale to our Fund for Wales. The new collection was recently showcased at the North American Festival of Wales, which I attended on the Foundation’s behalf, helping to solidify relationships with our Welsh supporters in the USA and Canada. This merchandising partnership builds on our very successful Melin Tregwynt relationship, whereby proceeds from the sale of goods in their specially-commissioned ‘Community’ design are donated to the Fund for Wales. To work with our team of staff and trustees is a joy. I feel privileged to work for a Foundation which is growing from strength to strength by helping people who want to make a difference. Please contact me on 029 2037 9580 or mari-wyn@cfiw.org.uk if you’d like to discuss giving to, and through, the Community Foundation in Wales.”
Cardiff-based jewellery designer Emma-Kate Francis with her new collection ‘Daffodil’ which was inspired by the Foundation’s logo, and Development Manager Mari-Wyn Elias-Jones (right). www.emmakatefrancis.com
For more information on Melin Tregwynt and the Community Foundation in Wales design please visit www.melintregwynt.co.uk
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PHILANTHROPY LEADERSHIP PHILANTHROPY WEEK 2015 Wales is the only country in the world to have its own annual philanthropy week and awards. Each year, the Foundation runs a wide range of events to explore, celebrate and promote philanthropy.
THESE INCLUDED: •
•
•
Our Philanthropy Stories & Awards reception in the Davies Sisters Gallery at the National Museum of Wales.
•
An interactive workshop with professional advisors called ‘Philanthro-poly’.
•
A collaborative giving circle in London with Aberystwyth University alumni to support students’ welfare and opportunities.
•
Our Pears Fund learning and sharing evening where shortlisted applicants met, discussed and outlined their ideas to build community cohesion and strengthen inter-faith relationships in this innovative pilot programme.
Adventures in Venture Philanthropy, a giving circle which invested in four social enterprises in an exciting dragons-den style format. A lunchtime event in north east Wales to celebrate the impact of the local community endowment funds serving Wrexham, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Hawarden.
STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS
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Although Philanthropy Week only happens once a year, the broader and ongoing work of the Community Foundation in Wales never stops. During our Philanthropy Week period, the Foundation’s small staff team also:
• Visited the recently-funded Beaufort Hill Welfare Community Hall in Ebbw Vale. • Attended the William Mathias Schools concert at the Senedd. • Shared information and advice on grant funding opportunities at funding surgeries in Newport, Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire. • Facilitated four volunteer advisory panels across Wales, awarding £425,000 of grants.
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PHILANTHROPY LEADERSHIP PHILANTHROPY AWARDS To honour people whose philanthropy has benefited young people in Wales, the Community Foundation celebrated and recognised four very different award winners this year.
DAVID SELIGMAN Alongside his late wife Philippa, solicitor David has given back to Wales in so many ways, including donating money, time and energy to the Welsh National Opera, the Wales Millennium Centre, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Sherman Theatre and the University of South Wales. David’s son Paul accepted the award on his behalf, and recalled how his parents gave much of their free time in the evenings to help these and other organisations. Paul ended by saying that he hoped, “that by accepting this award on behalf of my mum and dad, it will inspire more people to share their own time, treasure and talent with their communities.” Pictured: Paul Seligman accepted the award for his father from the Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Hilary Boulding.
PETER HANCOCK Aberystwyth University alumnus Peter Hancock now lives in New Zealand, but has given back to his university in gratitude for the scholarship he was awarded 50 years ago. Demonstrating the global impact of Welsh philanthropy, Peter and his partner and fellow alumna, Patricia Pollard, decided to endow their alma mater with £500,000 to create a major new scholarship fund. This sustainable, long-term source of funding will award scholarships to ‘deserving, meritorious, in-need Year Two Honours students or equivalent in any discipline and of any nationality, who show potential to benefit society through the successful completion of their honours degrees or equivalent.’ Pictured: The Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, with Aberystwyth University alumni, accepted the award on behalf of Peter Hancock.
