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Charities can now apply for an award of up to £5,000 from the Matthew Good Foundation as Grants for Good fund increases by 50%

Posted on by Philip Webb

Hull, UK: The Matthew Good Foundation has increased the amount it will award through its established Grants for Good programme from £10,000 a quarter to £15,000. All shortlisted charities will receive higher amounts, and the award for the winning recipient each quarter will go up from £3,500 to £5000.

 

The Matthew Good Foundation is a charitable foundation, funded by the John Good Group. Their mission is to amplify small or local charitable causes, whose work is often unseen and underfunded, yet delivers high value social impact. They do this through a wide range of grant making processes, including grassroots project funding and an employee giving programme for the John Good Group. The Grants for Good fund launched in January 2021 and was the first initiative from the Foundation that invited organisations to apply to them for funding.

Initially, the programme awarded £10,000 a quarter to five causes, shortlisted by a panel at the Foundation. Foundation members – who are all employees of the John Good Group – then voted for their favourite to decide who got the largest share. The winner of the vote received £3,500, second place £2,500, third place £2,000 and fourth and fifth place £1,000. This process would be completed every quarter, meaning that annually, £40,000 was awarded between twenty different causes.

For 2023, the Foundation has increased its annual Grants for Good fund by 50% to £60,000, with £15,000 awarded each quarter to five successful applicants. The winner of the members vote will now receive £5,000, second place £3,500, third place £2,500 and fourth and fifth place £2,000 each.

Previous charities with successful applications include R;pple Suicide Prevention – a charity developing technology to intercept searches for potentially harmful online content, The Bank – a new community hub in West Hull, and Clean Planet – a team of trained divers using their skills to remove ghost gear from their local coastline.

The first organisation to be shortlisted and win the vote was Harry’s Hat, a charity founded by the family and friends of Harry, a baby diagnosed with hydrocephalus (water on the brain), with the aims of raising awareness, offering support to affected families, and funding research to improve outcomes. Caroline Coates – co-founder and newly appointed CEO of the charity reflects on the impact of winning the award, “From my personal perspective launching the charity meant sharing our own personal and difficult story, after-all Harry is my son. We wanted to be associated with a funder who genuinely cares about the causes it supports and took the time to get to know them, so the programme was a perfect match! As a newly formed charity, it was so encouraging to know that people believed in our cause and wanted to help. The support helped us launch our first book ‘Hydrocephalus What I wish I’d known,’ given for free to the parents and carers across the UK.  So far, 475 families have benefitted directly as well as 20 neurosurgery units, 34 health visiting teams and numerous front-line workers. In the short time since gaining the award we have supported over 350 families, secured grants to enable us to employ skilled staff to deliver support, funded front-line workers to learn more about the condition, been shortlisted for prestigious national awards and media coverage, and trebled our income.”

Highlighting the reason for the recent award increase, Michelle Taft – Executive Director of the Foundation said, “Those shortlisted for Grants for Good are often extremely innovative, with real potential to grow their impact on society, yet small charities often struggle to secure funding, particularly funding that is unrestricted.  Having seen the impact Grants for Good has had on its beneficiaries over the last two years, we hope this increase in funding available will further help both small and new not-for-profit organisations to thrive.”

Adam Walsh, CEO of the John Good Group commented, “Supporting the Matthew Good Foundation is an essential part of our people and social responsibility strategy at the John Good Group. We believe in giving back to our communities and helping small, local charities that may not receive the attention or funding they deserve. Our employees are at the heart of this initiative, as they have the opportunity to decide where the donations go and make a real impact on the causes they care about. We are proud to be associated with the Foundation and its mission to amplify the voices of small charities and organisations that can make a significant difference with a small grant.”

The Grants for Good fund is designed to be deliberately easy for very small charities or new community interest groups to apply for, with simple guidelines and a minimum amount of information needed to get started. Applicants do not necessarily need to be a registered charity, they could also be a local community group, voluntary group or social enterprise. They must have a positive impact on people or the environment, and their annual income must be below £50,000. Shortlisting is performed each quarter, but applications are open all year round, so those looking to apply can do so whenever they are ready. Full details of the programme and an online application form can be found at www.matthewgoodfoundation.org/grantsforgood.

