In March, we were fortunate enough to be able to open the application process for the Spring Grant Programme. After unfortunately having to cancel the Autumn round in 2020 due to the restrictions on fundraising, the Fine & Country network were more determined than ever to replenish the pot and make sure that a life-changing amount could be granted this time around.

It’s an honour that we have been able to award over £60,000 to 26 charities across the UK and internationally. The most projects we have ever funded in one grant scheme, this is a small step in helping those who have been living in poverty and hardship during what was an already hugely challenging year.

Here’s some more information on the supported organisations and the projects which have been funded through the Spring Grant Programme.

1. Sleep Pod, UK & Europe
Sleep Pod was set up in 2018 to create a meaningful and effective tool for rough sleepers. Sleep pods are lightweight, low-maintenance and weather-resistant, the charity has distributed over 5,300 across England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France so far, and their grant of £3,000 will directly fund the build of another 300 pods in preparation for winter.

2. The Vineyard Community, Richmond
The charity runs a range of services supporting homeless and vulnerable people in Richmond including a drop-in centre for the homeless, food banks across five sites, with delivery, a community nursing project as well as educational and social activates. Their grant of £3,000 will help fund the re-opening of their morning drop-in centre where they serve hot breakfast for those in need.

3. SASH, Yorkshire
SASH works with some of the most vulnerable young people across East and North Yorkshire by recruiting and training volunteer hosts who open their homes to young people at a time of crisis, giving them a safe, caring and nurturing environment and a chance of thriving in their own home. Their £2,704 grant will fund their long-term Supported Lodgings Project for young people who stay with a host for up to three years.

4. Homeless in Teignbridge, Teignbridge
The main function of HITS is providing food and food delivery to those in poverty. Although their volunteers currently pack and deliver around 50 food parcels a day, with the drastic increase in demand since March 2020, grants no longer cover the cost of basic provisions. Their £3,000 grant will cover the cost of essential food and delivery for their clients for roughly three weeks.

5. The Net, South Africa
The Net is a daytime, safe activity space who reach out to street and homeless people so they can access hot food, workshops and social work intervention, to help them of the street and into financial independence. Their grant of £3,000 will provide welfare packs for their clients.

6. The Benjamin Foundation, Norfolk
Established in 1994, The Benjamin Foundation provides a wide range of services aimed at improving the quality of life for people across East Anglia including supported accommodation, vocational training, mental health services, early years education and childcare support. Their £3,000 grant will go towards their Rent Deposit Scheme, providing security for young people who would not be able to afford or sustain a tenancy otherwise.

7. Beacon House Ministries, Colchester
Beacon House provides a welcoming a non-judgemental environment for people who are currently excluded from their wider community. They provide basic provisions, food, toiletries, laundry and shower services, clothing, hairdressing and podiatry services for their clients. Their £1,000 grant will purchase food provisions so that they are able to extend their opening hours provide afternoon and breakfast sessions.

8. Help of Marina Alta, Spain
Help of Marina Alta began in 1984 to help expats in the local area in need of support and care. Over the years they have expanded their work and now support a number of different projects across Denia. Their grant of £3,000 will go towards The Marina Alta Baby Fund, an initiative set up to purchase nappies, baby milk and hot meals for 35 destitute families in the area.

9. Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT), London
With the aim to enable people with complex needs, including addiction, to break the cycle of homelessness, SCT has a mission of enabling these people to achieve a lasting recovery and a more fulfilling life through a range of projects and steppingstones. Their grant of £2,000 will provide food supplies for their drop-in service for roughly 500 people.

10. Ndlovu Care Trust, South Africa
The Ndlovu Care Trust work with communities in rural areas to design and implement innovative solutions to address healthcare, you and child needs and community development. Their £1,000 grant will go towards their Childcare Program, initiated in 2008 as a support and healing program for orphaned and vulnerable children.

11. Kingsbridge Foodbank, Kingsbridge
An independent community foodbank who support those in crisis, Kingsbridge Foodbank managed to sustain the 500% increase in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic with an incredible workforce of over 110 volunteers who all worked tirelessly through the crisis. Their grant of £1,000 will go towards the continued delivery of food parcels to their clients.

12. The Amber Foundation, Devon
The Amber houses and supports young people ages 16-30 grappling with homelessness, unemployment and mental ill-health at their supported living centres in Devon, Wiltshire and Surrey. Their £1,000 grant will help towards the refurbishment of their shower rooms at their Devon centre.