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IAN STOUTZKER The Foundation was also delighted to recognise Ian Stoutzker, a major arts philanthropist with a passion for British art, a classically trained violinist, who, with Yehudi Menuhin, co-founded the charity Live Music Now in 1977. In 2011, Ian donated £500,000 to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in a personal tribute to his mother Dora, a music teacher from Tredegar, in Blaenau Gwent. Ian funds several music scholarships and also supports key organisations including Tredegar Brass Band and Only Boys Aloud, which enable communities to experience the joy of watching and creating music. In 2013, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to music and the arts, Ian and Mercedes Stoutzker were awarded the Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy. Pictured: Dewi Griffiths, the principal cornet play of Tredegar Town Band, played “Share my Yoke” in tribute to Ian Stoutzker.
RACHEL CLACHER The charitable arm of Moneypenny, a telephone answering business which Rachel co-founded with her brother Ed, the Moneypenny Foundation gives unemployed young people new opportunities in life and work. Cohorts of ten young women from Wrexham have undergone a rich, broad and varied programme of work experience and life coaching to build their confidence and skills. The aim is to help young unemployed people make the move “from being prisoners of circumstance to pilots of their own lives.” Rachel and her team are now exploring how to expand so that even more young people can reach their potential. Pictured: Rachel Clacher inspired guests with the story of her Foundation.
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PHILANTHROPY STORY GIVING GLOBALLY AND LOCALLY THE INTERNATIONAL WORK OF THE MOSAWI FOUNDATION The Mosawi Foundation is a catalyst that to seeks to energise communities and nurture talent. It supports a number of medical initiatives, which include: a scholarship for bright medical students from Iraq to come to the UK for further training; works with the British charity ‘The World Sight Foundation’ to train medical staff in Palestinian territories in ophthalmic surgery; and the Health Clinic in Kabul that is run by the British Charity ‘The Turquoise Mountain’, initiated by HRH Prince of Wales and ex-President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. Through British doctors from Henley on Thames, who volunteer to serve in Africa, The Mosawi Foundation provided a scholarship for a local doctor to work in the Kamuli Mission Hospital, Uganda. Encouraging doctors and medical students to visit from the UK, The Mosawi Foundation sponsored a purpose built residence, where they can stay during their time volunteering at Kamuli.
PHILANTHROPY IN WALES
THE FAMILY BEHIND THE FOUNDATION
Through Colin Alexander, a friend of the family and a trustee of the Oxfordshire Community Foundation, May and Ali began supporting small community projects in Oxfordshire. And through Oxfordshire Community Foundation, May and Ali met Liza and Tom from the Community Foundation in Wales.
May was born in London, to Welsh parents. A day after her birth, her mother died. Her mother’s sister, Eleanor and her husband Richard, brought up May and her elder brother David in Ferndale, south Wales as their own children. After finishing grammar school, May went to the Cardiff College of Music and Drama – now the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. In her final year, 1965, she met Ali.
The enthusiasm and dedication of the team in Wales helped the Mosawis to donate to projects in the Rhondda Valley and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. As well as sponsoring students at the College, The Mosawi Foundation also supports an outreach project which nurtures young talent in the Rhondda Fach. The Community Foundation in Wales then introduced the Mosawis to a wonderful project in Tylorstown, run by ACTS Church and it has been their pleasure to help support this inspirational community as they have regenerated a former social club to create a church and community centre featuring a foodbank, debt advice service and performance space.
Ali was born in Iraq and at the age of 17 won a scholarship to come to Britain to study engineering. After obtaining his A levels, he went to Cardiff University and in his final year, he met May. They married and lived in Baghdad. In 1974 they ran away from Iraq with their two boys and settled in Henley on Thames. In 1977, they were both baptised at the local Baptist Church and their first charitable work was to donate funds to extend and renovate that church. Since 1985, May and Ali have been active members of St Margaret’s Anglican Church in Henley on Thames. Through this church and other missions, they have supported community projects in Pakistan, Melanesia, and Africa.