 

 

Media Enquiries

Jennifer Murden
Phone: 07444 479192
Email: jen@matthewgoodfoundation.org

Available Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 2.30pm

About the Matthew Good Foundation

The Matthew Good Foundation is a charitable foundation, funded by the John Good Group. It was formed following the unexpected passing of family member and Director, Matthew Good on June 26th, 2011, whilst running for charity in the Humber Half Marathon. Through the Foundation, John Good Group employees can support charities and good causes they care about. The Foundation also supports innovative small charities with funding and resources to help them achieve their potential.

 

About the John Good Group

The John Good Group is a sixth-generation family business founded on a clear and community-focused philosophy, which is to create and nurture businesses that are a force for good. Winners of the Yorkshire & Humberside Family Awards 2022 for Family Business of the Year and Best Social Impact and founded on family values; they put their people, planet, and communities at the heart of everything they do. The Group comprises five divisions focusing on Travel, Marine, Warehousing and Logistics, Property, and Renewables. Each of these divisions has its own ambitious strategy for continuous growth, all while uniting under a shared vision for the future.

 

Social Media Channels

 Matthew Good Foundation

https://www.linkedin.com/company/matthew-good-foundation

https://twitter.com/MatthewGoodFoun

https://www.facebook.com/MatthewGoodFoundation

https://www.instagram.com/matthewgoodfoundation

https://www.youtube.com/@matthewgoodfoundation2122

 

John Good Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/john-good-group/

https://twitter.com/johngoodgroup

https://www.facebook.com/johngoodgroup

 

Websites

www.matthewgoodfoundation.org

www.johngoodgroup.co.uk

There’s no accounting for Social Impact

Posted on by Philip Webb

As the world turned its sights on Social Impact, demonstrated by businesses and companies in the last year or two, and the term ESG (Environmental Social Governance) became commonplace, businesses have started to build this into their new plans.
Why?
 Because Investors and lenders were demanding evidence of activity
 Customers and consumers insisted on good credentials
 Employees were making this a pre-requisite of their employment contracts
 Government contracts insisted on strong evidence to award a reserved average of 30% of the awarding tender marks
In short, it was realised that those businesses who could evidence social value delivery as part of its strategy, and not just as an afterthought, were more likely to BE in business in five years. With sustainability improved, risks reduced, and the collective businesses contributing to both the planet and to local communities
SO, the scene is now well established.
Sales, investment and loans, employee retention, and lower costs, can all be accessed by demonstrating Social Value
Social Impact is now worth real MONEY and real PROFIT
Here is the problem
The way in which the social impact is measured is still based ostensibly on either a corroboration of various systems (Finance, HR, training), or is somehow consolidated into a master spreadsheet, often as a summary of lots of other spreadsheets dotted around the business, each with a different owner, with varying priorities and targets.
The challenge with the above is that there is often no verification, no confirmation by a third party, that the activity and the effort, matches with the declared outcome
In other words, it is open to being fabricated, extrapolated, or wrongly interpreted.
But this cannot be so, if institutional funds, structured competitive tenders, or legal contracts are reliant upon this data being correct and truthful.
You cannot simply present your finance position on a spreadsheet each period and instruct your accountant to file them at companies house, and for HMRC to simply trust you that they are correct.
No, they are audited against data ledgers and nominals in the accounts package, which in turn are reconciled against the bank account statements. This is done to offer proof of position and is a legal requirement of each serving director to undertake.
In August 2022, you may have seen several large blue chip UK companies, becoming investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for making statements about their social impact, that could not be substantiated and could be not true.
It doesn’t matter if they were true or not at that point in time, as the damage was already done by an unforgiving social media news feed.
The awful thing, is that their data, the marketing statements, and the qualitative statements were all generated by many team members, and the directors had no way of knowing or checking their accuracy, yet it is they who are legally responsible.
So, my good readers, who are people with high integrity, and would not seek to make misleading comments, gain pecuniary advantage by extrapolating numbers, or create impact statements out of a story book, to gain access to contracts or funding, this is the problem.
It is now not enough to say, “trust me”, nor enough to be diligent in the preparation of your Social Value data sets. It is time to adopt a system, much the same as a financial accounts system, to protect your company, your brand, your own reputations, and your staff.

