Sovereign Housing Association commits £250,000 of grants in 2020 through partnership with The Good Exchange...
...with next round for financial and digital inclusion and supporting young people open for applications now
Distributed by the Good Exchange
Not-for-profit digital platform The Good Exchange has expanded its partnership with Sovereign, one of the largest housing associations in the UK, to run Sovereign’s community grants programme, including emergency COVID-19 funding, across the South and South West of England.
With The Good Exchange platform automatically matching those seeking funding with charitable trusts, corporate givers, fundraisers and public who want to give to those causes, those applying for money from Sovereign may also be paired with other charitable givers, increasing their chances of gaining even more for their projects or charitable initiatives.
Sovereign Housing awarded £95,000 of grants through The Good Exchange in 2019/20 which has risen to £250,000 for this financial year. The goal during the course of 2020 is to match as much of the £120,000 of the funds committed by Sovereign with other funders and donors in their areas of operation to generate even more money for local causes. This will support Sovereign’s community development activities and improving community centres, whilst also focusing on funding projects that support young people and help prevent homelessness, as well as mental health initiatives including isolation and loneliness and the negative and harmful impact of social media.
The next round of grants is now open, with an emphasis on financial and digital inclusion and supporting young people. Relevant charities and Sovereign’s resident communities are encouraged to submit applications through The Good Exchange. Click below to start an application for a charitable grant through the platform.
The variety of funds available through The Good Exchange for communities and charities running impactful programmes, includes:
- £120,000SovereignCommunity Grants Programme for the South and South West of England (which covers Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Devon, Dorset and West of England) which will be a mixture of grants and match funding between £500 and £10,000to help the young, elderly, disadvantaged and people in poverty, as well as supporting community centre and mental health initiatives
- £130,000 as part of the Greenham Trust COVID-19 appeal. The COVID-19 emergency funding has already been awarded to a range of COVID-19 response programmes from supporting the homeless to food poverty alleviation to domestic violence legal advice in areas where Sovereign properties are located. £50,000 of this money is for West Berkshire and north Hampshire.
Julian May, Head of Collaborative Funding at The Good Exchange, added: “The severe impact of Coronavirus on everyone, young and old, has highlighted the need for collaborative charitable giving across the nation over the past few months. Sovereign’s dedication to its community grants programme and deep understanding of the needs of its local populations is paramount to ensuring those most in need are supported through the next year and beyond.”
Michelle Smith, Head of Communities at Sovereign, said: “Our investment into The Good Exchange is directly enabling our customers and communities to thrive. Our partnership with The Good Exchange helps maximise our impact by increasing matching funding from other sources and ensuring the best projects for the most relevant services in the local areas are supported. Community has never been more important, and we are committed to enabling local charities to continue deliver across our geography.”
To date, Sovereign has awarded 44 grants worth over £120,000 to organisations fundraising on The Good Exchange, which in turn has attracted 17 additional funders and 106 donors to give more than £157,000 more funding to the same charitable projects.