In pictures: Cambridgeshire Community Foundation marks 20 years and £32m of grants issued
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation has celebrated 20 years of supporting charities and good causes during which time it has awarded more than £32million in grants.
It has set up and managed more than 100 charitable funds on behalf of philanthropic individuals and families, businesses, local and national government, and trusts.
And since 2004 it has awarded more than 10,000 grants to local non-profit organisations tackling a range of issues, from health and education to homelessness and the environment, and covering every ward in Cambridgeshire.
An anniversary celebration on 17 June was hosted by the foundation’s president, Julie Spence, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, at The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which brought together supporters, partners, volunteers and some of the charities and community groups that have benefitted.
There was a chance to try activities from some of them, including testing out Froglife’s VR headset, which lets guests experience life as a toad. The Chinese Community in Peterborough gave a tai chi demonstration, while young people from Cambs Youth Panel, which started thanks to funding from the foundation a few years ago, recorded a podcast with guests.
A 20-year impact report has been published at cambscf.org.uk/20-anniversary.
In the last year, the foundation has awarded a record total of more than £4million but has also seen unprecedented demand for funding that exceeded its capacity to support.
Michael O’Toole, CEO of Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, said: "While we are immensely proud to celebrate our anniversary and to have distributed more funding than ever before in the last year, the sobering reality is that we are still forced to turn away a staggering number of eligible applicants due to limited resources.
"The overwhelming demand we've witnessed shows just how much work remains to create lasting, positive change in our community.”
The foundation thanked The Cambridge Building Society, Rathbones, Arm and Cheffins for supporting the anniversary.
Find out how you can support the foundation or to apply for funding at cambscf.org.uk.