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GIVING TOGETHER FOR GREATER IMPACT Working alongside a community of donors we can enhance, match and leverage philanthropy to maximise the impact your giving will have on the people and communities you choose to support. Over the last four years, May and Ali have supported eight projects through their Fund at the Community Foundation in Wales, awarding over £65,000 in grants. At the same time, we have leveraged in an additional £97,000 from individuals, businesses and charitable trusts which also have Funds at the Foundation, to further enhance the great work that these eight projects are doing to improve the lives of people in communities across South Wales.
• Rhondda Cynon Taf is the third most deprived local authority area in Wales. • The Rhondda Fach is classified as a Communities First cluster area - Welsh Government’s flagship anti-poverty programme targeting the top 10% most deprived communities in Wales. • In parts of Ferndale, educational attainment is in the top 20% worst performing in Wales and in levels of health, the top 30%.
“May and Ali’s philanthropic journey is a fantastic example of how philanthropy can enrich the lives of both donor and beneficiary. May and Ali’s genuine interest in the projects they fund, and the warmth they show to the volunteers and beneficiaries, is truly inspiring. Their investment of money, but just as importantly time and moral support to the volunteers of ACTS Church, has not just provided crisis relief through the provision of a foodbank, it has transformed a local landmark and helped rejuvenate a community which is considered amongst the most deprived in Wales – they truly have been a catalyst for change.” Tom Morris, Finance, Research & Grants Manager at the Community Foundation in Wales
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VITAL SIGNS LEARNING ABOUT NEEDS IN WELSH COMMUNITIES Vital Signs is a global initiative, run by community foundations which listen to, understand and appreciate the communities in which they work on behalf of their donors. It takes the temperature of how our communities are faring, and asks people what’s working and where we could all prioritise our actions – be these actions personal, professional or philanthropic.
In 2016, we launched Wales’s first ever Vital Signs report. We asked volunteers and community leaders from all sectors across Wales about the key issues in their communities. Our findings were interwoven with key statistics and data across 10 core themes to present a 360 degree picture of Wales: the things that are good, as well as the things that are not so good, in real communities, as told by real people. Dovetailing with our recent publication, ‘A Portrait of Philanthropy in Wales’, Vital Signs highlights examples of community need and action, helping us all to give, and to give better.
TACKLING DISADVANTAGE & EXCLUSION
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
HEALTH
RURALITY & TRANSPORT
CRIME & SAFETY
EDUCATION & LEARNING
STRONG COMMUNITIES
WORK & LOCAL ECONOMY
ARTS, CULTURE & HERITAGE
ENVIRONMENT
“It is an important summary of where we are as a nation and very much reflects the concerns and issues that were raised through the Wales We Want process. I am sure the Future Generations Commissioner will find it a really helpful build on that work and the issues that need to be reflected within local wellbeing plans. It also gives an insight into the critical but often unsung work that is being undertaken every day by voluntary and community groups across Wales.” Peter Davies, former Commissioner for Sustainable Futures
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KEY STATISTICS
23%
9 YEARS is the
average life expectancy gap for men
of the population
LIVE IN POVERTY
between the
THE HIGHEST OF ANY UK NATION Children on free school meals are
20%
MOST and LEAST DEPRIVED DEPRIVED communities in Wales
TWO & A HALF TIMES
less likely to achieve in school
52%
of children on free school meals
of children not on free school meals
ACHIEVE 5 GCSES A* - C
ACHIEVE 5 GCSES A* - C
including in English/Welsh & Maths
including in English/Welsh & Maths
THE FULL REPORT CAN BE READ ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.CFIW.ORG.UK/VITALSIGNS
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SPOTLIGHT - A TIMELINE OF COMMUNITY ENERGY As a Community Foundation we work where the needs are, and where the wishes of our donors take us. A great example of this combination of forces is our work on Anglesey. In 2003, the Community Foundation in Wales was awarded the ‘Fair Share’ contract to support five counties in building confidence and cohesion in their communities. This involved convening a local panel to advise on how best to grant £650,000 in each area over the ten-year lifespan of the programme. Anglesey was one of the areas targeted.
THE LEGACY OF A LOCAL ENDOWMENT FUND
David was encouraged to apply for a Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund award.
