Wesleyan has donated grants totalling £70,000 to eight organisations across the UK dedicated to reducing inequalities in their local communities.
Wesleyan Foundation launched its Equality Grant earlier this year with the goal of helping to drive greater equality for disadvantages groups within our society. This follows Wesleyan alignment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of reducing inequalities within countries.
Wesleyan invited organisations from around the UK to apply for grants to support their projects, and can now announce that the eight successful charities receiving funding are:
- DWRM (Doing What Really Matters) – Helping to reduce the over-representation of BAME individuals within the UK prison system. Empowering young offenders with programmes teaching practical skills, soft skills, and the mindset needed to achieve their employment goals.
- The Ledward Centre - An LGBTQ+ Community and Cultural Centre providing a safe, social, sober space for the LGBTQ+ communities in Brighton & Hove.
- Edgbaston Foundation - A project for young South Asian women in Birmingham offering supportive workshops for young girls aged 11-16 years, providing them with guidance on further education opportunities.
- Young Enterprise (YE) – A charity that delivers critical skills and confidence programmes for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in disadvantaged communities in England and Wales.
- Crohn's & Colitis UK – The UK's leading charity focused on improving the lives of people affected by debilitating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), identified that there was a gap in providing support for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Wesleyan grant donation will help to create new resources to meet this need.
- The Brilliant Club – A project to support 1,500 disadvantaged students in the West Midlands on their Scholars Programme to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to secure a place at a competitive university.
- Oasis Community Housing (OCH) – A project focused on supporting women who are made homeless as a result of abuse providing them with 1:1 mentoring.
- Project Mama – A charity providing specialist pregnancy and birth support to migrant women in Bristol.
Jacob Ayre, Group Sustainability Manager at Wesleyan, said: "As a mutual, we have a long history of doing the right thing for our customers and communities. We are committed to supporting progression on equality and diversity issues and we are proud to demonstrate this by launching our Equality Grant through our Foundation.
"The eight charities chosen to receive funding are doing incredible work in their communities driving change for disadvantaged groups in our society, addressing important issues aiming for long-term change."
Anne-Marie Canning, CEO, The Brilliant Club, said: "We believe that no child should have their opportunities limited by their socioeconomic background. We are grateful for the support of Wesleyan Foundation whose grant will enable 1,500 students from the West Midlands to take part in The Scholars Programme. The programme inspires a love of learning and instils curiosity in young people, supporting them to thrive in both academia and future careers."
In 2017 Wesleyan launched Wesleyan Foundation as part of its commitment to supporting great causes that are important to its members and the communities in which they live and work. The Foundation has since donated over £5 million and supported more than 440,000 people across 500 different UK charities, community groups, research projects and social enterprises.