In short you need an accounting system for Social Impact.
1. It must be able to record each action taken, in a way that is not changeable- therefore fully auditable
2. Where possible, it should provide an audit trail back to the individual person/ employee, who offered that help
3. It must be verified independently, by the community groups/ charities, or causes that you are helping
4. It should provide transparency, and reporting to confirm the numbers and qualitative statements
5. It should have sufficient flexibility to be able to record any aspect of Social Value that you externally offer, be that Environmental or Social
This is the often overlooked “G” in the ESG map. The G stands for governance, which is designed to protect individual directors against unprovable claims, of actions or outcomes, sometimes called fraud. It also protects the company, and its brand and reputation
In summary, the G is the insurance policy, in a world of rapidly increasing scrutiny.

If you are a senior leader in your business, a director or non-executive director, and you would like to know more, or discuss the challenge of “Accounting for Social Value”, contact me at philip.webb@investorsincommunity.org

Social Impact or Social Unrest?

Posted on by Philip Webb

IIC Transformation Programme

I look around at the myriad of pressures on society this month, ranging from the ever-higher home energy costs, car fuel costs, rising food prices, interest rate increases, and the apparent widening of the divide between those who can afford to live through this period, and those who will need help, and probably need to make lifestyle-limiting choices, as to how they exist into the winter of 2022 and into 2023

I am sensing that we are all approaching a crossroads, that means that there are three ways to go forwards:

  1. Keep Calm and carry on
    1. Rely on government support to be able to afford to live
    2. Or you have sufficient money and resources not to worry too much anyway
    3. “I’m alright Jack” approach, where “self” prevails over community

 

  1. Social Impact
    1. Start to knit communities together, businesses, charities, social companies, and Individuals – to provide co-support to help those in need, and start to “Level Up Society”
    2. Promote people-through-recognition, to volunteer, gift, and support those who need help
    3. Engage companies to spill out into their local community, to provide help and resources, promoting themselves as a great social impact company

 

  1. Social Unrest
    1. Where people get fed up with the unfairness, the gigantic “company” profits versus the family without food or heat in their houses, and survival is a matter of luck or a postcode
    2. Where unrest grows to active protests
    3. Where protests grow to violent reactions

 

It has been said before that the move from polite society to anarchy, takes just three weeks given an opportunity or event. For those who remember the Poll Tax Riots of 1990, you’ll understand this context

They say, it often takes a disaster or a war, to create the shock conditions for people based behavioural change, but the combination of adverse factors we are all currently facing, must surely be an equivalent?

Which path will unfold?

What choices can be made, to avert social unrest, create a joined up, fairer community, and start to close the societal divide, based on compassion and fairness, to create sustainable caring communities?

At Investors In Community, we have the method and the systems to create a solid option 2, and help communities achieve Social Impact, and a positive way forwards.

If you want to know more, contact info@investorsincommunity.org

Investors In Community Newsletter – Issue Seven

Posted on by Philip Webb

In this newsletter we’re sharing a few different ideas for giving back to your community over Christmas, revealing the true meaning behind Boxing Day, encouraging people to get fun projects and fundraisers on the platform, and of course we share some fantastic charities looking for your support this month!

How To Give Back To Your Community This Christmas.

1. Give to food banks.

We all overstock the fridge at Christmas, but what if rather than eating more than we can manage, we gave to those in need? Find a local food bank and offer to volunteer or donate your excess food, you can’t imagine how many people you would help.

Foodbanks provide food and household items to hundreds of local families in their time of hardship. Your local foodbanks support needy families all year round and they need your generous donations so they can purchase the items that are needed.

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for food banks due to rising costs in heating and lighting. They need your support now more than ever and every donation, big or small will help them provide their local community with these incredible resources.

 

2. Donate warm clothes.

This is an incredibly thoughtful and kind act as over the Christmas period the weather can be a challenge. The severe cold means that most spend their nights shivering, a simple hat and scarf can make all the difference!

It’s also great for the planet, donating your clothes instead of throwing them into the rubbish can help fight landfill and reduces the need for fast fashion.

If all of this hasn’t convinced you, it’s also a fantastic way to clean out and organise your wardrobe and you never know, you may find some hidden gems during your clean out.

