• Swindon & Wiltshire Social
• Thursday October 15 2026

Community foundation hits £30 million grants milestone

Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation has awarded more than £30 million in grants, reaching a major milestone in its 51-year history.

The Foundation, founded in 1975 as Europe’s first community foundation, has now distributed more than 10,000 grants to charities, community groups and individuals across Wiltshire and Swindon.

The funding has helped tackle poverty, improve health and wellbeing, reduce isolation, support people experiencing domestic abuse and create opportunities for children and young people.

The £30 million total was reached during this year’s University Bursary Programme, which awarded £399,950 to 71 young people from low-income backgrounds to help them access higher education.

The Foundation also supports young people into vocational training and helps aspiring entrepreneurs launch businesses.

Last year, it awarded more than £2.5 million through 367 grants, benefiting 217 organisations and 150 individuals. More than 83,000 people across Wiltshire and Swindon were supported through that work.

The pace of grantmaking has accelerated sharply. It took the Foundation 40 years to award its first £10 million, while the £20 million milestone came seven years later. The total has now passed £30 million just over four years after that.

Alongside its grantmaking, the Foundation has built an endowment worth almost £32 million. Much of it is held in funds created to support particular causes, communities or areas, reflecting donors’ wishes.

However, the Foundation says continued annual fundraising remains essential to respond to changing local needs.

Joint chief executive Vicky Hickey said: “Passing £30 million in grantmaking is a significant milestone for us, but what really matters is what that £30 million has made possible for people and communities across Wiltshire and Swindon.

“For more than 50 years, local people, businesses and partners have chosen to give through the Foundation because they want to make a difference where they live. Our role is to connect that generosity with the local charities, community organisations and voluntary groups that understand their communities and are creating change every day.

“Reaching £30 million shows what local generosity can achieve, but there is still so much more to do. The needs of our communities continue to change and we need people and organisations to continue giving alongside us so that we can respond to those needs, both now and in the years ahead.”

The Foundation was established by Lord Joel Joffe and Moyra James and connects local donors, businesses, professional advisers, charitable trusts and public sector partners with causes across the region.

It is part of a UK-wide network of 47 accredited community foundations, which have collectively awarded more than £2 billion in grants.

More information about giving locally or accessing funding is available at wscf.org.uk