CHARITY
EREMY RAPHAELY had always volunteered for charities alongside his career, so when he was due to retire five years ago, he spoke to local groups to see if there was anything he could do for them. He discovered something important – that while charities in the area needed support, local residents and businesses had no idea they existed. People in Kensington and Chelsea were often very generous to national charities but, being in a wealthy area, assumed no one nearby needed their help. In fact, the borough is one of extreme contrasts, with some parts among the UK’s most deprived. So Jeremy started the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation, which matches donors with local charities. “The two sides really needed each other but there was no bridge between them,” he explains. “So we set up the foundation in September 2008 to try and bridge that gap between local residents, local businesses and local charities. And it’s worked quite well since then.” That’s rather an understatement – the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation has raised about £1.45 million for around 50 local charities since it was founded. Around 1,200 donors have given their support. “I disclaim credit for this, because it’s an idea whose time was right,” says Jeremy. “In many cases when we talk to local residents or local businesses, it’s like pushing at an open door – they’re only too keen to find out about the local scene and are very supportive of it.” The foundation usually finds a charity working in an area the donor has a particular interest in – homelessness, for example – or picks an organisation close enough for the donor to walk to, so they can see the impact of their money. The foundation also raises its own admin costs, so 100 per cent of the money donated to charities gets to them. It also has a business-like approach to how the grants will be spent. “We don’t invite charities to apply for money from us – we are proactive in the grants we give,” says Jeremy. “By being out there in the community talking to all the charities, we can identify where there are charities doing the best work in the field that our donor is interested in. So we go to the charities and offer support, in return for which they
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The New Horizons Summer Party
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