In this blog, we meet one of our fundholders who has supported us through the years. Jeremy Field OBE, Co-Chief Executive at C.P.J. Field, writes about his experience as a fundholder at the Foundation.

My family has owned and managed C.P.J. Field funeral directors for 10 generations since 1690. We have always believed in playing an active role in our local community, and both my parents were very active supporters of charities. My mother, Christine, was a district and county councillor and deputy leader of West Sussex County Council. My father, Colin, was High Sheriff of in March 2008 and was subsequently made a Deputy Lieutenant.

In these roles my parents were involved in the formation of Sussex Community Foundation, attracted by the Foundation’s mission to be a lasting resource for local charities.

They were also keen to involve us, their children (Charlie, Emily and myself), in the Fund as the next generation of Fields who now run the business.

By becoming a fundholder and setting up a family endowment fund back in 2008, my family wanted to demonstrate our company’s lasting commitment to Sussex, as well as supporting inspiring local charities. Match funding from the Government’s Grassroots Endowment Challenge was an added incentive.

Over the years, the Field Family Fund has given out 44 grants across Sussex of over £138,000, and the capital is still worth £210,000.

Aims and objectives of the fund

Through our fund we aim to provide support for:

• those suffering with a terminal or chronic illness or those who have been bereaved
• young people, developing their skills and independence and fostering their community involvement
• activities for older people, to enable them to live life to the full

We’ve been so fortunate to support local groups and charities that we might not have been aware of had it not been for Sussex Community Foundation’s grant process. The structure offered by the Foundation means that our funds are working harder. In the long term they can be used to support more great causes than would have been possible if we’d simply given the money directly to local groups. 

As fundholders, our continuing aspiration is to add to the fund when we can, securing this as a channel for our family’s philanthropic efforts in the communities where we live and work for many years to come.

Jeremy Field OBE, Co-Chief Executive at C.P.J. Field

Visit their website here

Read the story from one of the groups we support through the Field Family Fund:

Befriended

Find out more about charitable giving with Sussex Community Foundation or contact our Philanthropy team for an informal chat.