Our impact 2020/21 will go down in history as the year of the Coronavirus and presented Wiltshire Community Foundation with our biggest challenge to date. During this period we awarded almost £2.14m through 521 grants, supporting 205,000 people across Wiltshire and Swindon. This is the largest amount awarded in a single year in our 46 year history. This was only possible because of the amazing generosity of our donors and the hard work and dedication of the charity and voluntary groups who run the services and projects we fund. We want to thank them for sharing our passion for supporting our local communities and helping more people to thrive. This page provides an overview of the impact of our work in 2020/21 and more information is available in our Annual Review below. READ MORE Our Covid-19 Response By the end of 2020/21 over £1.47m was awarded across 325 grants through our Coronavirus Response and Recovery programme supporting over 165,000 people during the pandemic. Our grants provided: Emergency food, essential items and assistance for vulnerable and elderly people Support for isolated, disabled, vulnerable or disadvantaged young people Counselling and support for those with mental health issues or serious long-term illness Support and advice for people in financial hardship and challenging circumstances A key objective of the programme was to ensure the sustainability of the voluntary and community sector due to the significant loss of income they experienced as a result of the lockdown therefore our grants also focussed on providing core funding. Throughout this crisis we have been inspired and humbled by the response of the groups both old and new. The resilience and ingenuity they have shown in the face of such significant challenges has been truly remarkable. 325 Grants were given to groups supporting local people during the pandemic £1,473,917 Distributed to the local voluntary and charity sector 165,000 People were helped by coronavirus support projects Case Study Phoenix Enterprises Phoenix Enterprises provide training and work experience opportunities for more than 90 people with learning disabilities and mental health problems in Swindon. READ MORE Empowering individuals In 2020/21 we awarded almost £360,000 in individual grants to support children and young people's education. The majority was given in university bursaries to 59 young people, many from challenging backgrounds, helping to alleviate their financial concerns and allowing them to focus on their studies. Our smaller education programmes enabled 51 young people from low income families to pursue vocational studies and 21 children and young people, who have a disability or additional learning need, to improve their educational opportunities or enhance their development. In 2020/21 we increased the impact of our Surviving Programme by partnering with the Centre for Sustainable Energy – Warm & Safe Wiltshire, Age UK Wiltshire, Wiltshire Citizens Advice and Swindon Citizens. Together with these organisations we were not only able to address people’s immediate needs through fuel grants but also provided advice on moving to cheaper tariffs, support with applying for appropriate benefits, help with the cost of repairing or servicing heating systems, energy saving advice and free hot meals for the most vulnerable. Between November 2020 and May 2021 we were able to support 1,221 individuals from 737 households – three times more people than we were able to help in previous years. £360,000 Awarded through our grants programmes to individuals 131 Children and young people received support through our Education Grants programmes 1,221 People were supported by a Surviving Winter Grant Case Study Cassidy Hill Cassidy Hill saved for two years throughout her sixth form to take up a BEd degree in teaching at Winchester University but was concerned that she still would not be able to afford to attend university – even with a student loan. READ MORE Increasing our impact One of our key objectives is to increase our impact analysis to better understand the needs of local communities and maximize our effectiveness. In 2020/21 we worked towards this by mapping the grants we awarded against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are the the blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. Committed to by all member states of the UN, they address global issues such as ending poverty and hunger, improving health and increasing standards of education. They might be global but are equally relevant to the challenges we face in Wiltshire and Swindon. In 2020/21, our grants contributed to 13 of the 17 SDGs, having the most significant impact on the six illustrated in the panel on the right. You might be interested in Giving through us > Our stories > News > Quick Links Publications Recruitment News Address Wiltshire Community Foundation, Sandcliff House, 21 Northgate Street, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1JT Complaints Procedure | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Open Data Copyright © 2020 The Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon. All rights reserved. The Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon is a registered charity in England and Wales. 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