Millions invested in Bradford Communities amid growing need

Independent grant maker GiveBradford has helped more than 16,000 people in communities across Bradford since 2023, as it continues its work alongside hundreds of community organisations in a collective mission to tackle poverty and inequality.

Working with business partners in Bradford, such as JCT600, The Bartlett Group and Schofield Sweeney, has helped generate vital funds for the city at this time, providing critical funding through grants that directly plough support into the city’s charitable organisations that reach those who need help most.

In the last three years, the money raised and distributed – from a variety of regional businesses and including money allocated from government sources – has supported 16,000 people accessing a multitude of projects and organisations. Impact has been seen across a variety of outcomes, including:

• Supporting 1,576 people to feel less isolated/lonely
• Helping 3,404 people improve their mental health and wellbeing
• Enabling 2,151 people become more aware of other cultures

Steph Taylor, CEO of GiveBradford, said: “Bradford’s strength lies in its people, partnerships and shared purpose. Collaboration across the city means there is lasting local impact when community organisations have the funding to carry out their vital work.

“There has been a strong appetite from donors to see genuine regional social value and we are privileged to work with a variety of businesses of all sizes that generously support communities.”

Since GiveBradford was established in 2017, more than £7.6m has been distributed across the city via 800 grants. However, GiveBradford has found that many funds applied for by community groups carrying out vital work to address health and education inequalities, and more, are oversubscribed – indicating that demand still outstrips available funding.

This is against a backdrop of declining charity giving nationwide; highlighting that the funding gap is a combination of both an oversubscribed grants programme and drop in charitable giving. A recent report by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) revealed that the amount donated by the British public has fallen for the first time in five years to £14bn; a 10% drop year-on-year.

GiveBradford, alongside its partners, has supported a range of community organisations to engage local people of all ages in creative and cultural activity as part of the City of Culture, promoting and celebrating the diversity and richness of Bradford. A key initiative of recent years has been the Creative Communities Fund. Working with Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and the Pears Foundation, more than £300,000 was distributed across the city. Yet groups applied for a total of £1.1m in this funding round.

Taylor added: “We cannot ignore the fact that demand from community organisations remains high. We know this because so many of our funds are oversubscribed. As a trusted leader in delivering impactful, community-focused funding, we would encourage any future donors to speak with us about how we can work together to make every pound given go the furthest it can to create lasting change in Bradford.”

While the work of community organisations is having a significant impact, there is a need for further investment in Bradford to help address levels of deprivation. According to 2025 IMD data, Bradford is the 12th most deprived of 314 local authorities nationwide.

Claudia MacFarlane, CEO of the African Caribbean Achievement Project (ACAP) in Bradford, said: “Receiving funds and support to develop our work from GiveBradford has enabled us to continue delivering health and social care, mentoring and advocacy support, women’s health services, employment training and much more. It’s so important to challenge inequalities and amplify the voices of our community members, and without funding we simply cannot deliver our work.

“I would encourage anyone thinking about making a difference in Bradford to work with GiveBradford as a way of getting funds directly to where they are needed, day in, day out.”

Graham Sweeney, Managing Director at Schofield Sweeney, added: “At Schofield Sweeney, we take real pride in the places we work in. We want to help shape a brighter future for our communities and we believe businesses have an important role to play. Working with GiveBradford means we can make a difference for our district, and we’re proud to back our home city in every way we can.”

Last week, GiveBradford hosted an event, ‘The Power of Our Community’, to celebrate the people, partnerships and projects that make Bradford a vibrant, culturally rich and youthful district. Bringing more than 120 people together from across the city, the event explored how social impact thrives when individuals and organisations work together, showcasing the breadth and depth of work taking place while highlighting the role of collaboration in driving meaningful change.

Steph Taylor added: “Rooted in compassion, hope and community, GiveBradford plays a vital role in building a fairer Bradford for everyone. As a starting point for local philanthropy, we make it easy to support local people and connect with hundreds of grassroots organisations delivering essential social and environmental work in their communities. We invite you to join us in tackling inequalities and championing this remarkable city and its people.”