Berkeley Foundation partners with local charity Berkshire Youth

Organisation
Berkshire Youth
Article date
8 July 2022
Primary interest
Families and Parenting

The Berkeley Foundation, the grant-making foundation set up by housebuilder the Berkeley Group, has partnered with local charity Berkshire Youth. The Berkeley Foundation has given Berkshire Youth a grant of £30,000 over two years, which will help the charity develop a new strategy and business plan, and revitalise its governance.

The Resilience Fund was launched in October 2021, and provides support for local and grassroots charities to build their resilience for the future. It will invest £900,000 over three years, supporting up to 30 organisations. Wherever possible, the grants will be complemented by volunteer support from Berkeley Group staff.

Berkshire Youth is one of ten organisations supported in the fund’s first year, which targeted charities working to help young people overcome barriers to work and kick-start their careers. Berkshire Youth delivers community-based activities and in-school support to help young people transition from childhood to young adulthood. Funded solely by donations from individuals and companies, Berkshire Youth help over 12,000 young people each year.

David Seward from Berkshire Youth said:

The award of a grant from the Berkeley Foundation has been the boost we all needed at Berkshire Youth. After 85 years of supporting the young people of Berkshire we are delighted to be provided with the support needed to unlock our organisational resilience. The Covid epidemic has demonstrated the pressure young people have been under, and we need to ensure that our youth work offer is around for many more years. With the support of the Berkeley Foundation we can make sure this can really happen.

Sally Dickinson, Head of the Berkeley Foundation said:

The Foundation’s vision is for young people and their communities to have the tools and resources they need to thrive be a force for change in the world. We believe that to achieve this, we need a resilient voluntary sector that’s effective, inclusive and well resourced. Through the Resilience Fund, we hope to give partner organisations the space, time and funding to build their resilience, so that will be around to support young people and their communities for many years to come.

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