By Penny McLean and Tom Green
Having first been set up in America almost 100 years ago, Community Foundations have been active in communities across the UK since the 1980s. We spoke to Carlos Chávez (pictured below), the Grants and Community Manager of the Leeds Community Foundation, to find out more.
What’s the idea behind Leeds Community Foundation?
We’re an independent charity, affiliated to the Community Foundation Network and we aim to provide a link between funders and community groups. We work with local groups and networks to find out community needs and manage various funds for grant-giving. These can come from a variety of sources, including national funds like Sport Relief and Grassroots Grants, and local donations from individuals and companies.
What sort of difficulties do you see refugee community organisations (RCOs) experience when they are seeking funding?
Often the biggest challenge is getting a good management committee. Groups find it hard to find good people or retain those they have and, with RCOs, there can be additional problems of language differences even if people come from the same country. Political problems carried over from their home country can also cause problems. And, without good governance, it’s very hard to attract funding or to manage money if you do get grants.
Are you able to help RCOs overcome these problems?
We don’t have the resources to do capacity building ourselves (although some Community Foundations do) but we signpost groups to appropriate help, such as the Basis Project, Voluntary Action Leeds and Leeds Connecting Communities. We also point people towards training courses and the many bursaries available to pay for them.
What advice would you give to RCOs thinking of making an application to you?
Sometimes people seem to complete applications without reading the supporting material. If there’s something you’re not clear about, it’s always a good idea to contact us for help. Or you can complete an expression of interest form on our website. For example, we won’t fund religious activities, but we can fund community activities by religious groups. It’s also a good idea to think how your activity can reach out to other communities. We will fund activities for a particular group of people where appropriate, but, on the whole, we’re looking for evidence or reaching out to others. It doesn’t have to be complicated – for example, simply setting up a football team can lead to meeting with other communities.
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