Monthly Grants: empowering communities and changing lives

Find out more about some of the incredible projects we’re supporting through our Community Impact and Building Improvement grant programmes:

Community Impact Grants

You Can Flourish, Sydenham, Warwickshire

Recent data from ‘Girlguiding’ suggests that 89% of girls and young women aged 7-21 feel generally worried and anxious. This is a bleak picture, and with schools and statutory services overstretched, many girls are going without support. 

Flourish is an organisation providing mentoring programmes for girls aged 10-18, offering them a safe space to build self-esteem and resilience, improving their mental wellbeing. 

A £3,100 grant from Benefact Trust will support increased hours for the Project Worker, enabling Flourish to provide mentoring for the growing number of girls who would otherwise fall through the cracks.

Triumph of Grace Ministries, Maidstone, Kent

Maidstone has an increasing population of single mothers facing significant challenges, from struggling to provide financially to the emotional difficulties of raising a family alone.

‘Grace Beginnings for Mums’ aims to support single mothers in the local area, providing essential services, practical support, empowering workshops, and a faith-based community.

A £6,000 Community Impact Grant will help to fund a range of support for the women, such as hygiene essentials, food services, and a community worker.

Ephrata Church Community, Bolton

Loneliness among older people is a growing social challenge. Over 50% of people aged 75 and over live alone. And in care homes, personal interaction is often limited, taking its toll on the emotional wellbeing of residents. 

Ephrata Church has successfully piloted a project visiting care homes and hospitals to sing to residents, patients, and staff. Feedback has shown that this has had an incredibly positive impact on mood, engagement, and community spirit.

A £5,000 Community Impact Grant will help the church to expand its programme through new, sustainable promotional resources, music equipment, and additional support.

Building Improvement Grants

CherishED., Bradford

The Storehouse is a vital community hub offering workshops, food provision, and support to combat isolation and unemployment in the community. It is well-situated in one of Bradford’s most deprived areas, where 34% of children live in poverty.

The current condition of The Storehouse is severely limiting its potential to address community need. The flooring is uneven, the kitchen is outdated, and energy efficiency and accessibility needs to be improved.

The project has already received significant funding support, and an additional £8,000 Building Improvement Grant will help to complete the project. It will go towards insulating the roof to ensure energy efficiency and reduction of costs, and upgrading the accessible toilet to make the space inclusive for all.

St Mary’s Church, Hitchin, Hertfordshire

St Mary’s Church is the largest parish church in Hertfordshire, steeped in rich history. 

It’s a beautiful church but it desperately needs to improve the facilities to meet the needs of the community and for future generations. Currently the heating is inadequate and the building doesn’t have any toilets or kitchen facilities. These issues have created a barrier when it comes to people using the building.

A £12,000 Building Improvement Grant will help to fund the installation of the toilets, which will make the building more usable and accessible for the community.