Bennelong Foundation is proud to announce its first grant recipients for Bennelong Foundation UK.
Bennelong Foundation UK was established in June 2020 which serves as a second foundation under the philanthropic arm of the Bangarra Family Office. The purpose of this second foundation was to expand our philanthropic footprint and to create philanthropic representation outside of Australia to support the community’s needs where ALL our businesses operate.
Over the past twelve months, with the support of UK-based staff representing BennBridge and St Mellion Estate, we have taken the opportunity to learn about philanthropy and giving in the UK. This learning journey assisted with informing our framework and focus for the first grant round, which was a follows;
- One project based in London, with the balance of projects supporting general welfare support, such as foodbanks and projects addressing child poverty in Cornwall.
The trustees of the Bennelong Foundation UK held their inaugural board meeting at the start of June and we are pleased to share the following organisations and projects were selected to support through the grants programme. The projects will support as many as 1,300 people experiencing deprivation across London and Cornwall.
Devon and Cornwall Food Action Charity (Cornwall)
Devon and Cornwall Food Action Charity is a Registered Charity which strives to eradicate food poverty in Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall. The Charity has found that it is an unfortunate fact that food poverty exists within the shores of the UK. The Charity is staffed by a brilliant volunteer workforce and we deliver food boxes of food provision to local families, referred from partners and identified as struggling financially and deemed as being in financial poverty in the unmarked delivery vehicles/cars, which are owned by the Charity, directly to the doorsteps of those individual families in need. This discreet delivery service reduces stigma and embarrassment of those requiring additional support from services such as ours.
Lighthouse Community Centre (Cornwall)
Lighthouse Community Centre is based in Liskeard, one of the UK's top 20 most deprived areas, providing vital support services for people of all ages, running a varied program that inspires, educates and helps develop skills and confidence for future life.
Bennelong Foundation UK is supporting the development of a membership based, user led "Food Club" to include a "Tailored Support Programme" that will enable Lighthouse Community Centre to provide long term help and support to people experiencing tough times, giving people choice and dignity whilst also addressing food waste.
Performance Plus Sport UK (London)
Performance Plus Sport UK’s aim is to get the best out of young people through sport and are committed to supporting young sportspeople with the right attitude, creating opportunities for those who wouldn’t have had the chance otherwise to advance and create career pathways and make young people more employable.
BFUK-PPS support through sport is the program where they work with trusted delivery partners in the most deprived areas of London to deliver programmes to groups and rely on coach recommendations to offer further support to the most deserving and in need young people.
The Dracaena Centre (Cornwall)
The Dracaena Centre serve the towns of Falmouth and Penryn and surrounding rural hinterland. They promote physical activity, wellbeing, health, training, advice, guidance and restorative and social justice targeting to support young people, early years, families, older people and the wider community. They believe that providing a safe and supportive environment is key to the facilitation of activities promoting social and intergenerational interaction and community cohesion.
Many of the families who are referred to the programme are struggling with issues such as domestic violence, abuse, debt, homelessness, emotional, metal, and physical illness, school truancy, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, dysregulation in the home and school environment, isolation, poverty and loneliness. The Link Up programme works with vulnerable families through a variety of support methods, including 1:1, group work, positive activities, collaborative working with professionals, partner agencies and other organisations and providing internal and external referral pathways moving forward
Trelya (Cornwall)
Trelya is a registered charity with 20 years’ experience of working with children, young people and families to break cycles of poverty and deprivation. They operate out of a 3 story, purpose-built community centre in Penzance East - the second most deprived community in Cornwall. Trelya’s services include an early years provision, family work, youth work, mentoring & training and employment services.
Realising Ambition’ is a revolutionary mentoring programme that works with young people experiencing the greatest challenges in the poorest communities. Each child is allocated their own mentor who works with them week in week out, year after year, to develop their core assets and support their transitions into adolescence and adulthood.