“Connecting People who care with causes that matter”
If you are looking to make a charitable donation to a local organisation either during your lifetime or in event of death, but not sure where to start, then Norfolk Community Foundation could be for you.
There are two main ways you could use the organisation. One is that you could use them as an information resource to establish local organisations and charities that are doing the sort of work that you are interested in, and then facilitate the donation payment.
The other service they offer is to set up and manage charitable trusts. The idea is that you, as the donor, make a charitable donation to them which they invest on your behalf in a portfolio of ethically screened investments. The income and interest that is generated from your portfolio is then used to fund local organisations and charities of your choice.
Norfolk Community Foundation is a registered charity established in 2005 and is dedicated to strengthening the local community by developing giving within Norfolk to address the needs of our communities and to support community self help.
Norfolk Community Foundation are a member of Community Foundation Network which comprise of similar regional organisations which offer a similar service all over the UK.
To that end, they target grants that make a genuine difference to the lives of Norfolk people. They manage funds donated by individuals and organisations, building endowment and acting as the vital link between local donors and local needs. Their focus is on those smaller charities, organisations and individuals that need financial support to continue their valuable work and do not have the resource and reach that the larger, and well known, charities have at their disposal.
Importantly, they are independent. In providing donors with expert advice and the benefit of our local knowledge, their only agenda is to ensure that their giving makes a lasting impact in areas they care about most.
The primary objectives of the Foundation are:
- To build an endowment that will permanently increase the level of funds available to community and voluntary groups in Norfolk.
- To understand and respond sensitively to changing needs and priorities within the County.
- To ensure funding is available to support small and informal voluntary and community groups.
- To draw in funding to address priority needs in Norfolk.
Norfolk Community Foundation is already effectively delivering over 60 funds on behalf of a range of donors. Since their creation through the generosity of donors they have been able to provide grants totalling in excess of £2,500,000 that have helped over 900 organisations.
The Foundation believes in importance of all donors large and small and one of our wishes is to make “philanthropy affordable and enjoyable”. We work very closely with all our donors to assist them in the grant process to ensure that the charities and areas of special interest that they want to support are targeted and that they are aware of the opportunities open to them. The activities we perform in this role are:
- Managing the administration
- Assessing and monitoring the grants
- Making recommendations on the grant applications received
- Making grant payments on behalf of our donors
- Ensuring all grants are subsequently monitored to ensure the outcomes are achieved
They see the Norfolk Community Foundation and donor relationship as a real partnership and one where they facilitate your charitable giving.
It is acknowledged that the creation and administration of a formal charitable trust can be time consuming and at times a difficult process. By creating a formal named fund with Norfolk Community Foundation they can manage that process through their own charitable status and allow the donor the fun and enjoyment of seeing their grant giving make a real difference to people’s lives.
