Collaborating with trusts and foundations
Community foundations are the ideal partners for larger trusts who require expert support with their local grant making.
Forming strong local and national partnerships
We are pleased to collaborate with other foundations and charitable trusts who want to reach communities across the UK.
Many larger trusts and foundations which wish to provide funding in one or more specific geographical areas work directly with the relevant community foundations.
Where a trust wishes to achieve national reach, UKCF will work with them to co-ordinate a national programme. The most significant partnership in our history has been with The National Emergencies Trust (NET) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where we delivered more than £68million of funding to groups supporting their local communities to survive the crisis. Another recent national partnership is with Made by Sport whose ‘Clubs in Crisis’ Fund supports clubs and community organisations delivering sport for development programmes to young people.
Stay informed throughout the partnership
An important advantage of working with the UKCF network is the level of control and decision making that fund holders are able to retain, whilst also accessing community foundations' expertise.
Fund holders stay fully involved in deciding how, where and when their funds are spent in the community. Community foundation teams are experts in identifying local community need and can offer a range of grant-making options to suit the ambitions of larger trusts and foundations.
A benefit of working with either one community foundation, or a collective in partnership with UKCF, is the range of impact reporting that helps partners to evaluate the grant-making process and learn best practice for future opportunities.
Square Pegs Theatre Company, supported by the Kent Community Foundation
Communigrow, supported by the Kent Community Foundation
Transfer your trust
UKCF works in partnership with the Charity Commission to ensure funds from inactive or dormant charitable trusts are ‘unlocked’ and spent on good causes across the UK.
The Revitalising Trusts Programme has been running since 2018 and in that time, it has revitalised over £30million of inactive funds. This money has been distributed to UKCF, local community foundations and other charities, who have spent it on crucial community projects throughout the country.
Even though many of these trusts are very small, collectively the funds hold a significant amount which could make a huge difference to local communities if we are able to revitalise them.
Find out how to transfer a trust
“I’m writing to thank you all for being incredible partners this year!Your agility, expertise and dedication has supported 10,000+ charities through 12,500+ grants in record time, no doubt supporting over a million people. For any organisation to reach >1% of the population is impressive but to do this whilst distributing numerous other funds and facing local and personal pressures really is quite remarkable.”
Mhairi Sharp CEO, National Emergencies Trust
Key Partners
We are pleased to work closely with the following organisations
UK Community Foundations is a registered charity in England and Wales. Registered company in England and Wales . Registered address: UK Community Foundations, Northgate Business Centre, 38-40 Northgate, Newark, NG24 1EZ. Registered company no. 2651777 | Registered charity no. 1004630. Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved.