Over the past 10 or 20 years in this country, there has been a growing recognition that we can’t expect government – at national or local level – to meet all the individual needs within our community. That is not a criticism of government. It is simply a recognition of the “uncomfortable fact” – or what Al Gore might call the “inconvenient truth” – that faced with unlimited demands, government has to adopt policies that apply to the country as a whole – and that inevitably leaves gaps at the grassroots. That recognition has encouraged a growing momentum behind all manner of initiatives for the private and voluntary sectors to fill those gaps. It is driven by a genuine wish to help the less fortunate within our communities and by the understanding that we all have an interest in a more harmonious environment in which we live. I was deeply impressed by the very strong sense of community here in Cornwall that I discovered on moving here on my retirement 5 years ago – and was delighted to be invited to become involved with The Cornwall Community Foundation who do such a lot to promote that sense of community.
Up until now the foundation has been heavily dependent on central government funding, which it has passed on to local projects through it’s grants panel made up of people who really know and understand the local situation. That flow-through funding sadly cannot be relied upon forever. But from the beginning the Foundation has also managed funds on behalf of private donors – mostly individuals and family donors – but also some from the corporate sector. Essentially its role is to act as an intermediary between those organisations, or sometimes also individuals, that need financial help – often quite small amounts of money – but who do not know where to turn, and those wanting to support the community, often in some particular respect, but who find it difficult to know where their contribution would most effectively be used for it’s intended purpose. We’ve now built up considerable experience in bringing the two sides together through what is often a very confusing jungle – using processes that have been designed and tested against rigorous and recognised industry standards, and we have earned accreditation from the Community Foundation Network and The Charity Commission, and from Coutts Bank.
We are now through The Cornwall 100 Club seeking to engage more actively with the business community in Cornwall. We are fortunate in having 20 members already signed up, some of whom are represented here today, and we invite other businesses to join them.
The Cornwall 100 Club members will be asked for donations of a minimum of £1,000 per annum for at least three years. Of this, one half will be distributed in grants. A quarter will be invested in The Cornwall Community Foundation endowment fund, which is a necessity to ensure that The Cornwall Community Foundation will be able to make grants forever from the interest earned on the endowment. It currently stands at about £500,000 and we aim to increase it to £5 million by 2012. The final quarter of members’ donations will go to the development costs of The Cornwall Community Foundation so our small and dynamic team can continue to build The Cornwall Community Foundation and support Cornwall’s many and varied neighbours.
The first Cornwall 100 Club panel meeting took place last month and it was agreed that the fund will award grants which aim to “support local projects in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly that engage local people in making their communities better places to live”. In the autumn The Cornwall Community Foundation will start distributing Cornwall 100 Club grants ranging from £500 to £5000, for projects working within the themes of
Transport, for example home collection and transport to events or venues
Poverty & Crisis
Elderly
Communities & Local Environment, for example regeneration of community areas, litter picking and hedge clearing
Young People
Disabled
Minority Groups, for example. Black and Minority Ethnic projects, Migrant Workers & Travellers.
But The Cornwall 100 Club is about more than companies just giving money to good causes. It is a way of encouraging everyone in the company to become engaged with their local community, by helping set up a simple, tax-effective system of payroll giving for each member of staff to contribute, and giving them an opportunity to visits the projects that will be supported by The Cornwall 100 Club Fund. The Cornwall Community Foundation can also offer volunteering opportunities through some of our partner organisations. When I was at the Bank of England we started an organisation called Heart of The City, with the aim of encouraging city businesses to develop community involvement programmes in support of the less privileged in the surrounding East End boroughs. I have to tell you it proved to be a Win Win Win for those that became involved. It is a win in terms of the company’s image. It is a win too in terms of the morale and motivation – the recruitment and retention of their staff. And it has been a major win too of course for the local communities.
I encourage you for your own sake and for that of our wonderful county to join us as a member of The Cornwall 100 Club.
