Thriving communities

Our new strategy highlighted three key areas where we want to redouble our energies and focus. They were: investing in voluntary sector infrastructure, increasing diversity and inclusion and tackling climate change.

Voluntary action

At the heart of our thriving voluntary sector in Sussex is a network of community voluntary action organisations, which nurture and support new and existing charities and community groups across the county.

We have worked closely with this network, this year more than ever before, investing in them to deliver Covid-19 emergency support, as well as longer term capacity building, work with Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, digital inclusion, and volunteering.

We have also supported Diversity Resource International to employ a race equality community development worker. We are working with them, and other infrastructure bodies, to ensure that we meet the needs of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities more effectively in the future.

ROTHER VOLUNTARY ACTION received a £10,000 explore the emerging community needs and to develop a specific training and support programme to enable local mutual aid groups that had sprung up in the community over the first lockdown, to develop, adapt and thrive. Plus, the grant will help them to improve their offices and upgrade their digital capacity to deliver support remotely.

Diversity and inclusion

We want to better reflect the communities we serve across all areas of the organisation and our work.

THE TRUST FOR DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES

delivers community-led solutions to tackling inequality in Brighton & Hove. We have funded them £10,000 over six months to support the development of a stronger, more robust and sustainable Black, Asian and ethnic minority-led sector in Brighton & Hove.

Climate change

We signed up to the Funders Commitment to Climate Change, which commits us to enact a range of measures to help tackle climate change. This year, we have worked towards disinvesting from carbon industries and moving towards investments that actively address climate change. Read more here: grant from our Sussex Crisis Fund to further

https://sussexgiving.org.uk/greening-our-investments/

THE RAMPION FUND

Since launching the Rampion Fund at Sussex Community Foundation three years ago, the fund has given over £1.5 million in grants to projects, in a specific geographical area, that encourage renewables, sustainability, energy efficiency, marine ecology, nature conservation and environmental improvements.

Left to right: Linda Kerrison, Peter King and Alistair Whitby of the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, and supporter Alex Tristram. THE OUSE AND ADUR

RIVERS TRUST received a grant of £19,000 from the Rampion Fund to support the creation of a new river trail and 6.9 hectares of hand-sown wildflower meadows, which will provide unrestricted access to a historically private area of land.