The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation need your help. They are raising money specifically to help Hampshire charities and community groups, and with an uncertain future ahead for many of them the Foundation, is keen not to lose £350,000 that is available as matched funding money from the government

If you have already supported small charities and community groups through the Community Foundation then we thank you for your support.  If you haven’t yet supported this campaign then we ask you to read the information below and consider making a donation, we understand that not everyone will be able to help us financially but can we ask you all to please send this email onto to as many of your contacts as possible and as quickly as possible because time is running out and we need to ask as many people across the County to support this campaign.

RACE AGAINST TIME FOR HAMPSHIRE’S £350,000

It’s a race against the clock for the Hampshire & IOW Community Foundation to stop thousands of pounds from being lost to Hampshire community groups and charities, and returning to central government on the 31st March 2010.  The Community Foundation is appealing to businesses and individuals from across Hampshire asking them to donate whatever they can, so that this can be used to access the £350,000 matched funding money as part of the Grassroots Endowment Fund.

If the Community Foundation can raise the £350,000 it will be doubled to £700,000 to provide long term support for small charities and community groups across Hampshire who may be facing a difficult time ahead. If the money isn’t raised then the £350,000 match funding will have to be returned to the treasury.

Well known TV personality Alan Titchmarsh MBE and Ambassador for the Community Foundation said: “Donations can be made from as little as £5 or into the thousands. Every pound donated is matched by the government and it would be a great pity if we were not able to double whatever’s raised for the help and support of people in our communities. The deadline of the 31st March is looming fast and our target is £350,000.”

Richard Cooper, Director of Hampshire based The Source Young People’s Charity told the Community Foundation: “Your help has meant that we can plug some vital holes in our projects like café activities for young people and even providing their food, this would often be the only cooked meal they’ll have in the week.  

Toni Shaw, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation said “these grants can make a real difference to the quality of local people’s lives and it’s really easy to donate, simply click the link below:

http://www.thebiggive.org.uk/project.php?project_id=6868

For more information and to download your FOREVER HAMPSHIRE Logo to use on your own website and/or Facebook simply visit www.hantscf.org.uk and click on the FOREVER HAMPSHIRE banner.

If you are on Facebook click here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=338168521967

Many thanks for all your support.

Toni Shaw
Chief Executive Officer
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Community Foundation
Sun Alliance House
Wote Street
Basingstoke
RG21 1LU
email: toni@hantscf.org.uk
www.hantscf.org.uk

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Community Foundation is a registered charity, number 1100417.

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales, number 4534462