Having transformed playgrounds, play policy and community play activities across the island by funding grassroots and strategic initiatives, the Foundation and the local panel wanted to celebrate the end of the Fair Share Trust programme by creating a sustainable legacy. So we started a small area fund, the Anglesey Community Endowment Fund, thanks to the support of RAF Valley and a seed-corn donation from the Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund in 2011. Our energies around grant-making and business development continued and we got to know more excellent charities and community initiatives, along with building contacts at the Council and in the business community.
The first fund of its kind in the UK, the Community Foundation in Wales created its Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund to invest small grants to enterprising community projects, charities and social businesses at different stages of their growth. David flew down to Cardiff to present his idea for seed-corn funding at our giving circle event hosted by Capital Law in November 2014. The Llyn Parc Mawr group – a committee with some outline project ambitions, no bank account and no charitable status – won the hearts of the Foundation’s investors. We awarded £2,000 to develop a social enterprise plan in the forest – an unusual, and unusually flexible, commitment! The original idea was to develop a bike hire enterprise, but further consultation showed there were environmental and business barriers to this. When local Cynefin community development officer Mark Gahan reported back to Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund stakeholders a year later, other exciting opportunities were emerging, so the Foundation asked the group to submit further ideas for start-up funding which would help with sustainability and enterprise.
VENTURE PHILANTHROPY In 2014, local businessman David Lea-Wilson of Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt Company was in his year of office as High Sheriff of Gwynedd. In chatting to the Foundation’s team about the inspiring community activity he was witnessing and getting involved in whilst in office,
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COMMUNITY SPIRIT Coinciding with this energy, in summer 2014, UK Community Foundations (the membership body for the 48 community foundations across the UK), pitched on behalf of its members to manage a three-year community investment initiative, funded by the Big Lottery Fund. In recognising that events such as London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 were remarkable in their ability to bring people together – inspiring pride through the power of participation - the new Spirit of 2012 Fourteen programme was aimed at sustaining positivity and getting even more local people involved in their communities. We were thrilled at the Community Foundation in Wales, because that meant we could invite all communities across the country to apply for £200,000 to invest in one or more of the following: social action and volunteering; grassroots sport and physical activity; cultural activity and the arts; and youth leadership and personal development. With fledgling ideas, contacts and a uniquely strong case for support, Mark Gahan worked with local volunteers including Christine Bowler, Dafydd Jones and David Lea-Wilson to write an application from a gathering of villages in the south west of Anglesey who wanted to build a stronger sense of community
in their rural area of Bro Aberffraw. Following a tight application process, which included shortlisted communities having a ‘community picnic’ with the Foundation’s team to discuss their ambitions in more detail, at Christmas 2014 the Foundation announced that they had selected the communities of Mid Rhondda and Bro Aberffraw to work alongside each other as ‘Spirit’ communities.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ENERGY Inspired by the giving circle concept he’d come across at the Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund event, David Lea-Wilson asked whether he could partner with the Foundation to hold an event on Anglesey to encourage local philanthropy. A giving circle stimulates charitable giving, and is where people are encouraged to learn more about the work of smaller and local charities. David’s event on the 26th March 2015 featured presentations from: the North Wales Wildlife Trust, North Wales Air Ambulance, Crimebeat North Wales, and the Llyn Parc Mawr’s community woodland open-day project. Thanks to our partnership with the Pears Foundation, all donations up to the target of £5,000 were doubled at this splendid event which also marked the opening of Halen Môn’s new saltcote and visitor centre.
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MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS! A track record of successful grant-making supported by local panels of residents, experts and energisers A history of successful project delivery and partnership working by small, volunteer-run community groups like Malltraeth Ymlaen and Criw Niwbwrch Energetic, grassroots-up community initiatives by Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales Buy-in from people and organisations as varied as RAF Valley air force base, TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the High Sheriff, Anglesey Council and the community councils A collaborative Cynefin Co-ordinator who always brings out the best in people and gathered a new group of volunteer energy together An interesting and interested volunteer panel A UK-wide Olympics and Commonwealth Games legacy community participation programme called ‘Spirit’ A Micro Venture Philanthropy Fund enterprising idea investment A Giving Circle in a salt factory!
