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Greggs Foundation
Supporting children, families and communities across the UK
Founded: 1987
Charity Details
Full Name: The Greggs Foundation
Founded: 1987
Type: Corporate
Where Operates: UK wide
Headquarters: Newcastle, NE12 8BU
Charity No: 296590
History and Activities
The Greggs Foundation was founded by Ian Gregg, then chairman of Greggs plc, to support the communities in which Greggs operates. It is a grant-making charity that prides itself on “making a difference to people in need.” Since its establishment in 1987, the Foundation has awarded £25 million in grants while raising more than £1 million annually for fundraising organizations like Comic Relief and Children in Need.
As the Greggs business has grown, so too has the Foundation, extending its reach from the North East to all parts of the UK. Grantmaking is targeted at improving the lives of children, families, communities and the environment. The Foundation has five grant-making programmes. The North East Core Fund makes grants to charitable organisations in the North East, where Greggs the Bakers was founded in 1939 and where the business is headquartered. The fund supports socially disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, homeless and the disabled. The Hardship Fund makes grants of up to £150 to North East experiencing immediate financial hardship. The Local Community Project Fund makes grants of up to £2,000 to community projects across the country. Environmental Fund grants of up to £2,000 are made to support environmental projects at the grass-roots level.
The final programme area is the Breakfast Clubs scheme launched in 1999 by then chief executive Sir Michael Darrington. Darrington observed that if children attend school hungry, their ability to learn is severely diminished. The clubs provide a healthy free breakfast for children who would otherwise go hungry. Volunteers manage the clubs and the Greggs Foundation supports them. In 2017 there were 465 breakfast clubs catering for 30,342 children daily. The scheme has been expanded in some areas to provide meals during school holidays.
Philanthropy is hard-wired into the Greggs business. It all began in 1967 when Ian Gregg first organized “pie n’ peas” suppers for the elderly as a gesture of solidarity with local communities. The Greggs Foundation built on these earlier initiatives. Employees, not just management, take the lead in fundraising and as donors through payroll giving. Generosity has become a source of pleasure and pride for all those working for Greggs the Bakers.
Vital Statistics (year to 31/12/2017)
| Total Income:
| £3,456,312
|
| Voluntary Income:
| £2,540,487
|
| Investment Income:
| £431,247
|
| Employees:
| 8
|
| Total Expenditure (TE):
| £3,612,122
|
| Grants to Beneficiaries (GR):
| £3,158,236
|
| GR as % of TE:
| 87.4%
|
| Investments at Year End:
| £18,992,802
|
Website
https://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/
References
Charity Commission (2016). Greggs Foundation- Trustees’ report and financial statements, Available here (Accessed: 10/07/2018).
Greggs Foundation. (2018). Greggs Foundation- Home, Available here (Accessed: 10/07/2018).
Whitfield, G. (2018). North East Charity Awards 2018 launch to recognise the best of the region's voluntary sector, Available here (Accessed: 10/07/2018).