The Foundation has joined forces with Newcastle-based venture capital firm Northstar Ventures to launch round two of its Fresh Ideas Fund and has £500,000 to invest in community projects across the region.

Now, it is urging organisations, which need financial support to help them explore new opportunities, enable them to grow in size, increase their impact and improve their long-term sustainability, to apply to the Fresh Ideas Fund. The Fund will provide successful applicants with up to £50,000 to fund a feasibility study, apply for expert, specialist advice and cover start-up costs. A mentor from Northstar Ventures will also be on hand at each step of the way with expert advice and support.

To be successful, a Fresh Ideas application needs to be for a project in Northern Rock Foundation’s core areas of interest and to look at new and innovative ways of generating income or offering a new service.

Successful applicants from the first round of grants included Durham company Tin Arts, who deliver a wide range of arts and cultural programmes including dance activities for young people and adults with learning  disabilities; Reap and Sow Ltd which is looking at a project test marketing a social enterprise that reduces re-offending by providing work opportunities for offenders and DAWN, a successful social enterprise in Northumberland which is hoping to roll out a low cost, high quality law practice in the town.

Richard Walton, Programme Manager for Northern Rock Foundation, said: “The key objective is to support leaders and enable them to develop new ideas. Whether it be to develop a new social enterprise, bid for a new contract in a new area, develop and market a new training programme, build a partnership with a new charity or completely remodel an existing service – the Fresh Ideas Fund will enable organisations to take those ideas to the next stage.”

Dr Michelle Cooper, Investment Manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “In this rapidly changing environment charitable organisations need to be innovative in order to flourish.”

Charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises wanting to apply to the Fresh Ideas Fund can do so via the Northern Rock Foundation’s website at www.nr-foundation.org.uk. The deadline for expressions of interest is June 29, 2012.

For further information, or to arrange pictures or interviews, please contact HFPR Ltd on 0191 285 7100.

Addaction was founded in 1967 to work with people in the criminal justice system who have misused drugs and alcohol and offers rehabilitation, not only to them but also to their families. Now, thanks to a grant of £133,978 from the Northern Rock Foundation, it is able to expand its service to operate throughout County Durham.

Addaction hopes to help around 120 families in the county, who are struggling with the effects of drink or drug abuse and dealing with the stigma of having a family member in prison, in the coming year alone. Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of Addaction, said: “There is a clear demand in Durham for the services we provide and this project has been a long time in the planning. We are very grateful to the Northern Rock Foundation, with which we’ve had a strong relationship for some years, for helping us put those plans into action.”

Northern Rock’s grant to Addaction was one of 15 grants, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards. It was match funded by The Zurich Community Trust, a charity which works to support a range of local, national and overseas charities and voluntary organisations. Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “The Foundation has been working with Addaction and the Zurich Foundation for quite a while to set up this project in Durham. We are very pleased that the Zurich Foundation has match funded our £133,978 grant, bringing new funding for this work into our region, and that families who are living in the shadow of drug and alcohol abuse will be able to receive the support they so clearly need. We also welcome Durham Drug and Alcohol Service’s commitment to funding the service in the future.”

Silksworth not-for-profit organisation, Sunderland Area Parent Support, was established in 2007 to help the families and friends of people struggling with drug and alcohol addictions, by providing practical advice along with emotional support. The £65,000 grant it received from the Foundation, in its latest round of awards to charities and good causes throughout the region, will help to fund a Project Manager for the next three years.

In addition, Northern Rock Foundation awarded £64,603 to a charity, which supports families through emotionally difficult situations such as divorce, domestic violence and abuse. Impact Family Services, at West Sunniside, is a not-for-profit organisation – the grant from the Foundation will fund its work in child contact centres with mothers who have experienced domestic abuse.

