New Charitable Fund

The fund will see Essex County Council and the rest of the public sector in the county working in partnership with the Essex Community Foundation and local groups to deliver the scheme which has been established in response to public demand and the increasingly important role that the voluntary sector plays.

Essex is the first area in the UK to specifically use funding from the Essex Local Area Agreement (LAA) to specifically resource a healthy and thriving voluntary and community sector.

Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council and chairman of the Essex management board that represents the Essex public sector, said:

“This fund recognises the immense contribution that the voluntary sector plays in to the health of our communities and will provide a stable source of funding to support local charities. We know just what an important role the countless voluntary bodies play and the real difference they are able to make to the quality of people’s lives. ”

“We are delighted that the sector is the first to benefit from funding from this particular source coming as it does from the success of the public sector in delivering on the Local Area Agreement.”

Under the banner of a Thriving Third Sector, the LAA endowed fund will be managed by local grantmaking trust, Essex Community Foundation, which will work with a panel of representatives from local charities and the LAA management partnership board to identify priorities for funding.

Laura Warren, chief executive of the Essex Community Foundation, added:

“This endowed fund will allow us to look at the most effective ways of sustaining local organisations to tackle social and economic disadvantage.

“We applaud the decision of Essex County Council and the LAA Essex management board to take such a long-term view, giving the opportunity for this fund to make a significant contribution to the development of a healthy and thriving third sector.”

Media contact:

Sharon Asplin,
sharon.asplin@essex.gov.uk
01245 430929