Community Foundation Network
Encyclopedia
Community Foundation Network (CFN) is a registered charity that leads a movement of community foundations committed to positive social change in the UK through the development of “community
philanthropy
”. Community philanthropy involves people from all parts of a community working together locally to use the financial and other resources available to them to improve others’ lives.
CFN also has a role as national membership association for community foundations which encompasses negotiating and managing national grant
-making and funding
opportunities on behalf of its members and providing direct technical assistance to member community foundations through its network. As a membership organisation its work is governed and directed by a board drawn from its members.
With more than £160m in endowed funds and providing about £70m in grants a year, community foundations manage funds donated by both individuals and organisations, while creating endowments and connecting donors to local needs.
in 1975. This later merged with the Wiltshire
Community Trust to form the present Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon. By 2010 there were 58 community foundations in the United Kingdom that cover 95% of the country.
The CFN was established in 1991 to stimulate the growth of new community foundations, develop and co-ordinate a code of good practice and encourage foundations to share knowledge across the UK. In 2001 the CFN received major recognition when community foundations were chosen by the Government’s Children and Young People’s Unit as the best partners for the Local Network Fund. In 2003 the CFN was chosen as the trustee of the Fair Share Trust programme, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund
. In 2006 a Quality Accreditation (QA) programme was established by the CFN .The Charity Commission for England and Wales endorses the QA standards and processes in a three-year cycle, which notes the focus on quality in all aspects of community foundation work.
In the last five years community foundations have generated £200 million of new private giving for communities and have helped government and other agencies invest £300 million. They support 1,800 donor clients, have £215m of endowed funds under their management, and every year around 20,000 community charities are funded across the UK. There are 3,500 volunteers that provide national and local grassroots
information; they are supported by 400 staff. There have been ten foundations that have received one-off donations exceeding £1 million during this period.
they distribute some of the funds raised through Red Nose Day and Sport Relief
through the network of local community foundations. 48 community foundations are Local Funders for Grassroots Grants, a government
programme comprising an £80 million grant programme and a £50 million endowment match challenge. CFN also manages the grants component of the Mars in the Community investment programme to 2010 with employee involvement.
Most recently CFN has partnered with the Evening Standard’s
Dispossessed Campaign which has raised £5million to be distributed to local charities and projects within London
.
, Sir Bob Geldof and Zac Goldsmith
.
and Limited Company that operates as a not-for-profit. Localgiving.com was founded in 2008 by Marcelle Speller and is jointly owned by Community Foundation Network and the Ardbrack Foundation; both are registered charities and 50% shareholders.
Localgiving.com is a website for local charities and community groups to raise money, awareness and support. It allows registered and unregistered charities to claim Gift Aid
as all donations are processed through their local community foundation which vets each group. The website allows supporters and donors to search for and find small charities and voluntary organisations in their community.
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
”. Community philanthropy involves people from all parts of a community working together locally to use the financial and other resources available to them to improve others’ lives.
CFN also has a role as national membership association for community foundations which encompasses negotiating and managing national grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
-making and funding
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
opportunities on behalf of its members and providing direct technical assistance to member community foundations through its network. As a membership organisation its work is governed and directed by a board drawn from its members.
With more than £160m in endowed funds and providing about £70m in grants a year, community foundations manage funds donated by both individuals and organisations, while creating endowments and connecting donors to local needs.
Community foundations
Community foundations are independent registered philanthropic institutions serving geographically defined territory. They act as grant-making foundations, giving grants to support development projects. Their mission is to improve the quality of life in a community. They are supported by a broad range of private as well as public donors and seek philanthropic contributions primarily from inside the community. They are governed by local boards and build capital endowment with the aim to ensure funding capability in perpetuity.History
The first community foundation to be founded in the UK was SwindonSwindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
in 1975. This later merged with the Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
Community Trust to form the present Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon. By 2010 there were 58 community foundations in the United Kingdom that cover 95% of the country.
The CFN was established in 1991 to stimulate the growth of new community foundations, develop and co-ordinate a code of good practice and encourage foundations to share knowledge across the UK. In 2001 the CFN received major recognition when community foundations were chosen by the Government’s Children and Young People’s Unit as the best partners for the Local Network Fund. In 2003 the CFN was chosen as the trustee of the Fair Share Trust programme, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund is a grant-making non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom created by the Government to administer the funding of "good causes" following the creation of the National Lottery. It has an annual expenditure of £630 million...
. In 2006 a Quality Accreditation (QA) programme was established by the CFN .The Charity Commission for England and Wales endorses the QA standards and processes in a three-year cycle, which notes the focus on quality in all aspects of community foundation work.
In the last five years community foundations have generated £200 million of new private giving for communities and have helped government and other agencies invest £300 million. They support 1,800 donor clients, have £215m of endowed funds under their management, and every year around 20,000 community charities are funded across the UK. There are 3,500 volunteers that provide national and local grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
information; they are supported by 400 staff. There have been ten foundations that have received one-off donations exceeding £1 million during this period.
Programmes and funding
CFN is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the £50 million UK-wide Fair Share Trust programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund. On behalf of Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
they distribute some of the funds raised through Red Nose Day and Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
through the network of local community foundations. 48 community foundations are Local Funders for Grassroots Grants, a government
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
programme comprising an £80 million grant programme and a £50 million endowment match challenge. CFN also manages the grants component of the Mars in the Community investment programme to 2010 with employee involvement.
Most recently CFN has partnered with the Evening Standard’s
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
Dispossessed Campaign which has raised £5million to be distributed to local charities and projects within London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Partnerships
CFN acts as an umbrella to promote and support philanthropy in the UK and has a number of partnerships:The Beacon Fellowship
The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust was established to encourage individual contributions to charitable and social causes and to celebrate and showcase best practice in giving. It awards prizes for philanthropy, now managed by CFN, which recognises individuals who have transformed other people’s lives through their gifts of time, skills and money. Previous winners have included Jamie OliverJamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
, Sir Bob Geldof and Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
.
Fair Share Trust
CFN is responsible for using its local giving expertise to ensure the effective implementation of the £50 million UK-wide Fair Share Trust (FST) programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The Fair Share Trust’s aim is to build community skills, confidence, experience, and networks to improve local neighbourhoods. They help local communities to make a difference, by putting regeneration into their hands. The network of 29 local delivery partners works with communities in 80 neighbourhoods across the UK.Localgiving.com
Localgiving.com is a social enterpriseSocial enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
and Limited Company that operates as a not-for-profit. Localgiving.com was founded in 2008 by Marcelle Speller and is jointly owned by Community Foundation Network and the Ardbrack Foundation; both are registered charities and 50% shareholders.
Localgiving.com is a website for local charities and community groups to raise money, awareness and support. It allows registered and unregistered charities to claim Gift Aid
Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a UK tax incentive that enables tax-effective giving by individuals to charities in the United Kingdom. Gift Aid was originally introduced in Finance Act 1990 for donation from 1 October 1990, but was originally limited to cash gifts of £600 or more...
as all donations are processed through their local community foundation which vets each group. The website allows supporters and donors to search for and find small charities and voluntary organisations in their community.