Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation unveils £1 million grant programme to boost employability in Bradford
Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation has unveiled a new £1million grant programme for charities that support employability in Bradford and is calling for relevant groups to submit an application for funding by 29 September 2024.
Yorkshire Building Society has a long heritage in the Bradford area. One of the mutual’s founding organisations, the Bradford Self Help Permanent Building Society, was established in the St George’s Hall Coffee Tavern in 1855, and the city remains at the heart of its operations, with colleagues serving members from branches in the city district and its headquarters on Rooley Lane.
The Bradford District has one of the largest working age populations in the UK[1], however unemployment rates are higher than the regional and national average[2] and Bradford’s working age population also has lower than average qualification levels[3].
Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation’s Building Bradford Skills Fund, which has been made possible thanks to a donation from the mutual, aims to address these challenges and support charities that are based in, or are delivering projects to improve, employment prospects in areas which are classed as the city’s most deprived wards by the English Indices of Deprivation. Eligible areas include: Bowling & Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton, or City, Clayton & Fairweather Green, Eccleshill, Great Horton, Manningham, Royds, Tong and Wibsey.
The Fund will make a small number of grants, ideally between £100,000 and up to a maximum of £500,000 over three years.
Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation is appealing to charities based, or delivering support in, these areas to submit expressions of interest via its website throughout this month (August), before submitting an application for funding by 29 September.
Neil Irving, chair of Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation, said: “The Building Bradford Skills Fund will support charities in some of the city’s most deprived areas and will address specific challenges faced by the city around skills and employment.
“We’re keen to work with charities and organisations who can demonstrate their understanding of the challenges faced by people in Bradford so we can work together to create a brighter future for the city.
“Although the Charitable Foundation is independent, a large part of our focus is to support charities where the Society’s colleagues and members live and work. As it’s heartland, Bradford was an obvious choice to launch this Fund and we’re pleased to be adding our investment to the great work the Society is already doing in the city.”
Full details about eligibility criteria and how to submit an expression of interest can be found here: https://www.ybs.co.uk/your-society/charitable-foundation and the closing date for applications is Sunday 29 September.