The York-based Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has made a £330,000 funding donation to Two Ridings Community Foundation in support of community organisations in the city.
The funding is for the York aspect of the Two Ridings Community Foundation’s Step Change Fund programme which aims to make York a better and fairer place to live. It funds work which addresses inequality and hidden poverty, health and wellbeing as well as loneliness and social isolation. Grants can be used by community groups for running costs and organisational development.
Several York charitable organisations have benefitted from the funding in the past including Tang Hall Community Centre, The Island, Family Matters, Big Futures Foundation (pictured above) and The Peasholme Charity.
Funding in 2020 for Family Matters allowed them to move their support for parenting courses and couples counselling online, to retain more facilitators and train more couples counsellors. Because their courses were online, participation in the programmes increased, enabling them to reach more people and specifically those that might not have previously been able to attend face-to-face courses.
Celia McKeon, chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT), said: “We’re a long-standing supporter of Two Ridings Community Foundation and we’re glad to be able to be able to back their work in York again to help community and voluntary organisations to strengthen their work and plan for the future.
“We know how important organisations like the Two Ridings are in keeping all of us in York supported and connected so we’re very pleased to be able to continue to fund their work.”
JRCT have been funding the Step Change programme in York since 2017, making grants totalling £220,000 to date. They have committed a further £330,000 to the programme for the next five years, so Two Ridings can distribute £60,000 per annum to charitable community groups. The remaining ten per cent of the grant will support Two Ridings to administer the programme.
Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Foundation, said: “We love working with JRCT as we share such similar values. It’s great to offer grants that can contribute to running costs or give community organisations an opportunity to pause, and work out what the next steps will be. This is really crucial, especially following the turmoil of the pandemic.
“We are particularly excited this year that we are able to expand this fund to support groups in North Yorkshire, East Riding and Hull as well as in York. Inspired by JRCT’s vision, other funders have chosen to back this programme and get support where it is most needed.”
Grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 are available and can be used to cover up to two years activity. The closing date for this round of the Step Change Programme is February 2, 2022. For more information, visit https://www.tworidingscf.org.uk/fund/step-change-fund/
For further information contact:
Kate Liptrot, Communications Manager, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust kate.liptrot@jrct.org.uk
Bec Horner, Communications Officer, Two Ridings Community Foundation
bhorner@tworidingscf.org.uk 07708 684025
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