Leeds Community Foundation

The Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung is hosting the must-attend event of the festive season! With a red carpet welcome, drink on arrival, three-course meal and brilliant entertainment, the Lord Mayor’s Festive Ball is not to be missed. Plus, funds raised from the ball will be channelled through The Leeds Fund, our flagship grants programme that invests in locally-rooted community organisations that address the most pressing needs in our city. If you want to have a great time, and create meaningful social impact for people in Leeds, book your tickets today! When? Saturday 7 December Where? Royal Armouries Tickets: https://lnkd.in/e4ZckGDH We’d like to thank the Lord Mayor of Leeds for choosing Leeds Community Foundation as her charity partner for her year in office.

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"If all companies gave at least 1% of pre-tax profits, charities could receive an extra £5 billion a year." Take a few minutes to read Julie Hutchison's write-up of Connect Yorkshire's recent Benefits of Philanthropy panel, where our Chief Executive Steph Taylor joined Rachel Hannan and Michael Hughes to discuss all things business and philanthropy 👇 https://lnkd.in/eEWbHjaa Investing locally through a place-based funder like Leeds Community Foundation can have significant benefits for both your businesses and our communities, and can connect you to the impact of your giving.

Jungle IT Ltd develop future-ready IT strategies that prime businesses for success. We caught up with Richard Green, Client Relationship Manager, about why they choose to support communities through Leeds Community Foundation.    🗨️ How have you been involved with Leeds Community Foundation? Being in the heart of Yorkshire, we wanted to give back to our local community. Each member of our team plays a vital part in what we do at Jungle IT. Stemming from our nurtured core values, we wanted to be part of something that supported communities within the local region.  Over the years, we have partnered with some fantastic organisations and charities. After being invited to a flagship event hosted by Leeds Community Foundation, it was evident they shared our values and drive for supporting local communities. Like Leeds Community Foundation, Jungle IT prides itself on building strong, trusted relationships. Collaborating with incredible supporters and regional leaders to help create a fairer Leeds for the future appeared the ideal match.  🗨️ Why is it important to you to support local communities? Founded in Leeds 20 years ago, Jungle IT is committed to bridging the gap between technology support and innovation. Just over a year ago, we moved our headquarters to Kirkstall Forge, a sustainable office, to promote better health and well-being for staff and to enable us to offer support to local communities more effectively. At Jungle IT, we recognise that being part of a community gives a sense of belonging and pride. Whether that's virtually, through private community platforms or in person, it brings like-minded people together, enabling us to support the betterment of our team and our environment.  🗨️ What do you love about Leeds? Leeds is one of the fastest-growing economies in the UK. As a digital, finance, legal, and healthcare hub, Leeds attracts some of the best businesses and professionals. In addition to the thriving economy, the cultural scene and its people are what makes Leeds such an idyllic place. Being in the heart of Yorkshire brings a real sense of belonging and welcome, of which Jungle IT is proud to be a part! The community spirit across Leeds is unrivalled, and partnering with The Foundation allows us to support multiple projects, such as helping the vulnerable and marginalised access skills, education, health, and employment.  🗨️ What advice would you give to people who are thinking about supporting Leeds Community Foundation? Find out when the next event is, and come along! From the first engagement, we knew the importance of The Foundation's work, and we have not looked back. It's an amazing charity committed to making a real difference in the community. Learn more about how you can support Leeds Community Foundation here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dmaAivNN

We're looking back on the brilliant time we had at our recent panel event, The Power of Partnerships! At Leeds Community Foundation, we have the privilege to work with countless partners who share our vision of a fairer Leeds for everyone. Connecting with so many of them made for an inspiring morning and many thought-provoking conversations! We heard from: ⭐ Anjon Mallik, Partner at Hill Dickinson LLP who support the Foundation through Membership and give to The Leeds Fund ⭐ Claire Marks, Chair of Trustees at The Bartlett Foundation who have partnered with us to award largely unrestricted, multi-year funding through the Bartlett Group Fund ⭐ Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, The Lord Mayor of Leeds 2024-25 who has chosen Leeds Community Foundation as her charity partner for her year in office ⭐ Duncan Millard, Wellbeing Director at Humans Being who have received a range of grants from Leeds Community Foundation, including a grant from The Leeds Fund to support their organisation's resilience ⭐ David Wilford Chief Executive Officer at Bramley Baths who, after benefiting from Leeds Community Foundation funding, have chosen to give back by donating a percentage of their profits each year These are just a few examples of the incredible partnerships that enable us to do what we do. Together, we're investing in our communities and making meaningful social impact for local people. Want to join us? Drop us a DM and a member of our team will be in touch.

