Guernsey’s Social Investment Fund (SIF) is pleased to announce that it is taking over the charitable distribution of the proceeds of the Lottery.
Previously, the Association of Guernsey Charities was responsible for distributing the proceeds of the Christmas Lottery to its members. SIF will now fulfil this role, but will also be distributing the Guernsey net proceeds of the Channel Islands Lottery, which will bring a welcome injection of new and increased funding to the Bailiwick charitable sector.
SIF was established as a charitable company earlier this year, to use public and privately-donated funds to invest in the third sector and improve joint working between the government and the third sector
After its launch, SIF immediately responded to the Covid-19 crisis by launching an appeal for donations to support local charities. The Covid-19 Community Charity Appeal has been incredibly successful, with over £415,000 distributed so far to charities which have been badly affected by the pandemic and which have provided support to the community during the crisis.
SIF is now focusing on working towards the launch of two new grants programmes to benefit the charitable sector, a small grants programme and one to provide major grants, which will support the financial sustainability of the sector.
The details of the grants programmes, and how to apply, will be launched soon. Grants will be made to support activities within the Bailiwick of Guernsey or those that benefit residents of the Bailiwick.
Jurat Stephen Jones OBE, chair of the Social Investment Fund, said: “The Board of the Social Investment Fund is excited to have the opportunity to distribute all of the net proceeds from the Lottery. We thank the Association of Guernsey Charities for having done a fantastic job of distributing the funding from the Christmas Lottery over many years and we will continue to work in partnership with the Association of Guernsey Charities to support the sector. We look forward to providing even more lottery funding for the benefit of local charities.
“We are committed to working transparently, to the highest standards of governance, in the way we invest the public’s money back into the community.”
Malcolm Woodhams, Chairman of the Association of Guernsey Charities, said: “Proceeds from the Christmas Lottery have been given to Bailiwick charities since 1986. Over the past 33 years, the Association of Guernsey Charities has distributed nearly £4.4 million to local projects and good causes. This process has been undertaken by the Association’s Council members in a voluntary capacity, often spending a substantial amount of time reading and reviewing charity applications and I thank all Council members, past and present, who have given their time to distribute lottery proceeds in an efficient, effective, and comprehensive manner.
“We are very pleased that the Social Investment Fund will receive more funding from the Channel Islands Lottery to enable them to further help local charities, especially given the increasing reliance on third sector organisations to provide a wide range of local projects and services. We assure charities that we have been working closely with SIF to ensure a smooth handover of the Lottery Grants process. This change will additionally mean that the Association of Guernsey Charities can provide increased focus on the needs of the charitable and voluntary sector, and assist organisations to maximise their potential.”
