The Nationwide Foundation Approves Grants Totalling £2.3 Million
11,000 people to benefit from funding to tackle poor housing and financial exclusion
The Nationwide Foundation has approved eight grants totalling £2.3 million to help tackle the issues of housing and financial exclusion. The money will benefit up to 11,000 people, who are either survivors of domestic abuse or older people. The funding marks the start of the Foundation’s new Investor Programme which will support the charities for three years. The eight charities and how they will use their funding are:
Age Concern Camden (partnership with Age Concern London)
Providing information, advice and support to maximise the income of older people in Camden’s Somali community. A bilingual advisor will provide support on finances and housing specifically for Somalis aged over 50. Help will include claiming benefits and accessing Age Concern Camden grants to individuals. In addition, trained volunteers will advise other black and minority ethnic elders.
Age Concern Wirral
Recruiting staff to assist and represent people aged over 50 living with dementia in Wirral. The charity will support sufferers and their families who are making key decisions which affect their lives, in particular those around housing and financial matters. This is expected to include advice about dealing with significant income decrease, maintaining homes and exploring options for alternative housing.
Centre for Policy on Ageing Researching a practical way to prevent financial exploitation and abuse of older people. Using the research findings, the charity will establish pilot projects to train volunteers to work with older people. This will help improve financial capability and deliver practical, sustainable, daily money management services.
Centre for Sustainable Energy (partnership with both Mendip and Somerset West Care & Repair)
Assisting rurally isolated older people in Somerset to access home improvement and energy efficiency measures to improve their housing conditions. This project will tackle fuel poverty, with debt and welfare advice available to these older people.
The Haven
Recruiting financial inclusion officers to support domestic abuse survivors living both in Wolverhampton’s Haven refuges and in the community. The aim is to improve the women’s financial literacy, helping them to deal with debts and raising awareness of appropriate banking services. The women will also develop work skills to promote employment opportunities and be given assistance in applying for crisis loans and welfare grants. The charity will provide training to banks on how they can best support survivors of domestic abuse with their financial needs.
money advice plus (MAP) (partnership with national Women’s Aid)
Providing tailored telephone debt and money advice to survivors of domestic abuse across the England. Women’s Aid will support MAP with expert advice and coaching. In addition, Women’s Aid will promote the service to its network of support services across England, as well as carry out training with MAP for other agencies assisting survivors of domestic abuse.
The Runnymede Trust
Researching the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) older people in respect to their housing and financial needs and then using the findings to inform and facilitate change in public policy. The research will explore: current and future trends with regards to where BME older people retire to; their pension provision; and the implications of expectations from their extended families.
Thanet Citizens’ Advice Bureau (partnership with Shelter Kent branch and Canterbury and Shepway Citizens’ Advice Bureaux)
Improving financial literacy of older people who are rurally isolated in Kent. Advisors will provide assistance with regard to benefit entitlement, housing and money management. In addition, the charity will seek to raise awareness with key decision makers to bring about changes in local government policy to assist older people.
The Nationwide Foundation’s grant-giving programme has been designed to fund charities that offer financial and/or housing related support to:
- Survivors of domestic abuse
- Older people who are one of the following:
- Aged 70 years and older;
- Aged 50 years and older and also fit one of the following criteria: are suffering from dementia; are from black and minority ethnic groups; are carers for family members or partners who are also 50 years and older; have experienced or are experiencing financial abuse; or are rurally isolated.
The Nationwide Foundation will also provide consultancy support to build the robustness and infrastructures of the charities funded. This may include deploying consultants and funding training needs for staff and trustees. The Investor Programme has been developed following 10 years of grant-making experience by the Nationwide Foundation and it aims to leave a long-term legacy of support to the charities and causes supported.
Lisa Parker, chief executive of The Nationwide Foundation, says: “We are delighted to be able to award these grants to eight very worthy charities and their partners, which will benefit around 11,000 people over the next three years. The Nationwide Foundation recognises the need for charities to secure funding for core costs, including staffing, to enable them to deliver their work effectively and this is what these grants offer. Research is also a key part of some of the work funded, in order to enable the charities look upstream to better address root causes of need, along with awareness raising activities to promote change in the longer term.”
Gail Biggerstaff, chief executive officer of money advice plus’s said: “We are delighted with this funding award. The project will provide trained, dedicated staff to give expert money and debt advice by telephone to people experiencing domestic abuse. Evidence shows that living with domestic abuse will often have a direct impact on the financial circumstances of the victim and family, and can also present a barrier to a decision to leave the relationship. MAP and Women’s Aid will work together to deliver training to increase the skills and resources available to survivors of domestic abuse and money advice services across England.”
In addition to the large grants announced today which form the three-year Investor Programme, the Nationwide Foundation’s Small Grants Programme continues to make grants every two months. These grants are available up to £5,000 to registered charities with incomes of under £500,000. Charities wishing to apply for funding from The Nationwide Foundation should call 01793 655113 or email enquiries@nationwidefoundation.org.uk.
Notes to editors:
The Nationwide Foundation is a registered charity (no 1065552) and has limited liability being a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 3451979). Registered office address: Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon, SN38 1NW.
The principle benefactor of the Nationwide Foundation is Nationwide Building Society.
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