Over £1 million in Major Grants
8 July 2010
Twenty-three major grants have been approved at the Annual General Meeting of The Freemasons' Grand Charity totalling £1,132,000. The grants have been awarded to worthwhile projects and causes in the areas of medical research, youth opportunities and vulnerable people.
Grants approved:
Medical Research Grants:
Association of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (ASBAH) £40,000
A grant of £40,000 to ASBAH to fund a research project at the University of Sheffield into the use of inutero MRI scans to identify babies with abnormal brain development. Currently ultrasound scans are used, but there is evidence that in utero MRI will show more. About 1,100 spina bifida pregnancies still occur each year in the UK and the charity provides support and information for families about the disabilities caused by spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Based in Cambridgeshire.
Cambridge Foundation £100,000
A grant of £100,000 payable in equal installments over two years to fund Dr Alastair Cole's research into the use and side affects of alemtuzumab in treating multiple sclerosis. The research project was established to create a new drug treatment for early stage MS but it is also showing interesting results relating to the development of other auto-immune diseases. Based in Cambridgeshire.
Youth Opportunities Grants:
Addaction: £20,000
A grant to help fund the Young Addaction Aspire pilot. The charity believes that young people who abuse drugs and alcohol respond well to treatment when it is tailored to their needs and that money is better spent on early intervention rather than expensive residential rehabilitation. The pilot will be working with young people in Cornwall and Lancashire offering a 12 week Aspire Foundation Course to cover personal development and a community project using local partners. Based in Cornwall and Lancashire.
Centrepoint: £50,000
This £50,000 grant is to fund the further roll-out of the Partnering Project for homeless young people. The Freemasons' Grand Charity originally funded the project as a pilot scheme. The project now operates in seven regions providing free capacity building to support voluntary sector homelessness charities and consultancy and advice to larger organisations. Based across country.
http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/
Clubs for Young People: £83,000
This grant is to fund the Do Something: Out of School project. The project will provide a programme of community based activities including cricket, dance, film-making etc to 2,000 smaller voluntary youth clubs and will be funded by a partnership between the Lord's Taverner's, The Foundation for Sport and Arts and The Freemasons' Grand Charity. Based across the country.
http://www.clubsforyoungpeople.org.uk/
Skill Force: £50,000
Funding for a new team in the Solent, covering Bournemouth, Southampton, Portsmouth and Havant. Skillforce helps young people to earn vocational qualifications and to develop life skills through structured classroom and outdoor activities in which instruction and mentoring is provided mainly by ex-armed forces personnel. Based in Northamptonshire.
Vulnerable People:
Beating Bowel Cancer: £50,000
A grant to fund a Specialist Nurse Advisor and Head of Patient Services. Bowel cancer is the 2nd biggest cancer killer in the UK and 36,500 people are diagnosed each year. The charity delivers a telephone and web-based service as well as providing free informative publications. Based in Middlesex.
http://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/
Breast Cancer Haven: £15,000
A £15,000 grant to Breast Cancer Haven to fund a clinical nurse specialist in Hereford. The charity runs havens in London, Leeds and Hereford supporting people with breast cancer. All services are provided free of charge and each year 420 cancer patients attend at Hereford.
http://www.breastcancerhaven.org.uk/
Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY): £15,000
A grant to fund a new CRY vehicle to carry cardiac screening equipment for use by volunteer cardiologists at events. The charity raises awareness through a programme which screens 7,000 young people each year. One in 300 will be found to have a serious condition and eight apparently healthy young people (under 35) die of an undiagnosed heart condition each week in the UK. Based in Surrey.
Challenging Behaviour Foundation: £20,000
A grant to fund the Family Support Officer who provides information and advice directly to families and provides input into national strategies, The charity supports about 1,400 families who care for disabled people who have extreme and challenging behaviour. Based in Kent.
Connect: £30,000
To fund a quarterly newsletter containing information, tips and advice for people with aphasia. Aphasia is a speech and communication disorder that results from damage to the brain. Aphasia usually occurs after a stroke but it can also be caused by brain injury or tumour and 250,000 people in the UK have aphasia. NHS patients may be offered short-term speech therapy after a stroke, but do not receive any long-term help with communication disabilities. Based in London.
