The Cross Pollinate Foundation welcomes requests for funding from small Christian social action charities.
For guidance about how to make a request before the deadline of 13th March 2012 please visit:
http://makeithappenphilanthropy.co.uk/services/cross-pollinate-foundation/
Selected charities will be invited to present at a ’Dragons Den’ style event in London on Tuesday 13th March 2012.
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
For over 1,000 years a church has existed on the site of St Michael & All Angels. Little remains of the original Saxon church apart from the base of the tower. Over the centuries the church has changed and evolved to meet the needs of each generation, and it was in the 19th century that the Victorians made the last major changes.
The PCC wish to invest in the future and build a church that is fit and ready for the 21st Century – the current deterioration of the pews and floor mean that action will be necessary sooner or later and the cramped interior of the church does not lend itself to modern forms of worship. The congregation has raised £353,000 towards the total cost of £395,000.
This Christian grant-making trust recently made a one-off award of £15,000 towards the cost of the development project.
More information on the Church can be seen at: www.stmichaelswilmington.org.uk
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
LifeCentre is a Christian charity founded in 2000 and is located in Chichester. They provide specialist face-to-face counselling and telephone, text and email helpline services to men, women and children of all ages who have been raped or sexually abused. Feedback for 2010 showed that 97% of clients considered that had mostly benefited or benefited a lot from the service.
The Christian values behind Lifecentre
Lifecentre seeks to uphold the Christian value and ethos of believing in the intrinsic dignity of every human being, their human rights and the importance of treating all people with respect, hope and value. Our number one reason for existing is to offer unprejudiced support to all survivors regardless of their own faith background, or lack of it, gender, orientation, disability, race or any other personal factor. We offer services on a non discriminatory basis to all survivors of sexual abuse.
This Christian grant-making trust recently awarded Lifecentre £45,000 over 3 years to help with the running costs of the charity.
More information can be viewed at: www.lifecentreuk.com
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
St Wilfrid’s Centre offers care and practical support for homeless, vulnerable and socially excluded people in Sheffield and across South Yorkshire. In addition to looking after the welfare needs of their clients, the Centre offers an education programme and skills-based workshop to help some clients to go on to achieve a qualification or paid employment.
Their mission statement is ‘We commit ourselves to creating a caring community based on Christian values where homeless and vulnerable people can find understanding, practical assistance, a sense of belonging and the support to regain their self esteem. In providing welfare and educational opportunities we hope to help people overcome barriers of social exclusion and provide them with the opportunity to improve their quality of life’.
This Christian grant-making recently awarded the Centre £15,000 over 3 years to support their work.
More information on the Centre can be seen at: www.stwilfridscentre.org
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
Christians have been worshipping at St Peter’s for over 900 years. It is the older of the two remaining medieval parish churches in the City of Hereford. The church tower is late 13th century and was christened, soon after its erection, with a fall from the top of Walter de Lacy. Internally, there is a carved Royal Arms of William and Mary, as St Peter’s has been the Civic Church of the City for centuries.
The church’s main feature are the 15th century choir stalls, brought from a local priory at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. St. Peter’s also has its own cowled ghost which can walk through solid doors. It is thought to be a medieval monk who was killed by the marauding Welsh.
The PCC over the last 5 years has been planning and fundraising for a refurbishment project. The congregation has raised £360,000 towards the total cost of £450,000. This Christian grant-making trust recently awarded £25,000 towards the project.
More information on the church can be obtained from: www.spsj.org.uk
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
Chaplaincy about Town (CHAT) is Christian charity founded in January 2004 and is based in Weston-Super-Mare.
CHAT’s objects are to ‘give expression to the Christian faith by serving the public working in, frequenting in or visiting the town centre of Weston-Super-Mare’. To achieve its objectives CHAT operates from a property in the town centre and has one full time Chaplain and 30 listening volunteers. As well as their work in the town centre CHAT are in regular contact with a number of nursing homes, with the Chaplain visiting to lead worship services.
This Christian grant-making trust recently awarded CHAT £15,000 over 3 years to support the salary costs of a full time lead Chaplain.
More information on their work can be seen at: www.westonchat.org.uk
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
Bristol Christian Fellowship (BCF) is a network of churches joined together by a shared history, common values and a commitment towards enriching the lives of the local community. BCF were established in 1966 and have been a charity since 1986.
BCF are currently constructing a new place of worship and a community centre called the Resound Centre. The new building is replacing their current church building which is too small to accommodate the church and community activities. BCF has already sold the old church building and is selling their head office to help raise the funds required.
This Christian grant-making trust has recently awarded £15,000 towards the new building.
More information on the new building can be seen at:
http://buildingresound.blogspot.com
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
The Rank Foundation, our sister charity, is hosting a FREE workshop to discuss and focus on Youth Participation.
The event is being hosted by Temple Shafton Youth Project in Glasgow on Friday 10th February 2012 between 10.30 and 16.00. There is no charge and lunch will be provided.
If you wish to register please contact Helen Stockdale helen.stockdale@rankfoundation.com
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
The Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England, is holding a competition to seek well made seats for use in our church buildings.
The competition aims to facilitate the production of the winning designs at affordable prices and to encourage good design in church seating.
This is a unique opportunity for anybody to create a chair or bench that will enhance the buildings they are placed in and be celebrated by present and future generations.
Entries can be submitted via ChurchCare (www.churchcare.co.uk) until the 30th March 2012:
http://www.churchcare.co.uk/pdf_view.php?id=287
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles recently announced that throughout 2012, faith communities will lead a series of volunteering days encouraging communities to come together to help improve their local neighbourhoods.
Recognising the role of faith in inspiring charitable work, the Department for Communities and Local Government is supporting a Year of Service. During the course of 2012, nine faith communities will in turn hold volunteering days, inviting people of other faiths and people of non-religious beliefs to join in.
Each of the days will focus on a different social action theme, such as ‘community clean ups’, planting trees in a local park, or cooking lunches and could be based around an existing religious festival like Lent or the Sikh festival commemorating the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, or an existing volunteering day such as the Jewish-led Mitzvah Day or the Hindu-led National Sewa Day.
A Year of Service will also be an opportunity for faith communities to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in a practical way – service being an important theme of Her Majesty’s long reign.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:
“Faith is a great motivator, and throughout the year people from different faiths regularly give something back, volunteering for projects that benefit individuals in need or their local neighbourhood. From donating food at the Christian Harvest festival, cleaning up a local park for Mitzvah Day or fund raising during Ramadan.
“We want to help them do what they do best, recognising that just a little support can make a big difference. The Year of Service is a chance to link these great efforts together throughout the year, strengthen the existing work carried out by faith groups and encourage greater levels of volunteering in neighbourhoods and among businesses, led by individual faith communities but involving people of all faiths and none.”
A new website will provide details of each volunteering day, ideas for activities, background on why volunteering is important to each faith and suggestions as to where people can get involved and go for advice:
Dr. John Higgs, Secretary.