Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands (LBFCI) have today launched the 35 Grant Programme to mark their 35th Anniversary.
The Programme invites applications from eligible charities in the Channel Islands. Ten successful applicants will each receive £35,000 of unrestricted funding to support their vital work.
The 35 Grant Programme is in addition to the Foundation’s annual grant giving activities. Combined, grants totalling £1 million will be made to eligible charities in the Foundation’s anniversary year. Thanks to the close relationship between the Foundation and Lloyds Banking Group, the Foundation is uniquely placed to ensure support isn’t just financial. Each successful charity will be offered a Lloyds Banking Group mentor who will offer regular support to help the charities achieve their organisational objectives. Mentors support charities to become more effective, more robust and more sustainable. As well as resourcing the charity, mentors benefit from testing and stretching their skills in new settings, developing new capabilities, and building stronger ties to their Islands’ communities. The successful charities will also be profiled across the Foundation’s communications channels and through a proactive grant PR programme.
The big difference with the launch of the 35 Grant Programme is that funds are unrestricted. This means applicants will be awarded funding based on their overall charitable aims and objectives rather than having to outline up front what the funds will be used for. They will be required to demonstrate how the funds have helped the charity to make a difference to lives of the people they support but will have the freedom to deploy the funds as they best see fit.
The 35 Grant Programme will support three key areas across the Bailiwicks:
- Domestic Abuse
- Employability support for disadvantaged individuals
- Mental Health and Wellbeing
The Foundation recognises these areas respond to identified community need and have come into sharper focus with the impact of Covid-19.
Domestic Abuse is estimated to affect one in four women and one in six men in their lifetime. Due to the current climate, with the potential for tighter restrictions and more time spent at home, the risk is even higher. Jersey Domestic Abuse Support (JDAS), a referral agency and key member of the Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board (JSPB), recorded seven hundred and elven referrals since the start of 2020. Of the seven hundred and elven referrals, three hundred and sixty one of those were classed as at significant risk of harm. Safer, which helps victims of abuse in Guernsey, has reported a 30% rise in the number of people asking for help since lockdown.
In the wake of Covid-19, unemployment has increased and job security decreased , with some sectors suffering more than others. A Statistics Jersey report has revealed that on 31st October 2020, the total number of islanders registered as Actively Seeking Work was one thousand four hundred and fifty (five hundred and forty higher than a year ago). In Guernsey, there were one thousand one hundred and thirty five islanders registered as wholly unemployed at the end of June 2020, eight hundred and thirty nine more than at the same time a year earlier.
The demand for mental health support has increased significantly following the Covid-19 outbreak with multiple triggers such as loved ones falling ill, unemployment and general disruption to day-to-day life. Guernsey Mind reported their intake of new clients has risen from an average of five per week before lockdown, to fifteen to twenty a week. In the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey conducted by Statistics Jersey, 51% of adults on the Island reported they felt their life has got worse since the outbreak.
Over the past thirty five years, the Foundation has provided essential funding and support to strengthen charities in the Channel Islands tackling complex social issues and helping disadvantaged people play a fuller role in our communities.
Katie Le Quesne, Chair of Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands explains: “We have achieved so much over the past thirty five years; surpassing £20 million in grant giving, developing our partnership with Lloyds Bank colleagues through mentoring and skills based volunteering and by strengthening relationships with other charitable funders and Governments. In recent years, we have adapted how we operate as an organisation, becoming more proactive in listening to needs and identifying opportunities to support the charitable sector. The 35 Grant Programme will be the first time we have given unrestricted funding and is another example of how we are constantly evolving to ensure we tackle complex issues in the most effective way.”
To find out more about the 35 Grant Programme and how to apply, click here.
For those who do not fall within the three funding areas for the 35 Grant Programme, Lloyds Bank Foundation are encouraging charities to apply for their normal grant programme. To find out more click here.
