Northamptonshire Community Foundation hands out astonishing £1.1m to help 100,000 people through pandemic

Northamptonshire Community Foundation awarded nearly £1.1 million to more than 100,000 people through its Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund, it has been revealed.

The success of the appeal was the result of the extraordinary generosity from local donors and was delivered across UK community foundations in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust.

The Response and Recovery Fund supported more than 300 projects across the county, including those providing food aid and medical supplies, counselling services and mental health support, community transport services, educational activities and general health and wellbeing support.

Funded groups included the Daylight Centre who provided food supplies in Wellingborough, the Lewis Foundation who delivered funding packs to cancer patients at Northampton General Hospital and the Eloquent Fold who provided online art classes to people who were shielding and self-isolating.

The foundation has recently released an impact report highlighting the difference local groups and charities have made in providing support services during the public health crisis and the types of activities funded. It shows how philanthropy can make a huge difference in providing a lifeline during these very challenging times.

The work on the ground is testimony to the essential and crucial role that voluntary community organisations and small charities have in keeping local communities safe and well. Their work ensured that vulnerable residents got the support they needed and as long as they needed it for.

Victoria Miles DL, CEO of Northamptonshire Community Foundation, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity from people who gave to the Foundation’s Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund. Donations came in from individuals, families, businesses, Trusts and Foundations from the very start of the first lockdown.

"We would like to thank all of those who gave so generously to our fund which enabled us to give to most vulnerable in our communities who needed help, support and care during this incredibly challenging time.”

Northamptonshire Community Foundation is in its 20th anniversary year and is well placed with local grant making and philanthropic expertise to help galvanise and support a quick and effective response to local emergencies now and in the future.

In addition to emergency funding, Northamptonshire Community Foundation staff were able to safely work from home and additionally gave out £1 million for other activities supporting healthy communities, meaning a total of over £2.5 million was distributed throughout 2020.

To read Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s latest impact report, please visit http://www.ncf.uk.com/about-us/our-impact