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LOCAL CONSULTATION, LOCAL LEADERSHIP, FUNDING, PARTNERSHIPS, NETWORKS AND COLLABORATIONS. In the middle of this are a number of community initiatives, including Llyn Parc Mawr community woodland project, featured next...
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PHILANTHROPY STORY MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MY COMMUNITY Walking alongside communities is a key element of our work. We wanted to show how we do this from different perspectives this year, and to share with our readers the story of a community project. One such example is the Llyn Parc Mawr initiative on Anglesey, driven by dedicated volunteers who are transforming a community woodland... “... and we’ve only been going for 18 months!” exclaimed Chris Rogers, the secretary of the local committee when we interviewed her in early October. And thanks to local ambition, energy, determination and collaboration, as highlighted in the previous pages, this core group of seven volunteer committee members has built on the kernel of an idea, got local people, agencies, organisations and funders to buy-in to their vision, and are well on the way to ‘flagship community project’ status.
STRONG FOUNDATIONS Chris Rogers picks up the story.... “It was that community meeting on 6th February 2015 at Bodorgan Community Centre, that got me going! I heard that Bro Aberffraw had been chosen as a Spirit community by the Community Foundation in Wales, and came along to make the tea and hear a bit more. Liza and Andrea explained that the Foundation wanted to double-check that the community still wanted to benefit from, and commit to, the programme. Around 40 residents from the different villages which make up the Bro Aberffraw area came along to confirm that we did! I remember the Foundation’s Trustee from Harlech – Sheila Maxwell – telling us about the importance of a local panel to develop a community business plan for the funding and to advise on grant decisions. She said, ‘We don’t want talkers, we want do-ers!’ That really resonated with me – because that’s what I am. Since retiring [as a teacher] I’ve travelled with my husband, done a bit of voluntary work at the hospital, and helped out with community group Malltraeth Ymlaen, but I’ve always felt other people can do things better than me. My friend who was making teas with me that evening told me I could do it, so I put my name forward to be on the panel and applied.
Working on the community plan at panel meetings meant I could see the bigger picture for the area and it was fascinating to work with everyone on the vision for the programme. We also had panel training so we could make good recommendations for our grant-making, and talked through roles, responsibilities and expectations, and declarations of interest. And alongside this, the Llyn Park Mawr community woodland committee was developing its own vision for the forest. This was all underpinned by a decision by Natural Resources Wales to encourage communities to benefit from, and develop their aspirations for, local woodlands, and they held a series of meetings to share ideas, including two public meetings in Newborough. By Spring 2015, we were fully constituted, and I became the secretary. We knew that potential partners were going to want to see how much local people were involved, what consultation we’d done, and what views were on the needs and ideas to develop around 25 acres of the Newborough Forest. Together, we applied to Spirit’s ‘Fourteen’ programme in May for £1,000 to run a community event. We already had some momentum, great ambition, early ideas and opportunities to explore so holding an event in the forest to share our vision with the public and get more ideas was a great next step.”
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NEWT ISSUES... “Agencies talk about ‘barriers to engagement’ but I don’t think any of us expected that the biggest barrier to holding our community open day would be newts! We needed permission from Natural Resources Wales, which manages Newborough Forest, to put our first piece of kit – a container – in the forest as a base for our open day. But we hadn’t reckoned with a pile of earth being a known route for the protected species, the great crested newt. We had to put up special fences so they couldn’t get through and be squashed, and we even had to have a great crested newt steward. Red squirrels we know all about, because the Red Squirrels Trust is a long-standing partner in the development of the Llyn Parc Mawr project. So we don’t get caught out again, and so we can play a broader conservation role, Cliff (of the Red Squirrels Trust), and I have been on specialist training – you have go on a course and do five surveys, and now we have our own great crested newt licenses so we can survey on our own and, if necessary, handle them. We’re also doing leech surveys – medicinal leeches are quite rare, you know. Our open day in August last year went really well. We had a barbecue, displays from local groups, and a horse logging demonstration with Gus the shire horse. We did a formal consultation exercise and organised bug hunts for the children. We were really pleased to get a Keep Wales Tidy Green Community Flag award in the summer, too. And since then we’ve generated so much interest locally, and from funders, and we’re really making a go of it.“
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FROM STEEL CONTAINER TO WOODLAND CLASSROOM, VIA A YURT! After we got the £1,000 grant from Spirit, we applied for a Marks & Spencer Community Energy Fund grant. This was decided by public ballot, and we got a special award of £11,500. They wrote to us saying: ‘The judges felt your project was most in keeping with Marks & Spencer core business values of integrity, innovation, inspiration, and in-touch with the community... We are all very impressed with the level of community engagement your project has demonstrated and look forward to seeing the impact of our funding.’ This meant that we could build a composting toilet on site, put solar panels on top of the our storage container to light the toilet and container, and connect to a battery to charge the cameras we’ve bought.
