TYNE & WEAR AND NORTHUMBERLAND’S
www.communityfoundation.org.uk/vitalsigns
Welcome to this
update on Vital Signs.
Many of you will by now have visited the Vital
Signs website at
www.communityfoundation.org.uk/vitalsigns or
taken part in our priorities poll at a Community
Foundation event. Thanks to your participation,
we have added significantly to the wealth of
information about the communities we serve
that was gathered for our Vital Signs reports.
If you have yet to take part in the Vital Signs
poll, we hope you will do so soon. We believe
Vital Signs deserves your interest and support.
WE LOOK
FORWARD TO
HEARING
FROM YOU!
It is an initiative that could, as in Canada where
it originated, transform our understanding of
how community philanthropists can help to
improve quality of life and exercise a more
effective local leadership role.
In this report we will give you some insight into
changes that are already taking place as a
direct result of Vital Signs.
This update is also an opportunity to share our
learning from Vital Signs, and how our current
activity matches up to our developing picture
of local need. One issue that emerges clearly is
the importance of the Work theme to those we
have consulted, which has not necessarily
been reflected in our grant-making.
See back page
Our decision to address this shortfall by
funding some showcase projects in this area
during 2014 - 2015 is but one aspect of the
impact Vital Signs is already having on the
work of the Community Foundation.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Rob Williamson, Chief Executive
Please read it, share it and let us know your priorities.
Work was voted
top priority
in both our
Tyne & Wear and
Northumberland
polls
Community
Foundation grants
for Work projects
totalled
In 2014-2015
we will be
focusing on how
community
philanthropy
can help people
into work
£200,000
in 2013
Work is emerging as a key priority in both Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. How can community philanthropy make a difference?
Since we published
the UK’s first Vital
Signs report in
March 2013:
• Vital Signs has been circulated to over
5000 community philanthropists,
voluntary organisations and other
partners of the Community Foundation.
• 1800 people have visited our Vital Signs
website, and over 400 now follow our
@TandVitalSigns and @NlandVitalSigns
Twitter feeds.
• As part of a growing national and
international initiative, Vital Signs in
Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has
attracted interest both here in the UK
and abroad.
Who is looking at Vital Signs?
Where our Vital Signs
website visitors came from.
Tyne & Wear and Northumberland
41%
UK (exc. London)
35%
London
16%
Rest of World
8%
Vital Priorities
We wanted Vital Signs to kick start a
conversation about how community
philanthropy can help civil society
organisations improve community life.
Here’s how it is making
a difference:
In 2013-2014
we spent
• Vital Signs is being used by individual
philanthropists to inform their giving.
£.7m
• It has helped kick start a discussion
amongst London based trusts about
the needs of the North East, and
influenced the Henry Smith Charity to set
up a fund with the Community Foundation
worth £0.45m over 3 years.
on the top 3
priorities identified
in the 2013 Vital
Signs reports
• Individual voluntary organisations have used
Vital Signs to inform their grant applications.
• Funders have used Vital Signs to inform their grant-making.
In Tyne & Wear’s Vital Signs we identified Work, Learning and
Healthy Living as top priorities. In 2013 - 2014 we made 153 grants
worth £424,423 to address these issues. In Northumberland, Local
Economy and Fairness were highlighted for urgent action, and
59 grants worth £293,518 were made for this purpose during the
same period.
We have also been busy getting your views on these priorities.
Here’s how our priorities in Vital Signs, and our spend on each Vital
Signs theme since March 2013, match up to what local people are
telling us should be the priorities for Tyne & Wear and
Northumberland:
24% of our grant spend in
Tyne & Wear and 35% in
Northumberland goes on
your top three priorities
In the coming year we will consult further on
our Vital Signs priorities to inform discussions
with our donors and other funding partners.
We will continue to use Vital Signs to inform grant-making from
our unrestricted Vital Funds. On the page opposite you can see
details of some of the additional grant-making we are doing to
address particular needs identified in Vital Signs.
“As a national grant maker, we really value the local
knowledge of organisations such as the Community
Foundation. Vital Signs provides us with the
intelligence we need to learn about the vital issues
that affect Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, and it is
crucial for us to understand this so that we can
target our grant-making most effectively.”
Andrew Winders, Grants Team Manager at the Henry Smith Charity
“As advisor for the John Bell Fund at the Community
Foundation, I find Vital Signs to be a valuable piece of
research which can assist me on my journey as a
philanthropist. it provides me with the knowledge of
key issues in our region that need further support, and
this is important for us as we seek to inspire change in
our local community.”
