The impact our grants have made on the lives of the people who’ve benefited from them in their own words.
St Luke’s Advice Service received a grant of £1,500 from our William Alexander Fund to extend their outreach services to fortnightly sessions at The Women’s Centre in Brighton.
“(Without your funding) some of the most needy in our community would not have received the assistance that they desperately needed.” Michael Gray, Trustee and Treasurer
Community Stuff received a grant of £3,000 from our Marit and Hans Rausing Fund to deliver 17 free holiday sessions for families in deprived areas of Eastbourne.
“Having a grant from Sussex Community Foundation meant that Community Stuff were able to get up and running and have been able to flourish as a community group. It meant we were able to start being known in the area as quality providers. Without your funding, we would have struggled with our first project, to make it happen.” Clare Hackney-Ring
Adventure Unlimited received a grant of £6,051 from our American Express Fund to fund a part-time Volunteer Coordinator.
“(Without your funding), we would not have been able to provide the essential support required to train and deploy the volunteers that we need in order to ensure that young people with additional needs can access adventure activities that raise esteem and teach life skills.” Mim Featherstone, Finance Manager
Chichester District Foodbank received a grant of £5,000 from our Cullum Family Fund to help meet the costs of employing a project manager in order to develop the services of the Food Bank over a three-year period.
“Thank you so much for the ongoing support of Sussex Community Foundation. The grants you have given to us have made a real difference to the development of the project.” Project Manager, Joanne Kondabeka.
Fareshare Project received a grant from our Cullum Family Fund and the Arthur & Doreen Green Fund to help pay the salary of their Project Manager.
“Without this funding from the Foundation, the project would have suffered through the need to redirect additional funds to ensure that the salary is covered and it is likely that the project would not have been able to achieve its records outputs.”
IMPACT Foundation received a Marit and Hans Rausing Fund grant to teach young, homeless mothers living in a local hostel how to cook straightforward, healthy meals on a budget.
“One tenant, Jade, commented that as well as learning how to cook new dishes she has tried a lot of new foods that she would otherwise not have tried, and been surprised that she has liked most of them”
“We are very grateful to the Sussex Community Foundation and the Marit and Hans Rausing Fund. It is only thanks to your kindness that we were able to run this course to work with vulnerable young women providing them with a sense of community whilst developing new skills and earning about making healthy lifestyle choices. Thank you so much for your support.”
KeepOut Crime Diversion Scheme received a Marit & Hans Rausing Fund grant to support their work in Lewes Prison aimed at keeping young men at risk of offending out of prison.
“Having a youth group visiting this week has given me the opportunity to express my mistakes to them. Watching their reactions gave me satisfaction to know that I can help young people to listen and learn. Working with KeepOut has given me my self-esteem back. Every day that I come to work is making me stronger and stronger and is giving me focus in my life. Being able to help young people understand that crime has lots of effects on loved ones too, is important to me. By working with KeepOut, I hope that I can rebuild my position in society and help our young people consider their actions.” Tim, a serving prisoner and KeepOut team member.
Bognor Community Action Network received a Comic Relief grant to deliver low-cost martial arts classes to disadvantaged young people
“I love martial arts. I wish I could do it every day!” Young martial arts participant
“People don’t appreciate what a major difference it makes to young people’s lives. The self-defence aspect of it means that they are confident to go out with their friends without fear. It builds their confidence and enables them to build a network of friends away from school. It brings out the best in children and young people.” Parent
Livestock received a B&H Community Health Fund grant to run a Mothers Uncovered Big Sunday event for local mothers
“An invaluable resource for mothers – a really beneficial day to boost morale and energise.” Mother
“I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do any of this normally.” Mother
“The administration needed for an event of this sort is immense. The preparation and liaising takes many weeks. Being able to pay those who put in many hours, not all of it compensated, which is often due to goodwill and belief in the project – is essential.” Organiser
West Sussex Mediation Service received a Comic Relief grant towards their core costs
“The grant gave us some flexibility and allowed us to be a bit more creative in our service provision. It is satisfying to know that we have reached more people in need and help relieve the impact of conflicts in the community.” Community organiser
“Thank you, your help was much appreciated. It’s a very useful service. It has helped our situation, hopefully on a permanent basis. It would not have happened without your help.” Service-user
Rother District CAB used a Rausing Fund grant to provide an enhanced benefit and debt advice service to older residents
“The grant has enabled us to deliver a full service and help more people than we would have done without the funds” CAB manager.
One happy client had their annual income increased by over £7,000 per year following support to make claims for benefits to which she was entitled.
Audio Active received a grant from the Brenda Ford Fund to run their Break4Change programme to support families in crisis
“Although the project produces powerful outcomes for families, it is expensive to run….Without this funding, Break4Change (Group 7) simply could not have gone ahead when it did.” Organiser
“Things have got a lot better because, before we started, there was just like constant arguments and me and my mum falling out and we didn’t have a very good relationship, but now…it’s got a lot better. Since we’ve been on the course, we’ve been putting the things into practice that you’ve been teaching us.” Family member