There are many charities on the IIC platform who would love nothing more than your generous donation this year.

 

 

3. Donate Christmas gifts to children in need.

There are so many children in need of a special gift this Christmas, but did you know you can donate Christmas gifts to children via charity?

There are a couple of charities on the Investors In Community platform asking for gift donations this year and this is a great way to add a personal touch when donating. You can go out and select the perfect toy and donate to the charity of your choice, they can even share an impact statement once the project has closed so you know all the good your donation did!

Scratch Charity says: “Christmas should be an exciting time for children, although sometimes – through no fault of their own or their families – there’s a risk they won’t wake up to a sackful of presents. That’s where SCRATCH steps in with our Christmas Complete project, which in December 2020 provided 2393 children and young people with a package of seven or eight presents each (an increase of 15% from the previous year. The need will be no less this year with many local families having been impacted by COVID-19 and we want to be able to help all families referred to us.”

Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity is hosting their Christmas Fair on the 4th of December. As part of this fair, they’re inviting the children that Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity support to come and meet Santa and they would like to be able to provide these children with presents from Santa in the Grotto. If you’re heading out shopping for your family anyway, why not pick up a toy to donate, even one toy can make a huge difference to a child’s Christmas!

4. Charity Advent calendar.

We’ve all had an advent calendar, right? Well, what if rather than receiving something for everyday of advent, you were to give something instead? Pick 24 charities to receive a donation from you each day throughout December and donate to each of them.

We have plenty of charities to choose from on the Investors In Community platform so you’ll never be short of options. You could make it fun whereby every Monday you donate to an animal charity and every Wednesday you donate to a children’s charity, or get the whole family involved and have each person choose their own charity for each day!

It doesn’t have to be a huge donation every day, donate whatever amount works for you and remember that even by donating a small amount, you can make a huge difference.

 

 

Do You Know The True Meaning of Boxing Day?

Investors In Community are encouraging people to revive the traditional meaning behind Boxing Day and donate time or money to good causes this Christmas.

Although some sources link the origins of Boxing Day to the sport of boxing or putting used wrapping paper or unwanted presents into boxes, it turns out that its true meaning is found in small acts of kindness to the most vulnerable in society.

 

 

Some argue that 26 December was when aristocrats and lords of the manor distributed “Christmas boxes” filled with small gifts, money and leftovers from Christmas dinner to household servants and employees in recognition of good service throughout the year.

Another theory suggests that Boxing Day arose from alms boxes that were placed in churches during the Advent period for the collection of donations from parishioners. Members of the clergy then distributed the contents of the boxes to the poor on 26 December, which is also the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr and a figure known for acts of charity.

Be kind this Christmas. Donate: www.investorsincommunity.org

Why You Need To Get Your Projects On The Investors In Community Platform Over Christmas.

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of year for some, but for some people Christmas is cold, lonely and a time of great struggle. Investors In Community wants to encourage people to get back into the True Spirit of Christmas and give back to those in need this year!

During the Christmas period most charities see a huge peak in donations, this is partly thought to be because people are seeking to find the true meaning behind this time of year and embrace the traditional aspect of it all. Another reason could be the winter effect, with temperatures dropping and households struggling to afford their monthly running costs, around 25% of people donate to homeless people and charities in December alone. Another interesting statistic: in 2019, research showed that almost 1 in 3 people considered donating to a charity for Christmas instead of giving a gift.

So, get your Christmas fundraising initiatives on the IIC platform and start receiving donations today!

We thought we would share some amazing charities with you as well!

FareShare

FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations. Together, we take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to more than 10,500 frontline charities and community groups. Support them here.

Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue

Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue are dedicated to making a difference to the lives of the animals we rescue, in addition to this, we educate and influence people through our compassionate and ethical message. Support them here.

We Can

We provide community based support for children and young people with disabilities, additional and complex needs, aged between 6 and 19 to access leisure and social activities. Support them here.

Kids Against Plastic

Amy and Ella set up Kids Against Plastic (KAP) back in 2016, after studying the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and discovering the issue of plastic pollution. Their mission to make a difference started out as a home-school project and has since become an award-winning charity. Support them here.

Join Investors In Community today to deliver your social impact and align with your purpose.