Sir Nigel Sherlock, KCVO, OBE
NORTHUMBERLAND
TYNE & WEAR
Theme
Our Vital Signs
grade and
recommendation
Work
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
=2 (15%)
Local
economy
D - things aren’t going very
well. We should take
action as soon as possible
13%
=2 (15%)
Strong
communities
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
D - things aren’t going very
well. We should take
action as soon as possible
26%
3 (9%)
Healthy living
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
Environment
Housing and
homelessness
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
2%
4 (8%)
Arts, culture
and heritage
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
9%
=5 (7%)
Healthy living
E - things are going very
badly. We must act now!
27%
=5 (7%)
Local
economy
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
Safety
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
Environment
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
Theme
Our Vital Signs
grade and
recommendation
Proportion of our
grant making
currently focused
on this theme
Work
E - things are going very
badly. We must act now!
3%
1 (26%)
Fairness
D - things aren’t going very
well. We should take
action as soon as possible
8%
Learning
E - things are going very
badly. We must act now!
Strong
communities
<1%
Your priority
rating (by % of
votes cast)
6 (6%)
Proportion of our
grant making
currently focused
on this theme
9%
Your priority
rating (by % of
votes cast)
1 (18%)
<1%
2 (17%)
26%
3 (16%)
19%
=4 (8%)
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
5%
=4 (8%)
Fairness
D - things aren’t going very
well. We should take
action as soon as possible
7%
=4 (8%)
Housing and
homelessness
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
4%
=4 (8%)
Learning
C - the situation is OK but
could be improved
10%
=5 (7%)
7%
=7 (4%)
Arts, culture
and heritage
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
8%
=5 (7%)
5%
=7 (4%)
Safety
B - things are going well but
we could make them better
12%
=6 (3%)
Vital Grants
Trinity Youth Association
The Vital Tyne & Wear Fund
gave Trinity Youth
Association £325 towards its
The Community Foundation uses its unrestricted
‘T and Coffee’ social and
support group for young
Vital Tyne & Wear and Vital Northumberland funds
people who identify as
to support the development of community
Transgender. The group
provides a social space
philanthropy. Around 75% of fund expenditure
where members have
goes directly in grants to community and
developed a series of
voluntary organisations, and the rest for
self-help services
In
2013
we
including a sewing
fund development and policy initiatives.
made 8 Vital circle. The Vital
Vital Grants are used to invest in projects that:
Grant enabled Trinity Youth Association to purchase sewing
Grants
worth
machines,
and a basic sewing design kit to help the members
• support vulnerable communities and services at risk
share
their
experiences.
and donor engagement with less popular causes;
£41,900
• demonstrate good or innovative practice;
• enable organisations and communities to respond to
unforeseen circumstances (e.g. natural disasters);
• contribute to the Community Foundation’s leadership work in relation
to community philanthropy;
• address priorities identified in our Vital Signs reports.
In 2013 we made 8 Vital Grants worth £41,900. In 2014 we expect to
match this figure, but with an additional allocation of £50,000 for a small
number of projects that demonstrate how community philanthropy can
help those at risk of exclusion from Work.
“Young transgender people often feel isolated,
so we provide an environment where they can
share their experiences with similar young people.
After struggling to get funding initially, a Vital Signs
grant allowed us to expand our service to include
sewing lessons to help members acquire this really
useful life skill.”
Debs Walker, LGBT Projects Manager
Acorns
Acorns is a charity that works with those
who are affected by domestic and
sexual violence and abuse. It provides
individual play therapy, counselling,
group work and general support
services. The Vital Tyne & Wear Fund
awarded Acorns £10,000, alongside
funding from The Sara Charlton
Charitable Foundation and Northern
Rock Foundation, for a Young People’s
Domestic Abuse Prevention Project.
“Sadly domestic violence and
abuse is something that is
still prevalent in modern
society. We need to support vulnerable communities
and those at risk of domestic violence and abuse.
Through Vital Signs funding we hope to continue our
prevention project to not only help those at risk but
also provide professionals and organisations with the
information and support they need to put an end to
domestic violence and abuse.”
