Heathrow Community Fund (HCF), a grant-making charity funded by Heathrow Airport, is offering £25,000 to help community groups recover from damage caused by local flooding.
The Fund aims to help voluntary organisations with donations towards the costs of replacing vital equipment damaged in the storms, especially where there is no help available from insurance or statutory funding. It could be damaged IT equipment, flooded community gardens or allotments, or furniture at a local community hall or youth group.
Caroline Nicholls, fund director, said, ‘Heathrow Community Fund has helped many local community groups with grants, donating GBP500,000 last year alone. We’re now concerned that so much of their good work will be destroyed by the floods. When the waters have subsided and these groups are counting the cost of the damage, Heathrow Community Fund may be able to help with a donation towards the expense.’
Organisations can apply for help through the fund’s Communities Together grant stream, with application forms available on the website www.heathrow.com/communityfund and other supporting documents.
Heathrow Community Fund offers its grants through three distinct streams: Communities for Youth, Communities for Tomorrow and the Communities Together scheme.
Communities for Youth offers grants for local groups including charities, voluntary groups and schools delivering projects related to education and economic regeneration. Communities for Tomorrow is intended to benefit communities affected by Heathrow’s operations, with grants focused on projects that help protect the environment or encourage sustainable development. The Communities Together scheme supports a wider range of smaller, community focused projects.
Heathrow Community Fund itself is funded by three sources – fines imposed on aircraft that breach noise limits, an annual donation from Heathrow and spare change from airport passengers.