AFTER an incredibly challenging year for charities, the Cadent Foundation has confirmed it has awarded more than £4.8million to charitable organisations in its first year.
Funded by local gas network Cadent, the Cadent Foundation has awarded 100 new grants to charities and organisations working across the North West, West Midlands, East of England and North London. Since January 2020, grants of between £1000 and £1.5million have been given to projects which support its core objectives – to help people living in vulnerable situations and energy-poor communities; protect and preserve the natural environment and create a sustainable energy future for all.
These grants have supported a wide array of initiatives such as helping people increase their income and reduce energy bills, improving access to STEM careers and mentoring opportunities for young people, reducing social isolation through practical conservation projects, as well as research studies around green energy. The Foundation also launched a COVID-19 Response Fund with a £240,000 emergency grant to the Trussell Trust to support food banks and £100,000 to the Royal Voluntary Service to aid its NHS Responder project. In addition, up to £125,000 of small grants were given to charities and groups delivering to those most vulnerable in their local communities – supporting everything from food parcels, to pre-school starter packs and helping the homeless into temporary accommodation.
Julia Dwyer, Director of the Cadent Foundation, said:
“The aim of the Cadent Foundation is to make a positive and lasting difference to the communities that Cadent serves, and we are proud of how far we’ve come in such a short time. 2020 has been challenging for everyone but more than ever, the events of the past 12 months have demonstrated how grants like ours offer a lifeline for charities working at the heart of our communities.
“Throughout this difficult time the Foundation has remained steadfast in its commitment to deliver against our core objectives, but we’ve also we’ve adapted our strategy to help address areas of greatest need with the launch of our COVID-19 Response Fund. As well as offering grants to small and medium grassroots charities, we’ve also secured national partnerships with organisations such as the Trussell Trust and Groundwork UK that will help drive long term change.”
Trussell Trust, which supports a network of food banks across the UK, was awarded a £1.5 million grant from the Cadent Foundation for its income maximisation programme.
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of Trussell Trust, said:
“As we head into a winter forecast to be the busiest ever at food banks, we are so grateful to the Cadent Foundation for their support. Hunger in the UK isn’t about food, it’s about people not having enough money. That’s why this partnership will make such a difference – by helping food banks provide tailored advice and support that puts money back in the pockets of people who need it the most, it’ll help prevent people needing a foodbank again.”
With around 4million UK households unable to afford to live in a warm, dry home, National Energy Action (NEA) is a national charity working to end fuel poverty. The Cadent Foundation awarded a £400,000 grant to roll out its Reactive Response project across Cadent’s networks as part of a one-year national trial.
Adam Scorer, NEA Chief Executive commented:
“NEA is delighted to be involved with the Reactive Response programme in partnership with Cadent Foundation. The programme identifies and assists some of the most vulnerable households in society. A Reactive Response intervention can greatly improve a household’s chance of achieving affordable warmth and has an enormous impact on the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of vulnerable householders.”
The Wildlife Trusts – a movement of 46 charities across the UK – was awarded £253,618 to enable the extension of wellbeing projects that are focused on connecting people with nature in deprived, urban areas.
Patience Thody, Deputy CEO said:
“We live in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, which is why The Wildlife Trusts is working to help wildlife recover and ensure nature is part of our everyday lives, with studies showing how this connection provides many benefits for us all. We are thrilled that the funding from the Cadent Foundation will enable us to expand our vital work alongside communities to reverse the decline of nature, whilst helping people develop new skills, build relationships and play an important role in shaping their local wild places.”
Next year, the Cadent Foundation is looking to increase the amount of funding awarded, pledging up to £7million to support charities and organisations across its networks.
Julia Dwyer added:
“As we enter 2021, we remain in uncertain times and the role of the Foundation has never been more important. There is clearly a huge amount of unmet need, and moving forward, we will continue to build on what we have achieved and work with charities and partners to explore how we can use our resources and expertise to maximise the positive impact we can have together.”
The Cadent Foundation has now released its first Impact Report, which includes details of the grants awarded in 2020 and how the funding is being used to improve people’s lives. To download a copy of ‘Committed to a Better Future: Impact Report 2020’, visit https://documents.cadentgas.com/view/867546/
More information on eligibility and when grant funding is available can be found at: www.cadentfoundation.com
