Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation was established in 1998 as a registered charity independent of YBS Group.

It is run by five trustees, two of which are colleagues at Yorkshire Building Society and three who are independent. Since it made its first donation in 1999, the Charitable Foundation has made a difference to local communities across the UK by donating over £8 million to charities and good causes nominated by our colleagues and members.

To review the annual Report and Accounts of the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation, please visit Charity Commissions Webpage

Coronavirus Response Fund

The Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation launched a Coronavirus Response Fund to help local communities cope with the impact of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. The fund has now closed and applications are being reviewed and processed. You can read more about how the fund has supported local communities here.

Charities looking for support are advised to contact their local branch or agency who may wish to nominate them for a donation from the quarterly Charitable Foundation donations.


Who does the Charitable Foundation support?

The Charitable Foundation has two priority areas:

1. Alleviating poverty
2. Improving health / saving lives

The Charitable Foundation supports these priorities by making donations of up to £2,000 to UK registered charities, recommended by the Society’s members and colleagues.

We’re proud to support beneficiaries such as children, those who are seriously ill, as well as elderly, homeless and disabled people.

Click on the map above to see details of donations we’ve recently made all over the UK.
 

See below for a great project we have recently supported:


How is the Foundation funded?

The Society’s members and colleagues largely fund the Charitable Foundation through the Society’s Small Change Big Difference® (SCBD) scheme.

The SCBD scheme invites members to donate the annual pence of interest from their savings or mortgage accounts to the Charitable Foundation. Every penny received through the scheme is used directly to help charities. Together, these small sums of money make a huge difference in the communities where our members live and work.

You can sign up by clicking the button below or by visiting your local branch.


What does the Charitable Foundation support?

The Charitable Foundation considers applications to fund specific projects and/or items that will have a positive impact to the charity’s beneficiaries.

We’re keen to support the needs of charities who may be impacted by the coronavirus crisis.  During this time we are relaxing our eligibility criteria so that donations to support running costs will be considered. We will also accept nominations of charities that have been unable to submit their annual returns to the Charity Commission this year.

Please read the full guidance notes here prior to making an application.

To be considered for a donation the charity must meet the following basic eligibility criteria:

  • Registered with the Charity Commission, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or the Scottish Charity Regulator
  • Funding will either help alleviate poverty, improve health or save lives
  • Nominated by a Yorkshire Building Society member or colleague
  • Beneficiaries in the UK
  • Have not received a YBS Charitable Foundation donation in the last 2 years
  • Annual returns submitted to the Charity Commission, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or the Scottish Charity Regulator

The following will NOT be considered:
 

  • Applications that do not fit the criteria outlined in the guidance notes
  • Charities serving only a specific sector of the community selected on the basis of political or religious grounds/advancement
  • Animal welfare charities
  • Charities with beneficiaries not in the UK
  • Community Interest Companies, community or voluntary organisations that are not registered charities


How do I make a recommendation?

All applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis by our Trustees.

The Trustees decide which applications to approve based on the need of each charity and how much funds are available. Once Trustees have reviewed all applications, we will inform the colleague or member and the charities of their decision. Donations are sent directly to successful charities at the end of each quarter.

The deadlines for applications are: 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December annually. Applications are currently being accepted and you can nominate a charity here .



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