Nationwide Building Society has awarded £4.7m to 94 UK charities for its 2022 Community Grants Programme.
The Community Grants programme, which will be shared across the UK’s regions, tackles local housing issues by awarding charities, community land trusts and housing cooperatives access to grants between £10,000 and £50,000.
As a mutual, owned by its 15 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.
All projects that were successful in being awarded a Community Grant met one of three social priorities:
- Helping people into a home
- Preventing people from losing their home
- Helping people to thrive at home
This year’s beneficiaries include an organisation based in Hampshire that runs a life-skills programme for young people who are homeless or have experienced homelessness, a hostel in Worcester that provides counselling support, training and employment opportunities to residents, and a charity in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, that offers support and advocacy to victims of domestic abuse. Around one in four grant applicants were successful.
Grants are decided by Nationwide’s Community Boards, which are comprised of colleagues and members. The Boards come together to decide which projects should be awarded a grant, and in doing so are supporting their own communities find solutions to the housing crisis. There are currently 11 local Community Boards covering the UK’s regions.
Since 2017, Nationwide has awarded £17.7 million to 444 housing projects and charities which help address the theme of home.
Applications for Nationwide’s 2022/23 grants open on April 25.
Charlotte Kensett, Director of Social Investment, 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 our Community Grants Programme.
“Since 2017, the programme has supported charitable organisations seeking to make a difference to vulnerable people facing housing challenges across the UK. Everyone should have a place fit to call home which is why our Community Grants Programme is so important to us. As a member-owned organisation, we have always seen it as part of our role to help facilitate positive changes in local communities, and we are encouraging charities to apply to our Community Grants programme so we can help make a difference where we can.”
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