In his first blog as Chief Executive, Julian Caddy reflects on his early weeks at Sussex Community Foundation.

I am delighted to join Sussex Community Foundation as it celebrates its twentieth anniversary – and what an incredible first few weeks it has been.

One of my first actions as CEO has been to sign off £682,909 of grants to organisations across the region. The range of activities and projects is as diverse as Sussex itself, and it made me quite emotional to read through the applications and approve the payments. It was the perfect start to my time in post and the best way to get to grips with how essential the Foundation is, as well as the dedicated staff and board team who keep things going behind the scenes.

Meeting the community foundation network

I also had the privilege to meet over 40 community foundation CEOs from across the UK and beyond, brilliantly hosted by UK Community Foundations. It gave me the chance to better understand the sheer scale of the movement and the challenges we all face. One key takeaway was that community foundations are one of the largest funders in UK after the National Lottery, so that helps contextualise things.

The power of community

Community is at the heart of what we do. It’s in our name and our ethos. We exist because of the communities we serve, just as much as our local communities benefit from the funding and advice we provide.

We also earn the trust of donors and partners across the region, together making the best use of their funds and ensuring these are distributed where they are most needed. We are, and must build our position as, an agent for meaningful, long-term change and the job is never done.

Therefore, as I start at Sussex Community Foundation, I would like to hear from you, learn from your experiences, and make the best use of the unique position the Foundation finds itself in.

Looking ahead

Over the coming months, I will be visiting as many people and organisations as possible, learning about what we do well and where we need to improve: understanding the needs of both those that seek our help and, crucially, working with people and organisations who generously donate, both now and in the future.

One key challenge is that the need for support is currently far outpacing our ability to provide for it. Only 32% of applications were successful, so this is something we need to address urgently.

In an increasingly uncertain world, our role is all the more vital. I will be working tirelessly to build Sussex Community Foundation into an even stronger position, to meet the growing needs and help make Sussex the best it can be, both now and in the future.

And I can’t wait.