FAQs

Donations of any value are always gratefully received, but if you are keen to make a difference in a particular geographic area or help address a specific area of need, donors are able to set up their own Fund with an initial donation of £10,000 upwards.

We work with donors to decide on the types of projects and beneficiaries they would like to support, e.g. young people, older people, people with disabilities, mental health issues etc. We will support that decision by advising our donors on where the areas of real need are in Cheshire and Warrington, so donors can rest assured that they will be supporting vulnerable people who really need their help.

Other opportunities for investment

Trustee Managed Fund: Donors have the option of donating into a fund which is managed by our Trustees, who make the decisions about how the money should be used to create the greatest impact.

Group Mental Health Fund: We also give all donors the opportunity to donate money into our Group Mental Health Fund, supporting vulnerable people with mental health issues. Please contact us on 01606 330607 for more information.

Youth Social Action Fund: Thanks to government support we are able to match fund up to £45,000 donated into this fund, which is focused on encouraging young, hard to reach people to become volunteers. This is an incredible way of helping young people with limited opportunities get employment ready; building their confidence and developing key skills whilst helping other disadvantaged people. If you would like to make your money go further in pursuit of helping young vulnerable people and their local community, please contact us on 01606 330607 for more information.

Once you have decided on the focus of your fund, all you need to do is send the funds to us and where relevant we will apply for Gift Aid on your behalf. We will then be in touch three times a year to tell you about the opportunities you have for investment and you can start making a difference.

We work with many individuals and families who want to make a difference but want to make sure that the money they donate will have the greatest impact possible. Here are some of the reasons why people choose to give through Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF):

• CCF are well informed on the key areas of need in Cheshire and Warrington and can help donors direct their valuable funds to where the money can have the greatest impact on the lives of the most vulnerable people.
• Every application for funding that we receive is reviewed by our expert Grant Assessment Team. The Team are trained to look for evidence of good governance and financial management, in addition to a well considered project plan which is run cost efficiently, delivering measurable impact in the areas of need it looks to address. The grant assessment process includes a review by both our Grant Panel, made up of both local experts in the voluntary sector and successful local businesses that understand the need locally and have a good understanding of the voluntary sector, and our Grant Committee which includes all of our Trustees.
• All voluntary organisations that receive grants are required to submit a report 14 months after the launch of the project that CCF donors have supported. We gather feedback from these reports and report back to you on the impact of the projects, so you are confident that your money really has made a difference.
• As a donor you can get involved as little or as much as you want. We can arrange visits for you to meet the charities you have supported or to see a project in action. We like to get to know our donors and tailor our support to meet their specific needs where possible.

Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF) manage funds for companies that want to approach their charitable giving in a more informed and focussed way. We find the charitable organisations, manage the charity due diligence, impact assessment and money side of things, whilst companies rest safe in the knowledge that their hard earned profits are transforming the lives of the people they care most about.

We encourage our Corporate Donors to get as involved as they want to with the organisations they support; meeting individuals they have supported, seeing programmes in action, volunteering etc. The generous businesses we work with are keen to tell us the benefits of giving through CCF. Setting up a fund with CCF:

• helps unite staff within an organisation
• increases staff loyalty and morale
• gives staff a real sense of pride that their company is a company that cares
• is good for business. Many companies now want to work with companies with a conscience.

A contribution of 12% is applied to most donations to cover the cost of support and facilitation of the following activities and to ensure that the Foundation, as a registered charity, is able to cover its costs and adhere to Charity Commission guidelines of best practice. Activities include:

• Promoting the availability of the Fund
• Dealing with enquiries
• Receiving applications
• Undertaking assessments
• Administering payments
• Undertaking, monitoring and evaluation

Whether you are a family wanting to make a difference through your giving, or a corporate wanting to give something back to the local community, you will want to be sure that the organisations you support are helping vulnerable people who really need your help.

There are four key themes that you could focus on:

• Mental health and wellbeing
• Poverty and disadvantage
• Education, skills and employment
• Stronger communities

We work with donors to decide on the types of projects and beneficiaries they would like to support, e.g. young people, older people, people with disabilities, mental health issues etc. We will support that decision by advising our donors on where the areas of real need are in Cheshire and Warrington, so donors can be reassured that they will be supporting vulnerable people who really need their help. Alternatively, donors have the option of donating into a fund which is managed by our Trustees, who make the decisions about how the money should be used to create the greatest impact. We also give all donors the opportunity to donate money into our Group Mental Health Fund, supporting vulnerable people with mental health issues. Please contact us on 01606 330607 for more information.

Yes, donors can make ‘donor directed payments’ on request and we will make the relevant payments from their fund on their behalf. This means that payments can also be made to organisations anonymously, so the identity of the donor does not have to be disclosed. Please be aware that we do not provide reporting on these donor directed grants, as the grant recipients will not have been through a formal grant application process and therefore will not have provided us with metrics against which we can measure the project success.

Yes. A number of our donors want to give money anonymously, but are still very much involved in the Foundation and the organisations they support. We are keen to understand how our donors would like to work with us and we will tailor our approach where possible to suit individual donor’s needs. Please contact Zoe, our CEO, on 01606 330607 if you would like to arrange a confidential discussion about how we might support your specific needs.

Whether you choose to give our Trustees the authority to make decisions about which projects to support on your behalf, or remain involved in the decision making, we will contact you three times a year to make a decision about which projects you want to support, or contact you after the donations have been made to advise you on the projects we have supported on your behalf.

We are always keen for donors to visit projects they have supported, to get first hand experience of the huge difference these projects are making to the lives of vulnerable people. Please do let us know if you would like us to arrange visits for you.

Every 12 months, all fund holders receive a report which covers all of the charities they have supported that year and the impact their projects have made on the people they have been generous enough to support. The report includes quotes and stories from people who have been helped and details of the project successes. We are keen that all donors understand just what a difference their support makes.