Sussex Community Foundation is pleased to be working with the Freemasons’ charity (MCF) through UK Community Foundations to support refugees from Ukraine across the country.

The £500,000 fund will be distributed to local organisations supporting the integration of Ukrainian refugees into their local communities in one or more of the following ways:

• Preparing support for refugees arriving from Ukraine
• Funding the direct delivery of services for Ukrainian refugees
• Developing longer-term support for the integration of Ukrainian refugees

Along with nine other community foundations in the UK Community Foundations network, we are participating in the project because Sussex has welcomed significant numbers of Ukrainian refugees this year.

Rosemary Macdonald, CEO of UK Community Foundations, commented:

“We are pleased to be able to distribute support to local organisations who are doing so much to welcome Ukrainians into their communities. It is the small, grassroots charities and groups that know their local areas who are best able to listen to new arrivals and help them find the resources and support that they need.”

Les Hutchinson, Chief Executive of the Freemasons’ charity, said:

“I’m very pleased we’ve been able to provide substantial assistance to Ukrainians in need across the country. There has been an unprecedented wave of support for Ukrainians from the British public but there is a great deal more that needs to be done. These are people who have left everything behind in a country suffering the effects of a devastating war and I’m proud the help Freemasons have provided has now exceeded a million pounds.”