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Foundation News

South Yorkshire challenged to do more for its local communities

16th August 2012

DO YOU want to change something or improve the lives of people in your community? Can you meet the challenge?

New initiative, Community First Endowment Match Challenge has been launched in South Yorkshire as a part of the nationwide Community First programme to promote local giving and help the most disadvantaged in your community.

The Endowment Match Challenge means that anyone who takes up the challenge will be able to maximise the impact of giving, as the Government will provide £1 for every £2 raised through any Community First fund.

Community First funds can be set up by people and organisations that want to make a positive change to their community and support the causes they care about.

South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) will be providing grant making support for the Community First Endowment Match Challenge, using their local expert knowledge to help funds to go where they are needed most.

Pauline Grice, CEO of SYCF said:
"The Community First Endowment Match Challenge will raise over £3.5m in endowments that will support our communities both over the longer term and provide immediate grant making where it is needed most."

Left to right: CEO of SYCF Pauline Grice, Chairman of SYCF Jonathan Hunt, Dame Stephanie Shirley, Director of AESSEAL Gordon Bridge, High Sheriff Julie Kenny, Lesley Chambers of CDF and Alison Jermey of CCLA

The nationwide Community First programme aims to have hundreds of funds together supporting communities and causes throughout England by 2015 and the Endowment Match Challenge that will be available across South Yorkshire will play a large part in that goal.

Rotherham based AESSEAL PLC is the first organisation to set up a Community First Endowment Fund and previously gave generously to South Yorkshire through the AESSEAL Charitable Trust Grassroots Endowment Fund.

At the launch of the new programme, Director of AESSEAL Gordon Bridge accepted a certificate acknowledging AESSEAL's fantastic support from Chairman Jonathan Hunt of SYCF.

Gordon Bridge said: "AESSEAL remains committed to supporting the charitable work done in local communities and is delighted to be the first donor to the new Community First Endowment Fund"

Community First is an initiative funded by the Office for Civil Society (OCS), part of the Cabinet Office, on behalf of the Government and delivered in partnership with Asda, CFN, CCLA and ACF/SIB. 

To find out more about the Endowment Match Challenge and how you could set up your own Community First fund please go to: http://www.sycf.org.uk/ways_to_give/community_first_endowment_match_challenge/

The AESSEAL Community First Endowment Fund for South Yorkshire is administered by South Yorkshire Community Foundation on behalf of the manufacturing firm. Any request for grant funding should be made straight to SYCF by visiting the website or calling 0114 2424857.