A note from our Chair

To quote a sporting cliché, Guildford is a game of two halves. There is often a perception that we’re an affluent town set in the amazing countryside of the Surrey Hills, with restaurants and bars that seem always full, a bustling high street that attracts tourists from far and wide and some very fine houses. For many, this is perfectly true.

But there is another side of Guildford; two of its wards are in the bottom 20% nationally for deprivation and average life expectancy varies by 6.9 years across the Borough. In some parts of Guildford, more than 30% of children are living in poverty and 40% of adults in deprived areas of Guildford have no qualifications. They have a very different experience of day-to-day life in our historic town.

Guildford Philanthropy was launched in 2014 by Guildford Borough Council and the Community Foundation for Surrey to inspire local philanthropy and create a permanent source of capital to support and benefit our local community. Our grants to specific Guildford-based charities and organisations help people within our community who are in real need and provide opportunities that enable vulnerable people to develop their work skills and confidence.

Creating a legacy: to date we have built an endowment fund of circa £1million and use the investment proceeds from the fund to award grants every year in perpetuity. Since its foundation, some £500,000 of grants have been made to local charities, social enterprises and other voluntary organisations. For several years Guildford Borough Council has provided 50% match-funding support which boosts the grants we are able to make.

Our ability to make these grants relies on donations from local businesses and individuals and from fund-raising events. Anyone who donates can be assured that – as we are a part of The Community Foundation of Surrey – each charity and organisation has been vetted and that due diligence has been undertaken; in short, your money is being carefully spent. Projects are chosen for their impact and benefit.

As Aristotle so eloquently put it:

“To give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter.”