Since 2016, we’ve invested almost £3m through The Leeds Fund, supporting mental health, addressing loneliness and isolation, promoting enterprise and employability and, most recently, building strong community organisations. At a time when more and more organisations are concerned they may be forced to close, with increased financial pressure, diminishing resources and greater demand, it's so important to invest in their resilience. With flexible funding and expert support from The Leeds Fund, 78% of recipients said their grant improved their organisation’s sustainability. The grants have also helped organisations to secure more than £1m of additional funding. We're delighted that the Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung has chosen to channel her fundraising efforts throughout her year in office through The Leeds Fund. By contributing to this collective pot, we can maximise the impact of donations, funding a range of organisations that are addressing inequalities and creating opportunities across our city. If you’d like to play your part in building a fairer Leeds for everyone, why not start by joining us at The Lord Mayor’s Festive Ball for an evening of fun, food and entertainment, where all proceeds will be channelled through The Leeds Fund. When? Saturday 7 December Where? Royal Armouries Tickets: https://lnkd.in/eVBBkY6T

We're absolutely thrilled about our new partnership with The Grammar School at Leeds! GSAL have long been supporters of the Foundation, and now GSAL students will engage in fundraising and volunteering initiatives in support of The Leeds Fund. Steph Taylor, Leeds Community Foundation Chief Executive said "GSAL’s commitment to raising funds for local community organisations across Leeds is truly inspiring. Through our new partnership, we hope to engage students to understand the importance of social impact and to embrace values of generosity, empathy, and community awareness." Hear more from Steph and GSAL Principle Sue Woodroofe, here 👉 https://lnkd.in/evbu4pWV

“I’ve always being a champion of BHI and the work it does. I was about 21 when I first joined BHI as an administrative assistant, then project lead. When the funding ran out, I took a different course, but I’ve recently come back. We've had two crises within the organisation. We lost Bridget, our operational manager, and then sadly lost Heather in June 2023. When I heard, my immediate reaction was to reach out to the organisation. My background is international crisis disaster management, so naturally that crisis management hat came on. I wanted to make sure the charity was in a strong position, despite the situation. It’s been challenging, but I’m keen to make sure that we're building our relationship with the community and reassuring them that we’re still going strong. We've got big, ambitious plans. We might not achieve all the things that we set out to, but if we even achieve half of them, we've done a fantastic job. Without resources and funds, and support from funders, we're limited in what we can do and the people we can help. We need flexibility. We might get funding for healthy eating and feeding young people and families, but we see there’s more complex issues – debt management, substance misuse, past trauma. Life isn't restricted. Things happen that don’t meet the criteria, and if the funding’s restricted, it limits what we can do. It’s really important to have more unrestricted funds.” Meet Tashi from BLACK HEALTH INITIATIVE (BHI). Black Health Initiative works with disadvantaged and marginalised communities across Leeds to promote equality of access to education, health and social care. Funding from Leeds Community Foundation has supported a range of their activities, including mental health work and support for the organisation’s strategic development. If you want to play your part in supporting brilliant local Community Organisations like Black Health Initiative, please reach out at info@leedscf.org.uk.

Healthy Holidays projects spent the summer making sure children in our communities were fed, with access to hot, nutritious food, as well as fun and engaging activities. One Healthy Holidays provider, Hyde Park Source, combined food and activities, with children helping to prepare their lunches, and bake biscuits, muffins and garlic bread. They even had a bike that made smoothies! As well as having the chance to try new foods, children learned about nutrition and where their food comes from. They also connected with nature, spent time outdoors and learned new skills, and they had the chance to make new friends. This #WorldFoodDay, we join people across the globe to say that everybody has the right to foods for a better life and a better future. Thank you to Hyde Park Source, all of our Healthy Holidays providers, and the many community organisations across our city working to make sure local people have access to diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe food.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Power of Partnerships this morning! It was fantastic to share the room with so many people who are passionate about making a fairer Leeds for everyone. Thank you to our panellists Anjon Mallik, Partner at Hill Dickinson LLP; Claire Marks, Chair of Trustees at The Bartlett Foundation; Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, The Lord Mayor of Leeds 2024-25; Duncan Millard, Wellbeing Director at Humans Being and David Wilford, Chief Executive Officer at Bramley Baths. It was incredible to hear about your experiences of working in partnership with us at the Foundation, and others across the city. It was such an inspiring morning, celebrating the transformative power of collective action and reflecting on the change we can make when we work together. If you'd like to talk to us about how you can play your part in addressing inequalities and creating opportunities in Leeds, please get in touch. Email info@leedscf.org.uk to speak to our team. Steph Taylor Kirsty McKinnon Hannah Corne Hannah Buckley Laura Mason Rachel Evans