LEVERAGE
WHAT NEXT?
“One of the great things about Llyn Park Mawr being part of the Spirit of Bro Aberffraw family, is when our projects overlap and help each other out. A great example of this is when Spirit funded Criw Niwbirch to commission a pilot Forest School in the summer holidays. Another Spirit grant went to Coed Llwynon to build a community yurt. I joined volunteers from Llangefni and around the island for a week of yurt-building, and Llyn Park Mawr was really pleased that we now ‘house’ the yurt in our container! We even put it up for our AGM on the 9th April, and thanks to the Marks & Spencer grant we have a wood-burning stove in our 16 foot yurt, too.
Our next plan is to build an outdoor classroom – a wooden structure with a pitched roof, one solid wall (for a slide show and pictures), with tables and chairs. We’ll be able to use it for meetings, training and as a classroom, plus the public can shelter in it. And right now we’re in the process of building a log storage shed. A fire circle and dipping pool are also in progress – we’re hoping to find a variety of species of leeches on our ‘leech surveys . And there’s talk of a squirrel bridge too...
We were over the moon when, thanks in no small part to having delivered so well on our community open day grant, Spirit awarded us a further £25,000 earlier this year for a series of bigger and better woodland events, volunteer days and volunteer training. We held a May Day event, a summer barbecue, a ‘fungi foray’ and a joint halloween event with the Red Squirrels Trust on the 22nd October.
But the most exciting thing at the moment is that we were awarded a £20,000 phase one grant from the Big Lottery to appoint a short-term project manager to develop our bid, and to connect, consult, communicate and explore how we can develop Llyn Parc Mawr as a community space. And we’ve been shortlisted for phase two – one of 16 projects out of 64 who applied, and the only one run by volunteers! We’re in the final stages of this Create Your Space application and if we get it, we’ll be awarded £1 million for a seven year development grant. Fingers crossed – and keep your eye on our website www.llynparcmawr.org to see if we’re successful.
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GETTING MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED What’s very important to us all is social inclusion – we want as many people as possible to enjoy the woodland, and be part of our project. We know that being out in nature is so good for you. We’re beginning to get people phoning us up now. After half-term we have a group of students with learning disabilities coming to plant trees – they approached us! And I chatted to Coleg Menai about our work, and was asked to go to a meeting with the seven lecturers there who run course for
learners who have a barrier to learning such as physical, behavioural or learning difficulties. They’ve visited us twice and we’re hoping that one of them will develop a BTEC based on Llyn Park Mawr. From an idea, Llyn Parc Mawr Community Woodland Limited now has a volunteer committee of seven, 30 formal members, and 15 or so volunteers who turn out on the first Sunday of the month, and a mailing list of 130 which is growing every week.
If it wasn’t for the Foundation we wouldn’t be where we are. That first investment in our idea, then further smaller grants have snowballed . Who would have thought we’d be shortlisted for a £1million grant? It’s not just the money though, it’s the people too. At the Community Foundation in Wales you talk about walking alongside communities, and now we have local people walking alongside each other and making great things happen.”
