To mark the anniversary, the Foundation is highlighting a range of organisations through our 20 Voices campaign, celebrating the people and projects making a difference across Sussex.
Over the coming weeks, the campaign will spotlight 20 charities, donors and partners whose stories demonstrate the impact local giving has had across Sussex.
“The Foundation has reached an exceptional milestone by giving more than £40 million in grants over the last 20 years. It demonstrates the incredible impact local giving can have on local lives and I'm confident that impact will continue for the next 20 years and beyond.”
The organisation was founded by the late 10th Duke of Richmond and Gordon, who felt that Sussex needed a community foundation to support smaller charities who are often overlooked.
“Twenty years ago, my father established Sussex Community Foundation with a simple but powerful belief: that local people could make an extraordinary difference to the neighbourhoods around them, if only they were given the means to do so. Looking back now, it is extraordinary to see just how far that vision has come.”
Reaching Families, which supports parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the county, is one of the charities supported by the Foundation.
It provides support groups, training and benefits advice, as well as guidance for families navigating diagnoses and assessment pathways, all free of charge.
Hannah Delmar-Addy, outreach and training manager at Reaching Families, said: “Funding is essential for us. If we didn’t have funding, we wouldn’t be here.
“We offer all our services to families for free, and that’s incredibly important because many are on low incomes. Funding allows us to expand our reach and make sure support is accessible to those who need it most.”
The support from Sussex Community Foundation has enabled Reaching Families to grow from three support groups to six locations across West Sussex, develop new services including neurodevelopmental navigation and helping families access approximately £3.2 million in benefits support in the last year.
“Sussex Community Foundation has been alongside us right from the concept of Reaching Families through to where we are today. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible to do what we do,” added Hannah.
Another group the Foundation supports is Common Cause, a social enterprise running the Lewes House Garden Project which brings together people experiencing isolation, anxiety and depression through gardening and nature.
The project encourages people to create a community space to improve their wellbeing.
Anne-Marie Bur, project lead at Common Cause, said: “We’ve had people who were severely depressed and unable to work who have been able to go back to work, or others who have chosen to go into horticulture as a career.
“For many people who were spending a lot of time on their own, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be in a friendly group and expand their social connections.”
Funding from the Foundation has enabled people to transform the historic Lewes House garden, make the town a more biodiverse place, and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of gardening.
Anne-Marie added: “We couldn't do what we do without this support. Sussex Community Foundation has backed us consistently over the years, allowing the project to grow and continue helping people. We're incredibly grateful because, quite simply, we couldn't do it without them."
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