Counsel and Care: £35,000
A grant to support the national advice service for the elderly and part-fund the salary of a new fundraiser. The advice line deals in detail with 2,500 enquiries plus 500 written enquiries each year and produces factsheets on a variety of relevant issues for older people. The new fundraiser will develop the charity's capability to raise money from individual donor's and legacies. Based in London.
http://www.counselandcare.org.uk/
Dogs for the Disabled: £25,000
A grant to fund a programme highlighting the benefits of a trained dog for families with an autistic child. The charity has previously provided eight trained dogs to families with autistic children with positive results but this project will help many more families and will be delivered in partnership with the National Autistic Society. The charity requires 50 enquiries of interest each week and aims to reach 320 families. Based in Oxfordshire.
http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/
Down Syndrome Education International: £30,000
A grant of £30,000 to fund the see and learn project. The project builds on step-by-step activities and materials to help children achieve better reading, language, number and memory skills. All programmes are available to families free of charge on-line and the website has 20,000 regular visitors. Based in Hampshire.
http://www.downsed.org/en/gb/default.aspx
Music in Hospitals: £35,000
A grant to fund Making Musical Memories, a series of concerts for older people in healthcare settings. The charity uses 300 professional musicians to deliver concerts in day care centres, hospitals, nursing and residential homes improving the quality of life and well being of those attending. Most healthcare centres contribute to the cost of concerts, but when cuts have to be made cultural activities are often targeted first. The charity therefore provides 48% of its concerts free of charge. Based in Surrey.
http://www.music-in-hospitals.org.uk/
PHAB: £10,000
A grant to fund Inclusive Living Experiences at outdoor activity centres for disabled children. 130 children aged 14-18 attend projects in Cumbria, Derbyshire and Hampshire. It gives parents of disabled children a respite break or allows them to holiday together as a family. Based in Croydon.
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI): £50,000
A grant to contribute to their welfare fund. RABI is a grant-making charity which supports members of the farming community who are suffering hardship. RABI has 12 regional welfare officers who visit and assess applicants and the charity supported 1,668 beneficiaries in 2008 with £1.9m of grants, welfare advice and practical support. Based in Oxfordshire.
Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA): £21,000
A grant to fund the extension of Chepstow Station. SARA is an independent lifeboat and land search rescue operation. Based in Monmouthshire.
http://www.sara-rescue.org.uk/
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help: £250,000
A new grant to help fund regional branches in supporting service personnel and their families.
Special Boat Service Association (SBSA): £15,000
A grant to support the children of SBSA members. The Royal Navy's Special Boat Service (SBS) is the lesser known sister unit of the British Army's Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). The SBS is a special forces unit which carries out special operations at sea, along coastlines and on river networks but is also highly skilled on dry land. Recent operations have taken place in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Based in Dorset.
Victim Support: £20,000
To fund training of volunteers in the south west region to enable them to support victims of serious crime. The charity provides support and information for victims of personal crime and volunteers need specialist training to help them to deal with domestic violence, sexual abuse, murder and racist cries. Each category has a tailored four day course. Based in Wiltshire.
http://www.victimsupport.org.uk/
Vitalise: £20,000
A grant of £20,000 to Vitalise to subsidise respite holidays for people with Alzheimer's Disease and their carers at a residential centre in Nottingham. The whole centre is reserved for the specialist weeks and the carers are able to socialise and go on outings while knowing that their partner is being properly cared for. The charity provides services for disabled people in five residential centres and focuses on those with high dependency needs. Based in Cumbria.
http://www.vitalise.org.uk/Home-Page.aspx
Winston's Wish: £25,000
A grant to fund a senior counsellor. 24,000 children in the UK are bereaved of a parent each year. The counsellor helps families bereaved through homicide or suicide and will work directly with 80 families each year. The counsellor also answers calls on the national helpline and emails on the website. The helpline supports about 3,500 families and professionals each year. Based in Gloucestershire.
http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/