DCF reaches £10m milestone and welcomes new chairman

Devon Community Foundation is celebrating having given more than £10 million in grants to over 6,000 projects helping local people in need across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay since its start.

Last year saw £700,000 in grants help over 55,000 people in need in the county. This year also saw the Foundation leap into action in response to flood and storm damage helping 119 individuals, 3 businesses and six community groups rebuild their lives after having been flooded.

Alongside this the Foundation has grown its endowment from £1.8 million to £4 million in just five years.

These endowed funds generate income every year for grants to local groups and charities. Martha Wilkinson, Chief Executive is delighted by the past year and the exciting changes ahead.

He said: “There is a belief that the impact of austerity and changes to public spending on local vulnerable people and places, is only just beginning to be seen. We could be forgiven for thinking the worst is over, but the voluntary sector is still under enormous pressure to support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our communities – in effect seeking to cushion some of the effects of reductions in services from the public sector.

"The rapid increase in demand for Foodbanks from families trying to make ends meet is just one of many symptoms of this need. Our communities and volunteers are really magnificent in the way they reach out to help, but they cannot do it all on their own. As a result we have seen an increased demand for funds and, of course, we want to do more.”

This is the end of an era for The Foundation and in order to ‘do more’ as Martha says, the next milestone is to raise a further £10 million of endowed funds by 2017. This target is one Steve Hindley CBE DL, Chairman of the Midas Group Ltd and of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership and the new Chairman of the Foundation is sure they can achieve with the help and support of local donors.

He commented: “We know this is an ambitious goal, but aiming high and delivering results is what Devon Community Foundation is here for and when we succeed we will be able to reliably give £1,000,000 a year, every year thereafter, to local projects, helping to reduce our communities' reliance on government support forever.

Supporting thriving communities and addressing crisis and hardship makes a better future for everyone in Devon and together we can make a difference. The size of the gift doesn’t matter because together we can achieve what seems impossible. Devon is our home and we all want it to be the best it can be – full of inclusive, resilient, vibrant and caring communities across the county.”

Nigel Arnold Governor of Blundell's School and Director and Trustee of the Community Council for Devon, joins Steve as Vice Chair of the Foundation and is fully committed to helping the Foundation achieve the best for people in Devon. He said, “In 2012-13 we added nearly £500k to our endowment with the help of the Community First Challenge, this means that anyone putting money into our endowed fund will attract an extra 50% to their donation, and you can even have a fund in your name once it reaches £25k.

This challenge runs until December 2014 and allows us to access several millions of government funding. The income from the endowed donations will be available to respond to the needs of our local communities now and in the future, so I’d encourage those wishing to make a difference locally to get in touch with the Foundation today.”

All the trustees would like to thank Mike Bull, the retiring Chairman, for the guidance and leadership he has shown over the last five years building the Foundation into the success it is today.