The Nationwide Foundation

Nationwide Foundation logoSince The Nationwide Foundation was set up in 1997, it has received over £26 million from Nationwide Building Society, which has been distributed to more than 2,200 charities across the UK.

The current grant making strategy, called Supporting Families, is designed to help people in need and, importantly, to help break the drivers of social exclusion. The strategy is focused on addressing domestic violence, providing support for prisoners’ families and rehabilitating young offenders.

Did you know? Prisoners are up to six times less likely to re-offend if they maintain strong family ties whilst in prison (Source: Social Exclusion Unit Report: Reducing Re-offending by Ex-Prisoners, 2002).

Charities supported by The Foundation

The Investor Programme supports 18 charities over a three year period. In the last year the final 12 charities were agreed, which include the following:

NIACRO

NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) - The Family Links Project aims to reduce the negative impact of imprisonment on children and families.

Prisoners Families & Friends Service

Prisoners Families and Friends Service - Offers a home visiting service and family centre to support prisoners’ families in London.

SHARP

SHARP (Support, Help and Advice for Relatives of Prisoners) - Provides confidential help, advice and friendship.

Construction Youth Trust - Links with the construction industry to provide young offenders work placements and employability training.

Motiv8 South

Motiv8 South - Trains young people to offer support and advice to young offenders returning from custody to Portsmouth.

Safer Wales - Provides mentors to young offenders returning from custody to Wales.

The Small Grants programme has given 181 grants totalling £814,608 to charities in 2006/07, including the following.

Amicus Vision - Counselling and support for women who have experienced domestic violence.

Laurens Link

Lauren's Link - Help for the family of people entering the criminal justice system.

Hartcliffe and Withywood Teenage Parents Project - Training for young people in Bristol, in Young Offenders Institutes and in the community.

back to top

Highlights and objectives

The Foundation works towards a just and caring society by enabling people to take part in building better futures in their communities. Highlights of the year included the following:

  • independent consultants, Rocket Science Ltd, were appointed to provide a detailed evaluation of the current strategy. They will continue their evaluation until 2011 to capture the long term impact of the funding
  • in September 2006 the work of the New Generation Initiative, the Foundation's previous grant making programme, was recognised with an IVCA award (International Visual Communication Association) and was nominated for overall strategy at the Third Sector Awards
  • the 'Trustee Buddy' scheme was established. Seven Investor Programme charities have been matched with a suitable Trustee who visits their charity to share their skills and offer additional support

The Nationwide Foundation trustees are committed to ensuring that its funds are deployed for maximum benefit and objectives are focused in the following areas.

  • Investor Programme - provides long term flexible funding for core and development work. Regular visits to the charities funded provide an opportunity for the Foundation to better understand how the charity operates, the needs of its beneficiaries and to offer any practical support as appropriate
  • partnership working among the charities funded through the Investor Programme to increase the benefits to the target group
  • communication and PR - effective promotion to stakeholders and the charitable sector

back to top


 
© Nationwide Building Society