Tripled Investment into Warrington from Foundation Partnership
Cheshire Community Foundation, has approved grants to seven Warrington charities totalling over £155,000. This triples the investment of previous years and will have a huge impact on charities which are a lifeline for Warrington people. The donors to this fund include local businesses, individuals, and transformative match funding was provided by fellow local funding body, the Steve Morgan Foundation.
Cheshire Community Foundation uses local donations to fund projects which help build a community where everyone can thrive. Their grants programmes target specific local needs, make strategic interventions for broader impact, and address urgent challenges like the cost-of-living crisis. With over £14 million in grants distributed since 2012, they have a longstanding commitment to the community.
The Warrington Fund was a first-of-its-kind initiative for the town, allowing businesses and donors to pool resources and make a meaningful difference to residents’ lives. As experts in local needs, the foundation partners with Warrington Voluntary Action and Warrington Borough Council to share knowledge and ensure joined-up working and investment.
The collaboration between Cheshire Community Foundation and Steve Morgan Foundation has been pivotal to the scale and success of the interventions being launched in Warrington.
Working together to address the challenges faced by local people really helps us get one step closer to our vision of changing lives for good. Coordinating investment means there are fewer gaps in provision, and duplication of effort is hugely reduced. When we work together effectively as funders, we share local knowledge and see the investment of our funds have maximum impact.
Liam Eaglestone, Steve Morgan Foundation
Seven projects have been funded through this partnership; they include local well-known charities such as Warrington Youth Zone, and smaller grassroots organisations who are often vital to local residents, but go under the radar of other funders. There are even ‘Microgrants’, delivered quickly and simply through Warrington Voluntary Action, to help start-up charities build their capacity. These tiered grants are designed to encourage growth, innovation and joined-up working.
The voluntary sector in Warrington is vibrant, and we’ve been supporting it for many years through our Warrington Older People’s Fund, and Warrington Young People’s Fund. But now it’s time to help the whole family, and boost the sector in Warrington to respond to the challenging times local people are facing.
Tracey Pearson, Cheshire Community Foundation
We are committed to funding sustainable, long-term solutions to local issues. Cycles of poverty and deprivation aren’t broken overnight, they often need sustained, multi-agency approaches and time to build trusting relationships. Some of the grants we are making in Warrington are multi-year commitments, where we know that a sustained approach will be vital in making a difference. Community Foundations are perfectly placed to deliver these programmes: we have the local knowledge and expertise, we are permanent, and we work in partnership with the public, private, and voluntary sectors, so that every penny goes where it’s needed most.
Mel Sproston, CEO of Chesire Community Foundation
The projects receiving funding are as diverse as the community itself. Two projects are aimed at men: Directions for Men will provide mental health support, and Home Start Warrington’s ‘Dad Matters’ project will provide outreach, drop ins, and peer support for men as expectant or new dads.
Young people are provided for: Warrington Wolves have created a full range of activities for young people with disabilities, and Warrington Youth Zone will deliver a ‘Power Hour’ for vulnerable young people to build confidence, community and life skills. When young people leave the care system, they are often unmoored, and life can be hard. Pure Insight 1628 are helping by providing mental health support though a wellbeing worker; the first year of this project has already had a positive impact. Meanwhile Joshua Tree will help children with cancer, and their families, through a time most of us couldn’t bear to imagine.
Cycling Projects will help people with disabilities to stay active, and their volunteers will be refugees and migrants. Radio Warrington are tackling loneliness through the airwaves, by donating digital radios and improving their capacity for digital broadcasting, by and for Warrington people.
There’s a palpable momentum building in Warrington, where the diversely resourced communities stand in solidarity with one another. These projects are tackling the inequity which has been so characteristic of our corner of Britain. The town has huge potential and it’s exciting to witness communities being empowered to fulfil that promise.
Tom Kirk, Head of Grants and Impact at Cheshire Community Foundation
