Funding futures

Making a lasting difference to local communities

We have always considered it our responsibility to help the communities around us, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is part of our broader vision to create successful places that are a pleasure to live, work and spend time in.

In the four years leading up to 2009, we contributed over £500,000 to the Capital Community Foundation through our Capital Commitment Fund – money which has been used to help over 100 groups in Westminster, Southwark, Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets. These grants make a big difference, but we were keen to find a way to make our support both more targeted and more sustainable over the long term. The Westminster Fund is a result of that thinking.

It comes as a response to the Grassroots Grants programme, launched by the Office of the Third Sector in 2008 to encourage private donors to make contributions and establish endowment funds for community projects. Working in partnership with the Capital Community Foundation and Westminster City Council, we became the founding donor of the Westminster Fund in 2009. Our donation of £150,000 has been matched by government funding, creating a total endowment of £300,000. As that fund grows over the years, the interest will pay for a range of charitable activities, providing a secure source of investment for years to come.

This is a new, more strategic model for corporate giving that appeals to us for three reasons. Firstly, it ensures a legacy of sustainable and growing support for the long term, rather than simply on a project-by-project basis. Secondly, it encourages collaboration and community involvement. We're inviting more companies, local residents and private investors to contribute to the fund, because everyone has a stake in a stronger local community.

Thirdly, it allows us to contribute in a way that matches our funding priorities, targeting the areas where we believe we can make a real difference. We have a long-standing relationship with the City of Westminster – as well as being our partners, they are also our tenants at Westminster City Hall. Together, we have agreed to focus the funding on projects benefiting young people, particularly those not in education, employment or training (known as NEETs). We will also fund important education and training projects with a focus on increased employability, as well as backing homelessness projects to break the downward spiral of deprivation.

In our role as a property manager, we work with many major companies and retailers, all of whom have much to contribute to the cause of education, training and employment – as well as much to gain from a better employment market and a more close-knit local community. We're excited to be pioneering this new model of corporate giving and look forward to it bearing fruits in years to come.

“The fund will be sustainable, as money produced from interest from an endowment will be invested as charitable donations. The government has also matched our donation, which means the endowment will be in place to help the people of Westminster for many years to come." Anna Chapman, Head of Marketing London Portfolio, Land Securities