Fund Profiles

Friends Provident

Friends Provident are one of the Community Foundation’s longest supporters. Their support started in 1993 with the funding of our newsletter. Then in 1997 Friends Provident set up their named fund, pledging to build it up to £20,000 over the next four years.

The Friends Provident Fund was set up to benefit small charities and voluntary groups in the Salisbury and district area. Grants of almost £6,000 have been made to date to help the following groups:

· Cherubim Trust - supporting young musicians and other arts projects
· Dogs for the Disabled - provides support dogs for disabled adults and children
· Salisbury & District CAB - provides advice to individuals and campaigns to changes things, which affect people’s lives
· SWIFT (South Wilts Intervention for Trauma) - Group of 8 doctors supporting the local ambulance service by provision of an accident trauma team working in the Salisbury area
· Wessex Community Action – working with the Sunshine Healthy Living Project to set up and run support groups for older people in Mere and Tisbury
· Wiltshire Children’s Breakaway – providing holidays for disadvantaged young people who would not otherwise have a holiday

Friends provident have recently renewed their commitment to us by donating a further £20,000 to their fund, which we can match with £20,000 from the Grassroots Endowment Match Challenge. Their fund will now provide a healthy sum to be distributed for grants now and for years to come.

"Friends Provident has a history of 'putting something back' into the local community. We work with the CFWS because their expert advice and local knowledge enables us to achieve more with our investment than would otherwise be possible. They focus our support where it can most make a difference, creating a lasting impact to the benefit of everyone living and working in the Salisbury area." Said Ashley Taylor, Senior Manager, Group Communications for Friends Provident.

Adrian Taylor, who worked for Friends Provident for many years, now retired, has been a member of our Salisbury Grants Committee since 2005 said:

"It has been very rewarding to be part of the Salisbury Grants Committee of the CFWS. At each meeting we evaluate a number of applications, which have been carefully processed by the CFWS team and then allocate available funds, as we feel appropriate. This activity presents a fascinating insight into a wide range of very worthwhile local community activities. In addition, there are regular opportunities to see the impact of grants made, at first hand, through visits under the "Seeing is Believing" programme."

Record number of grants made during 2009/2010

Our final calculations for our end of year accounts have shown that we distributed £913,000 in grants to 255 groups during 2009/2010.
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The Community Foundation Demonstrates Quality

Wiltshire and Swindon are one of the first two Community Foundations to receive enhanced quality accreditation as part of a pilot project for the Community Foundation Network.
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