The work of the Lancashire Foundation is a crucial component of our corporate social responsibility activity. The Foundation is committed to channelling its resources in an effective way to meet the needs of both our local and international communities, and is particularly focused on helping young people and those severely disadvantaged in society.
We aim to develop long term relationships with the charities we support to assist in their sustainability and to develop engagement with our staff. To this extent, from time to time, we invite supported charities to provide presentations to our staff. For 2019, these included International Care Ministries, KIVA, St. Giles Trust and Mission Aviation Fellowship.
The Foundation has been funded by donations from the Group. The Foundation currently holds 141,933 shares in the Company, which were generously provided to it by the Company. The additional income from dividends payable on the shares and the benefits that arise from the increase in the share price, link the performance of the Company to the resources of the Foundation.
The Foundation funds and manages our key partnerships with MSF, International Care Ministries, Family Centre, Tomorrow’s Voices and St. Giles Trust, as well as a number of smaller charities nominated by our staff. Prospective charitable organisations are asked to provide a grant application form to the staff Donations Committee, which considers their funding proposals and, if agreed, provides a recommendation to the Trustees of the Foundation for their approval to release funds accordingly. Donations Committee members and other members of staff act as advocates for the charitable organisations that the Foundation supports throughout the year.
In certain circumstances, the Foundation also sponsors charities suggested by others in our market place and, on this basis, in 2019 the Foundation supported:-
Capsicum Re Foundation
Action on Addiction