The grants were among 15, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards. Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “Having a family member with a drug or alcohol addiction can place an enormous strain on the rest of the family, with grandparents and also mothers in particular often bearing the brunt of chaotic and sometimes violent behaviour. SAPS is a front-line organisation with carers and their families at the heart of what they do. We have supported the organisation since 2008 and helped it to grow and develop. We are also very aware of the emotional damage domestic abuse can cause to families and have been very impressed by the work Impact has undertaken to reach and support families who might otherwise fall through the cracks.”

For press information contact Hilary Florek 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624 email hilary@hilaryflorekpr.co.uk

Manna House, at Aynam Road, Kendal, helps homeless people who are not eligible for statutory help from the local council. These are mostly single men but the charity is also increasingly helping homeless young people.

Two full-time and two part-time staff currently work with around 65 people who are either homeless or living in temporary and supported accommodation, offering skills training in areas such as gardening along with advice sessions and a drop-in facility.

Manna House has also founded the Café Manna, at Stricklandgate and a fashion outlet specialising in environmentally-friendly garments, where homeless people learn practical skills to improve their job prospects.

After receiving the cash in the Foundation’s latest round of awards to charities and good causes throughout the region, the organisation hopes to move to bigger premises within Kendal and to ultimately buy a property it can convert into accommodation, for people who would otherwise be homeless.

The grant, which will be awarded over three years, will also help fund staff to provide skills training and advice.

Jonathan Brook, director of Manna House, said: “Unfortunately, there are no hostels for homeless people in our area. When they come to us, we see if they qualify for council accommodation and, if not, we try to find them somewhere else to live. If we can give them the skills and training they need to get a job then they can either rent privately or pay for bed and breakfast accommodation.”

The grant was one of 15 grants, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards.

Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “Homelessness is a problem in South Lakeland . Many houses are second homes or holiday lets and affordable accommodation is very scarce. Manna House is a good organisation running a busy resource providing a range of support to very vulnerable people. Our funding will help to ensure its future over the next few years.”

For press information contact Hilary Florek 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624 email hilary@hilaryflorekpr.co.uk

My Sister’s Place (MSP), at Borough Road, is a specialist service set up to provide legal advice and support to women aged 16 and over who have experienced domestic abuse. As well as helping women deal with issues such as legal processes, personal safety, debt, housing problems, immigration difficulties and child contact issues, it is also committed to campaigning and raising the awareness of domestic violence, providing multi-agency training across the borough.

Middlesbrough has twice the national average level of domestic abuse per head of population and referrals to MSP are rising. The Foundation’s grant, which will be awarded over three years, will help to fund the costs of a service manager for the organisation.
Becky Rogerson, Director at My Sister’s Place, said: “We are about to celebrate our 10th anniversary and Northern Rock Foundation has been a huge support to us from the start.”

Northern Rock Foundation has been working in the area of violence against women since 2000 and recently commissioned national research to look at the funding of these services and on cuts to services. The report highlighted that, across the country, budget cuts are leading to cuts in services which support women facing domestic abuse violence at a time when demand for such services is increasing.

Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “This is a valued service which has built up an excellent reputation and won national awards for its work. It provides an essential service for high risk victims of domestic abuse. The grant to My Sister’s Place was one of 15, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards.”

To download the report on cuts to the violence against women and girls sector please click here.

For press information contact Hilary Florek 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624 email hilary@hilaryflorekpr.co.uk

Hexham-based SixtyEightyThirty, which takes its name from the last six digits of its telephone number, was established in 2003 and has grown steadily since then, supporting 180 women and their children last year alone. Along with offering practical and emotional support and advice SixtyEightyThirty also runs a number of courses aimed at helping domestic abuse victims recover their self-esteem and re-build their lives.

The grant, of £75,632 will help fund the salary of the organisation’s co-ordinator and was one of 15, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards.

Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “It is easy to look at an area as picturesque and affluent as Tynedale and assume domestic abuse isn’t going to be a major problem, but the women SixtyEightyThirty supports describe harrowing scenarios of extreme isolation and abuse.The Foundation has supported the organisation since 2005 as part of its programme to support people who experience domestic abuse and to reduce the incidence and impact of this crime.”