And if you’d like an insight into the life of a community volunteer, just look at some of the e-mail headings from correspondence between Chris and the Community Foundation in Wales: • • • • • • • • •
Barbeciw Ddathlu/Barbecue Celebration Article for Bro Aberffraw Spirit newsletter LPM volunteering days Change of date DAWN CHORUS Yurt construction building workshop What we’re up to next Liza quick question Good news! Spirit meeting & supper
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OUR FINANCES This information is from the full audited Annual Accounts for the year ending 31st March 2016. The purpose is to give the reader an understanding of how the Foundation enables its grant making – our principal charitable activity. The full Annual Accounts, (approved by the Trustees on 19th September 2016), the Trustee Annual Report, and the Auditor’s Report can be obtained from the Foundation’s office or from our website www.cfiw.org.uk.
INCOME £4.071M
EXPENDITURE £3.298m
CORE FUNDERS £104k
RAISING FUNDS £216k
CONTRIBUTION TO CORE COSTS £346k*
PROMOTING PHILANTHROPY £96k GRANT ADMIN £130k
DONOR FUNDING FOR BENEFICIARIES £3.104m
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES £3.082m
GRANTS £2.856m
ENDOWMENT INCOME FOR BENEFICIARIES £351k
NEW ENDOWMENT CAPITAL £166k**
“At the Foundation, finance is more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. When I visit the projects we fund and see the fantastic work that volunteers are doing to change their communities for the better, I am reminded of the importance of having a long-term, strategic approach to managing our finances. A strategy that ensures we maximise the resources available for investing grants in communities and that enables us build strong foundations as a sustainable charitable company.” Tom Morris, Finance, Research & Grants Manager
ENDOWMENT FUNDS £11.027m Donor capital for future beneficiary grant income
PROPERTY £300k
RESTRICTED FUNDS £2.378m Donor Funds for imminent grants to beneficiaries
INVESTMENTS £10.059m
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS £181k Working capital for the charity’s core operations
NET CURRENT ASSETS £3.122m OTHER NET ASSETS £105k
FUNDS £13.586m
NET ASSETS £13.586m
* Total contribution to core costs in 2015/16 was £364,000; the SOFA shows £346k as income plus £18k as new subsidiary unrestricted assets transferred to the group. **Total new endowment to the Foundation in 2015/16 was £851k; the SOFA shows £166k as income and £685k as new subsidiary endowment assets transferred into the group.
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THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN WALES TEAM TRUSTEES AT SUMMER 2016
PATRON OF THE FUND FOR WALES
Alun Evans Chairman HRH The Prince of Wales Nigel Annett Vice Chairman Kathryn Morris Treasurer PRESIDENT Lulu Burridge Lloyd FitzHugh OBE JP DL Captain Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards Tanwen Grover KCVO, GCStJ, RD, JP, RNR Geraint Jewson Tom Jones OBE Sheila Maxwell This year saw the retirement of Janet Lewis-Jones as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, whose leadership inspired us through a period of growth; and of Julian Smith, whose long-standing commitment was greatly valued.
The Foundation is grateful to HM the Lord Lieutenants of Wales for their ongoing interest in, and support of, our work.
CONTACT Community Foundation in Wales St Andrews House 24 St Andrews Crescent Cardiff CF10 3DD
T: E: W:
Registered Charity: 1074655
Company Number: 03670680
029 2037 9580 info@cfiw.org.uk www.cfiw.org.uk cfinwales @cfinwales
STAFF AT SUMMER 2016 Liza Kellett Mari-Wyn Elias-Jones Laura Kilvington Tom Morris Sarah Morris Andrea Powell Ffion Wyn Roberts
Chief Executive Development Manager Executive Assistant Finance, Research & Grants Manager Administrative Officer Grants & Programmes Manager Grants Officer
Former staff have contributed greatly to the Foundation’s work over the last year, and we particularly thank Siân Stacey, Sam Stensland, Rochelle Brunnock and Alexander Price.
ASSOCIATES Anna Bezodis Colin Evans
Catrin Hopkins Bob Sherer
We are grateful for the professional support of Giselle Davies (Geldards), KTS Owens Thomas, Chris Jones (Berry Smith), Ruth Peck and Jan Coverley (HR Solutions), and Designdough.