CONNECTING AND GROWING MILTON KEYNES FOR 30 YEARS ANNUAL REVIEW 15/16 In the past 8 years, our fund has grown to £163,495, we’ve awarded 21 grants totalling £17,489, supporting 19 community Supporting over projects, helping 7,072 people. Last year alone our fund was able to provide over £5,100 of support and this will continue for 100,000* people years to come. We proudly support the Community Foundation in all they do, making MK a great place to live and work. As Chair I hope to raise a year in Milton awareness of this work, inspiring local businesses and individuals to support their Community Foundation in changing lives in MK. Keynes As MK Community Foundation celebrates thirty years of helping our community develop, please think about what you and your family or business can do for the future of Milton Keynes. There I’m thrilled to introduce myself as the Chair of are still many more issues that we need to address, many of which MK Community Foundation, having supported we’ve highlighted in our Vital Signs reports. Two in five children in MK Community Foundation myself since 1996 some of our estates live in poverty, homelessness is at an all-time through my business, David Lock Associates. high and hospital stays for self-harm are 15% higher than the national average. Please continue to help us tackle these issues to support local people who aren’t benefiting as much from our city’s I’d like to thank you, our donors, for sharing your success with success. those who are less fortunate in our community, helping make £17,489 Milton Keynes a better place to live, work and raise a family. Thank you for playing your part in Because of your support local charities thrive, with over 100,000* helping the whole of our people benefiting from our grants programmes and property subsidies each year. community succeed. You are MK Community Foundation, and we can only continue Our fund has grown to Two in five children in some our important work because of you. Thanks to your trust in us £163,495, we’ve awarded of our estates live in poverty, to look after your donations and endowments, we can support groups to help people in our community flourish. 21 grants totalling £17,489, homelessness is at an all time As town planners and urban design consultants building new communities, David Lock Associates joined MK Community supporting 19 community high and hospital stays for self Foundation as corporate members 20 years ago, initially donating projects, helping 7,072 harm are 15% higher than the £900 a year. In 2008 we pledged to increase our support for the Community Foundation, as we felt that the charity’s model people. national average. of helping new communities develop and thrive met our core objectives as a business and we could do more. Whilst this was a pressing time economically we decided that if we didn’t support this important local work we couldn’t expect our own projects across the UK to thrive. Our team pledged to donate £1,000 a month to The David Lock Associates Fund, an endowment fund set up to help local organisations in perpetuity, with grants made each year from the interest raised by the fund. 15% Lawrence Revill Chair MK Community Foundation *Based on figures provided by grant recipients MK Community Foundation Annual Review 2015/16 | 1 Julia collecting her award at the Women Leaders Awards Dinner Julia Upton MBE Chief Executive 1997-2016 It has been a privilege to have led the Community Foundation as I am passionate about Milton Keynes and the people who make our community. There are many inspirational “I’ve had the joy and pleasure people with commitment to develop and deliver amazing projects which help people live to work with many inspirational life to the full, including people whose people who together have made organisations are responding to the increased MK Community Foundation the diversity of our new city, which contributes so much to our community’s vibrancy. success it is today.” Our role as a grant maker and owners of activity. We secured money which the In 1997 it was thrilling to support large capital Creating legacy funds has been a way of in a spirit of openness, sharing best practice I’ve had the joy and pleasure to work with property is to support voluntary and Government made available to develop projects which continue to have an impact on acknowledging the contribution of people, and demonstrating that we are stronger many inspirational people who together have community sector activity, so they innovate philanthropy, and in 2015 we were the lives of those with a range of disabilities, including the first Chief Executive of the together. made MK Community Foundation the success and respond to the many needs, to have a acknowledged as being the leading community including Camphill the community for adults Community Foundation, Tim Hill and his wife it is today, providing £1.7 million of support to It was a wonderful surprise to receive the positive and long term impact on local lives. foundation in England securing an additional living with learning disabilities, the new MK Theresea. We also have memorial funds in the local charities and community groups last year. Outstanding Contribution to Milton Keynes £3.129M to match donors’ contributions, Theatre, for state of the art disability access. name of Fred Roche, Edward Hurley and This is a legacy I am truly proud of, having been Building on the grant we secured in 2005 to award at the inaugural Women Leaders creating more permanent funds. Both these capital projects were funded by one Christopher Hopkinson. part of a movement enabling local people to develop Acorn House into a hub for the Awards dinner in November 2015, an award in of our donors, the Powell Foundation. share one another’s successes, helping our voluntary and community sector, I was In understanding the needs of our community, Partnerships are now part of the Community April 2016 from Citizens:mk for Outstanding community thrive. thrilled when we purchased the sister building I like to think I leave behind a legacy through In 2014 the Powell Foundation trustees Foundation’s DNA. By working together we Contribution to MK Community, The in 2012 to greatly enhance our offer to the the Vital Signs research project, which is now entrusted us with all their assets which we extend our expertise and reach – and I Principal’s Partnership Award for Outstanding I look forward to seeing my successor Ian community and rename the building after one in its fourth year of reporting on the health of were able to match from the Government sincerely thank The Open University, Sports Partnership with MK College in May 2016 and Revell developing the work of the Community of most generous philanthropists, Margaret Milton Keynes as a place to live and work. scheme to increase philanthropy. Creating the Aid, LEAP, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes City then to have been awarded an MBE in this Foundation, supporting the community sector Powell. We continue to develop our property Our research findings, particularly on child Margaret Powell Foundation Fund means this Orchestra, MK College, The Parks Trust, year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. in Milton Keynes, our home, our community so that it leads and responds to the many poverty, reinforced our commitment to achieve endowment generates in the region of £250K Bletchley Park, Community Action: MK, MK and our future. However, the success of the Community changes in our city. accreditation as a Living Wage employer. every year to support great projects. In 2015 Dons SET, The Christian Foundation, Age UK Foundation is thanks to the many wonderful In 2013, I suggested Milton Keynes should Margaret’s nephew agreed to spend the Milton Keynes, Sport MK, YMCA Milton We are leaders in developing philanthropy in people who have supported us over the years, think big, and become a Living Wage City by growth of the fund, to contribute £311K Keynes, and many others for their willingness our community and engaging with people who so I thank all the trustees, honorary members, working in partnership with the Living Wage towards MK Gallery’s expansion and to say ‘yes’ when we are striving to do more have the ability to give money – individuals, community representatives, staff and the Foundation and Citizens:mk. development to create additional facilities and to enter into a relationship of transparency families and companies, so that we can fund a voluntary and community sector for their for people with disabilities. and trust. I also wish to thank my colleagues Julia Upton MBE wide range of voluntary and community sector great work and all our generous donors who throughout the network of Community make it possible. Chief Executive Foundations and UK Community Foundation, as over the years we have worked strategically, 2 | MK Community Foundation Annual Review 2015/16 | 3 £20 million invested in the community Kids Run Free received over 30 years £1,720 to set up fun, running based activities for children in their local parks and schools. From humble beginnings in 1986 when Since 1986 grant making and support we awarded three grants totalling for the community has risen steadily, £4,662, we’ve provided over £20 with 251 grants being awarded this year. £1.7 million of support has been awarded to million of support to local organisations local charities and community groups in our and voluntary groups making MK a community this year thanks to your support.