The Cornwall Community Foundation helps communities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by awarding small grants to grassroots, front line, volunteer-led organisations who are making a positive impact in their area, helping to overcome these challenges of disadvantage, exclusion and poverty for all ages.
About The Foundation
We believe in a positive life for all in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, free from poverty and social isolation. To achieve this, we raise funds from individuals and businesses and distribute them to community and grassroots non-profit organisations who are changing lives across the county.
Cornwall Community Foundation has been at the forefront in supporting vulnerable Cornish communities during the pandemic and as communities rebuild.
In 2021 the Cornwall Community Foundation handed out 652 grants totalling £2.2 million.
Many in our Cornish communities continue to face a pretty bleak future with fuel and housing cost increases adding to the challenges.
For more information please take a look at our website: www.cornwallcommunityfoundation.com
Where The Money Goes
Thank you to all who attended the Cornwall Christmas Fair 2021 at The Eden Project. Your generous donations broke records raising over £70,000 for Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF), smashing fundraising records since the event began 30 years ago.
The £70,000 raised by the Cornwall Christmas Fair 2021 was distributed to three CCF programmes, Young & Talented Cornwall, the Crisis Fund and the Cornwall Community Fund. Here are some great examples of how your funding was used.
Young & Talented Cornwall - £20,000
Young and Talented Cornwall (Y&TC)received £20,000 from The Christmas Fair. The Fund, headed by Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE, strives to help young individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding talent in a particular field such as sport, the arts, science, voluntary service, and enterprise but are struggling to achieve because of hardship or disability.
Charlie Currie, Cornish mountain biker and Y&TC grant recipient commented, “I have been fortunate to receive a grant from Young & Talented Cornwall and it has made the most significant difference in relieving a huge amount of financial burden my sport does put on me. I can now focus more time on training and results are beginning to show, after winning my first Elite National Series round. My grant has been put towards travel to national and international events in the hope of being selected for the World Championship squad for my fourth time.”
Crisis Fund - £10,000
The Crisis Fund received £10,000 to benefit people who find themselves in crisis and are urgently in need of small, one-off amounts of money. These funds are usually £50 or less to a maximum of £90 when there is a need for immediate help and can be accessed through charitable organisations throughout Cornwall.
Jacqui White MBE, Project Manager at Wadebridge Foodbank and Storehouse says, “We’ve been able to access Cornwall Community Foundation’s Crisis Fund over the years and it has always been an absolutely amazing thing for us to help the people coming into the Foodbank in need.”
Community Fund - £40,000
£40,000 from the 2021 Cornwall Christmas Fair was donated to The Community Fund. The fund supports a diverse range of inspirational community projects across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. All the projects supported by the fund are providing transformational support for vulnerable people in their communities.
Dangerous Dads Community Interest Company received funding of £3,700 to offer 22 free places at their DadFest event for male carers and their children. The funding was used to support parents who would not otherwise be able to attend. DadFest is a small, community-focused event with outdoor activities, such as campfire cooking, green woodworking, archery, Forest School activities, wildlife walks and quarry activities, facilitated by qualified and experienced leaders.
One of the dads commented, “As fathers, we’re kinda set up to fail especially working full time and separated for our partner. The conditions are very difficult so organisations like DadFest and Dangerous Dads is vital for me just to get these connections with other dads, and the children can connect with other children.”
Cornwall Life Recycle works to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged by helping them learn new skills, build confidence and to work as a team. Guided by a volunteer mentor, participants completely rebuild second-hand bicycles that have been donated to the project.
Through the rebuild process and one to one mentor support, the participants learn a broad range of life and work skills. A grant of £4,400 from the Community Fund enabled the group to support more youngsters gain new technical and life skills.
For more examples of community projects supported by CCF, please click here.
How You Can Get Involved
The Friends
The Friends of Cornwall Community Foundation are supporters who, through their membership donations, enable us to continue our vital work strengthening Cornish communities.
How the Foundation works
We believe in a positive life for all in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, free from poverty and social isolation. To achieve this, we raise funds from individuals and businesses and distribute them to community and grassroots non-profit organisations who are changing lives across the county.
Our network of community groups, who responded amazingly during the pandemic, now require additional funding both to meet continuing and future needs.
The benefits of becoming a Friend of the Foundation, you will be:
- contributing regularly to the many good causes supported by the Cornwall Community Foundation.
- kept up-to-date with CCF’s news via our monthly News from Cornwall e-newsletter.
- invited to exclusive events like ‘Seeing Is Believing’ and the ‘Friends Drinks party.’
- invited for a complimentary Tregothnan Cream Tea at the Royal Cornwall Show.
- contributing to the Friends’ fund which awards grants on an annual basis to community groups. In 2020 the fund supported our Cornwall Emergency Fund to alleviate the effects of the pandemic.
Join the Friends of the Foundation here.
Membership donations start at £30 per year (by direct debit), or more if you wish and Gift Aid could add 25% to your donation.
For more information about how you can help through joining us or donating please visit our website:
https://www.cornwallcommunityfoundation.com/give-to-your-community/
How To Donate
Support the Cornwall Christmas Fair Committee in raising funds for the Cornwall Community Foundation Build Back Better Appeal.
Cornwall Community Foundation has been at the forefront in supporting vulnerable Cornish communities during the pandemic and as communities rebuild. In 2021 the Cornwall Community Foundation handed out 652 grants totalling £2.2 million. Many in our Cornish communities continue to face a pretty bleak future with fuel and housing cost increases adding to the challenges.
Perhaps you would consider donating the £15/£25 that you would have spent on your Christmas Fair ticket instead safe in the knowledge that you will be supporting our community that needs you now, more than ever.
£15 could give a family peace of mind that they will not go hungry for 5 days
£25 could provide a Christmas lunch and tea for a family
£50 could provide a session to help a person manage their debts, reduce anxiety and regain control of their lives
£100 could provide two counselling sessions for a person struggling with mental wellbeing due to the coronavirus crisis
Please donate now to support communities in need and help them build back better for the future.
To donated please click the link below:
https://www.cornwallcommunityfoundation.com/cornwall-christmas-fair-2022/
