Nationwide Building Society has awarded £335,000 to 72 charities for its Northern Ireland Community Fund.
The fund, which will be shared across five regions in Northern Ireland, tackles local issues around mental health, children and community services by awarding charities access to grants of up to £5,000.
The Northern Ireland Community Fund was launched following Nationwide’s Member Prize Draw, which automatically enters members in England, Scotland and Wales into a monthly draw to win a share of £1 million. Due to local gambling laws preventing Northern Ireland members from taking part, Nationwide created the dedicated fund to give something back to communities.
As a mutual, owned by its 16 million members, Nationwide strongly believes in supporting communities and tackling inequality. It is why the Society gives at least one per cent of its pre-tax profits to good causes each year.
Each of the 72 charities demonstrated a need for their service under three themes - mental health, children and community services – with a significant number involving all three.
This year’s beneficiaries include:
- Foyle Deaf Association: Derry-based charity providing a centre for deaf people
- Clonmore Regeneration Group: An organisation in Portadown that provides a support programme for women
- Trillick Enterprise Leisure: A sports centre in Omagh that offers activities for young people with physical or learning disabilities
Rachel Smith, Senior Social Investment Manager, Nationwide Building Society, said: “The last couple of years have been challenging for many people, and in these tough times we have seen how important our local communities are and the amazing work that happens every day. And this is demonstrated through the Northern Ireland Community Fund.
“Unfortunately, local gambling laws prevented us from including Northern Ireland members in our monthly Member Prize Draw. So, we wanted to find a way that would allow us to share the mutual benefit with local Northern Ireland communities in a meaningful way. The fund is designed to prioritise the kinds of charities that are vital to our local community.
“As a member-owned organisation, we have always seen it as part of our role to help facilitate positive changes in local communities.”
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