Georgie Cruddas, Chief Executive at SixtyEightyThirty, said: “The Northern Rock Foundation has a real understanding of what we do. We are a very small, very specialized charity aiming to raise awareness and challenge attitudes around domestic abuse. Their funding has been absolutely vital. Without it, the consistency of care we provide to women and children would have been jeopardized. However, their generosity means that we are able to continue our vital work”.

For press information contact Hilary Florek 0191 285 7100 or 07831 552624 email hilary@hilaryflorekpr.co.uk

The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company, at Swinburne Street, Gateshead, runs a wide programme of events and activities, from workshops to theatrical productions, in which learning disabled company members research, devise and create performances and workshops taking their work to a wide range of audiences.

Along with its work in the North East, the Company also takes its shows on tour giving people with learning disabilities the opportunity to work locally, nationally and internationally.  The company is currently working with Brazilian partners to produce a series of events celebrating the cultures of both North East England and North East Brazil.  This project, `Boomba Down the Tyne` has been commissioned by the Unlimited programme, part of London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Its grant, of £79,452, which will be awarded over three years, will contribute to the running costs of the Company, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Geraldine Ling, Artistic Director at the Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company, said: “We are thrilled to be given this award. Northern Rock Foundation has been a great support to us over the years and this grant will really help us to move forward. The Company has 23 core members and when they take their work into the community they are great role models, their leadership proves to be a real inspiration to other people with disabilities.”

The grant was one of 15 grants, totalling more than £1m, given by the Northern Rock Foundation to charitable organisations in its latest round of awards.

Penny Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “People with learning disabilities are often seen as people with a disability first and may not be seen as people with skills and talents. This theatre company challenges those stereotypes and provides powerful role models for people with learning disabilities”

For press information, or to arrange pictures, interviews or case studies, please contact HFPR on 0191 285 7100.

SixtyEightyThirty, based in Hexham, was awarded £75,632 for salary costs. SixtyEightyThirty provide services to victims of domestic abuse across Tynedale. A grant of £80,000 was awarded to Manna House in Kendal, Cumbria towards a project providing support to homeless and vulnerable people.

Trustees awarded the following grants:

This report, commissioned by the Northern Rock Foundation and Trust for London, examines the impact of public expenditure cuts on services to prevent violence against women and girls. It showed that:

• Thirty-one percent of the funding to the domestic violence and sexual abuse sector from local authorities was cut between 2010/11 to 2011/12, a reduction from £7.8 million to £5.4 million. (Data obtained using Freedom of Information Act requests by the False Economy project, and analysed by the research team.)
• The organisations with smaller budgets from the local authorities had larger percentage budget cuts than those in receipt of larger ones: among those with local authority funding of  less than £20,000 the average cut was 70% as compared with 29% for those receiving over £100,000, between 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Data obtained using Freedom of Information Act requests by the False Economy project, and analysed by the research team.)
• 320 women, just under 9% of those seeking refuge, were turned away by Women’s Aid on a typical day in 2011 due to lack of space. (Data from surveys conducted annually by Women’s Aid of their affiliated organisations, analysed by the research team.)
• The number of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVA) has been reduced: in 2011 among 8 major IDVA service providers supporting 13,180 clients, 2 faced funding cuts of 100%, 3 cuts of 50%, 3 of 40% and 2 of 25%.(Data from a poll carried out by Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA)
• IMKAAN, who run services for women from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, report the closing of two of their six specialist refuges and cuts to local authority funding for two more. (Data from IMKAAN.)
• RESPECT services working to reform male perpetrators of domestic violence suffered budget cuts so that between 2010 and 2011 78% of services reduced the number of clients they were able to assist.(Data from RESPECT London.)
• Statutory provision, including those police and court services that involve specialised expertise, has also been reduced following funding cuts. This includes cuts in the operating levels of Domestic Abuse Officers, a unit on female genital mutilation and domestic violence courts. (Data from Home Office and Ministry for Justice.)

To download the reports please click here to visit our publications page.

Trustees awarded the following grants: