A £1m fund that could be used for the benefit of local community and voluntary organisations was launched today by Engage Mutual, the Harrogate-based provider of life and health insurance and savings products.
At a well-attended event at Harrogate Community House, which included The Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Cllr Mike Newby, the mutual announced that its £1m Engage Foundation was ready to accept applications for community projects from its customers.
Chief executive, Peter Burrows explained: Often it is the smaller community charities and groups that have the greatest need for funding but don’t have the resources to access it or raise awareness of their great work. From previous community work we know that providing funding to help such organisations can make a huge impact on the lives of local people.
Peter was keen to stress that although the Engage Foundation is accessed by customers, that local community organisations should be aware of the potential it presents. Customers nominate projects but the voting to determine which projects win funding is open to everyone. Two community awards of £25,000 are available every year, alongside 15 awards of £5,000.
Peter continued: We have half a million customers across the UK, with more than 2,000 of them based in Harrogate, so this area is very important to us in terms of customer representation.
Engage Mutual’s customers have played a key role in shaping the Foundation and will continue to be integral to its ongoing development and running. The Foundation also offers personal grants to customers and those close to them for when a helping hand is needed to make things better.
The mutual, which is known for its simple, accessible range of products, has a strong track record in supporting its local community. Its chief executive acknowledged that although its financial strength and success made the Foundation possible, its customers had been instrumental in influencing the increase in scope and scale of the financial help it can make available:
Peter concluded: We wouldn’t have got to this momentous point without our customers and their communities. They play an incredibly important role in showing how a little bit of support can make things better for a large number of people.
For further information please visit www.engagemutual.com/foundation