Cath Lawson, Manager
NRF Third Sector Trends Study
Building Futures East
Building Futures East suffered catastrophic damage after two feet of
water engulfed its premises in December 2013. The Vital Tyne & Wear
Fund awarded £3,867 to help with additional costs not covered by
insurance. The charity offers training to unemployed local people of all
ages, helping them gain formal qualifications. The grant enabled it to
temporarily repair workshops and training areas to preserve training on
site, and reduce disruption to services.
“During the flood, the water levels rose so quickly
that a huge amount of damage was caused. The Vital
Grant we received was invaluable and we are very
grateful that an emergency award was provided so
quickly meaning our service could continue to support
local unemployed people in our region.”
Anthony Woods-Waters, Chief Executive
Northern Rock Foundation’s Third Sector Trends Study is a groundbreaking research programme on the scale, dynamics and needs of the
voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in North East England
and Cumbria. A grant of £15,000 from the Vital Northumberland and
Tyne & Wear Funds has contributed towards the final stage of the
programme.
“The Third Sector Trends Study is crucial for funders
like ourselves and the Community Foundation to
understand the charitable sector, and identify the
challenges that can be addressed through effective
grant-making. The Vital Grants were crucial in
allowing us to continue the programme, and will go a
long way in helping all funders to understand how
they can better support our region.”
Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive
Get involved in Vital Signs!
Visit the
Vital Signs
Website
www.communityfoundation.org.uk/vitalsigns
Let’s talk!
If you would like to know more about Tyne & Wear or
Northumberland’s Vital Signs, please contact:
Mark Pierce, Head of Policy and Programmes,
Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland,
Cale Cross, 156 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne & Wear, NE1 6SU.
T: 0191 222 0945 F: 0191 230 0689
tyneandwearvitalsigns@communityfoundation.org.uk
/TyneWearVitalSigns
@TandWVitalSigns
northumberlandvitalsigns@communityfoundation.org.uk
/NorthumberlandVitalSigns
At the Vital Signs
website you can:
-
Help us decide which themes to prioritise.
-
Give us your views on all the issues covered
in this report.
-
Tell us more about what you are doing in
relation to the themes as a charitable giver,
community group member, company,
school, council or local resident.
-
Sign up to get the latest news and findings
from Vital Signs.
-
Access our Vital Signs Twitter and Blog sites.
-
Connect to the national and international
Vital Signs movement.
@NlandVitalSigns
www.communityfoundation.org.uk
Vital Signs is a community philanthropy guide from your local community
foundation, measuring the vitality of our communities, and identifies significant
trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs is supported by UK
Community Foundations.
Vital Signs was developed by The Toronto Community Foundation in 2001 and
now involves Community Foundations across Canada and beyond. We are
grateful to Community Foundations of Canada for the support they have provided
to us in piloting Vital Signs within the UK. You can find out more about the
international Vital Signs movement at www.vitalsignscanada.ca
We would like to thank all those who gave generously of their knowledge and
experience to enable the publication of this report.
Vital Signs Update © Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland,
2014. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the
permission of the copyright owner.
The Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland is a
registered charity (number 700510) and limited company (number 2273708).
Credits Author: Mark Pierce Photos: David Wala Photography and Acorns
Design: Cool Blue www.coolblue.co.uk
TELL US YOUR PRIORITIES
Your opinions matter...
My theme gradings (A to E) are:
Vital Signs theme
Grade (A to E)
Work
Your name, address and email (must be completed)
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Fairness
Housing and homelessness
Safety
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Learning
Arts, culture and heritage
Strong communities
Which of the following terms describes your perspective on the issues raised within
Vital Signs? (you may choose more than one)
Environment
I am a…
Local economy
Healthy living
Charitable donor with an individual, corporate or trust fund or foundation
Occasional charitable giver
Grant recipient
Local resident
What the grades mean…
a
Everything is great. Let’s keep things that way!
Private Sector representative
b
Things are going well, but we can make them better
Public Sector representative
c
The situation is OK, but could be improved
d
Things aren’t going very well. We should take action as soon as possible
e
Things are going very badly. We must act now!
Community or voluntary sector worker (paid or voluntary)
Other (state) .........................................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
My area of interest is:
Northumberland
Tyne & Wear
My three priorities for this area would be:
1.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................
2.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................
3.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Thanks for your help!
Please return this survey form to Mark Pierce at the address above.
Alternatively complete this exercise online at
www.communityfoundation.org.uk/vitalsigns
DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998 Thank you for taking part in this survey. The information you supply will be stored
electronically and used by us to inform further work on Vital Signs. We will not publish individual responses without
permission or supply personal information to third parties.