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Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Community Foundation £1.9m Investment In Local Community Projects

As the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) launches its review of 2022, the scale of its donor funding investment has been revealed as being over £1.9 million.

HIWCF is an independent charitable foundation focusing its grant making exclusively on the vital work of small charities, community groups and voluntary organisations across Hampshire (including Portsmouth and Southampton) and the Isle of Wight.

All grant funding awarded in the last year aligns with HIWCF’s six priority areas which include helping communities to flourish, health and wellbeing, crime and safety, environment, poverty and inequality, and employment and skills.

The greatest level of grant funding went to community-based employability programmes in the region, which benefitted from more than £800,000 worth of support.

Safe New Futures, a Southampton-based charity, utilised funding to support its Resilience and Employment Project. One participant of the project stated:

“I feel the course opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and my thoughts are becoming positive.

"Without the course I wouldn’t even have had the confidence to do the interview. It has really changed my mind set for the better.”

Organisations backing HIWCF’s work on improving employability and skills in the region have included the European Social Fund, Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council, Portsmouth City Council, Sovereign Housing Association, Ford and many other private, corporate and Trust donors.

To find out more about helping local communities through HIWCF visit hiwcf.org.uk or contact [email protected]

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