13. St Anne’s Hostel, Birmingham
St Anne's provides a safe and secure alternative to life on the streets, giving single homeless men aged 25 and over the chance to rebuild their self-confidence and make permanent changes to their lifestyle. Their £1,447 grant will go towards their Growing project, growing food to help reduce food costs, brighten the hostel and sell at Moseley market.

14. Emmaus, Coventry & Warwickshire
Established 27 years ago, Emmaus provides a home and work for previously homeless individuals. During the day, beneficiaries wear uniform, but do not have the income to replace their own clothes. Their £1,904 grant will provide underwear, socks, t-shirts, jeans and sweatshirt, as well as two hair cuts for all 17 of their clients.

15. Crawley Open House, Sussex
Crawley Open House has served the homeless and vulnerable of the area since 1994, today running a 24-bed hostel, four move-on houses an emergency foodbank, 365-day drop-in centre and community outreach team. Their £3,000 will provide essentials for the resettlement of six people, including crockery and kitchenware, bedding and painting and decorating materials.

16. YMCA, Milton Keynes
YMCA is the only provider of dedicated, supported housing to young people aged 18-35 in Milton Keynes. Their grant of £2,500 will go towards their Welfare Fund, where residents are able to apply for funding towards workwear, travel costs, glasses or identity documents, specifically allowing them to apply for Universal Credit, opening up the opportunity to gain and retain employment.

17. New Horizon Youth Centre, London
Based in the London Borough of Camden, New Horizon provides a vital support network to 16–24-year-olds with nowhere else to go. Their £3,000 grant will go towards their Drop in and Dine project, providing a free and healthy breakfast and hot and nutritious lunch for young people, along with the facilities to shower and get a fresh change of clothes.

18. The Bus Shelter, Dorset
Working to reduce rough sleeping in Weymouth, the £1,650 grant will cover the monthly food bill for three months, providing healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, reducing food waste and teaching the clients the value and cost of a balanced diet.

19. Tracy’s Street Kitchen, Nottingham
Tracy, who herself was sleeping rough at the age of 14, spends every Friday in Trinity Square, providing nutritious meals for those who need them. Over the years, the number of people she feeds has grown to over 150 every week and the grant of £2,000 will continue to fun the operation of her van as well as general food costs.

20. Help Bristol’s Homeless, Bristol
Help Bristol’s Homeless have the mission to change the face of homelessness in Bristol. They are building a self-contained, gated community of micro-flats created from shipping containers and with all the amenities needed to support their residents. Their grant of £3,000 will cover the renovation of one shipping container, which will provide secure and safe housing for a rough sleeper for six months at a time.

21. Chester Aid to the Homeless, Chester
The charity runs a homeless day centre, a small eight-bed hostel and six dispersed houses across Chester offering in total 34 supported beds. A New Dawn is a project aimed at making the drop-in centre completely free and open access, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their £2,274 grant will provide PPE, uniforms and kitchen equipment in order to make the centre fully functioning by July.

22. The Church of England Children’s Society, London
The Children’s Society supports the most vulnerable young people facing poverty, abuse and exploitation, reaching over 11,000 young people each year through their local and national services. Their grant of £2,500 will pay for provisions for families and children whose lives have been turned upside-down by COVID-19 and pushed them into a life of poverty and financial hardship.

23. The Wallich, Cardiff
The Wallich is Wales’ leading frontline homelessness charity with over 40 years’ experience providing accommodation and support services to people experiencing homelessness in Wales. Their £2,960 grant will go towards the funding of a new IT training room at their hostel in Cardiff, giving residents access to their employability programme which has already helped over 50 people graduate, gain employment or enter further education.

24. The Four Streets Project, Chichester
Made up of a group of local resident volunteers, working together to provide nightly support to homeless, hungry and vulnerable people on the main four streets of Chichester. Their £3,000 grant will provide food supplies and vouchers for three months of donations.

25. Helping Hands, Leamington Spa
Helping Hands work will receive a grant of £3,000 towards their Esther Project, supporting women, helping them to work through problems relating to domestic violence, addiction and other health issues. Providing workshops and skills training, they aim to help women move towards employability.

26. Isivandesethu, South Africa
Isivandesethu is a non-profit organisation which provides food and life essentials to those in need as well as operating sustainable poverty relief projects. Their £3,000 grant will go towards developing their urban farm in Midrand. Run by volunteers, the farm grows vegetables which are donated to a local children’s home as well as vulnerable and homeless individuals and families in the area.

Thank you to all the members of the Fine & Country network, their friends and families and the communities they belong to for all your support and efforts in being able to make this possible!

If you're thinking about planning a summer fundraiser, let us know at foundation@fineandcountry.com

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