Charities supporting people facing financial hardship in the Dartmouth area are being encouraged to apply for funding through the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundations fund.

The 'Small Change Big Difference Fund' provides donations of £250 to £2,500 to registered charities offering urgent support to people experiencing financial hardship. It prioritises charities that deliver immediate relief, such as access to food, emergency essentials or crisis support, helping local groups respond quickly to rising need in their communities. 

Yorkshire Building Society members and colleagues can also nominate charities they believe are making a difference in their communities.

Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation is funded through the Small Change Big Difference scheme, where the Society’s members donate the pennies from the interest on their accounts just once a year to help smaller charities around the UK. 

Since the scheme began in 1999, the Fund has donated more than £10 million to charities across the UK. Last year alone, 237 charities benefited from £378,000 in donations from the Fund. 

Launching the call for nominations, Neil Irving, Trustee of Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation, said: “Every day, we see the difference charities make in communities up and down the country when they can respond quickly to someone in financial crisis.

“By focusing our support on organisations providing urgent relief, we are helping to strengthen the financial resilience of the communities we serve.

“We know there are so many charities doing vital work, and so we’re encouraging our members to put forward charities they know are making a difference in their communities.

“It’s a way the Society’s members can give back to their communities, and we’re grateful to all those who choose to donate the pence of their interest – their small change really does make a big difference.”

Vicky Cooper-Pring, manager at Yorkshire Building Society’s Dartmouth branch, said: “As a branch team, we see first-hand how much need there is in our local area, and how hard charities work to support people in difficult financial circumstances.

“We’d really encourage our members to nominate a charity they feel deserves a helping hand from the Small Change Big Difference Fund.”

Nominations can be made by any of Yorkshire Building Society’s 3 million members online at any time or in branch for those unable to access the form digitally. Submissions are reviewed quarterly, with deadlines on 30 June, 30 September and 31 December.

The foundation is particularly keen to hear about smaller charities or organisations working within the community with an income below £100,000 and for those operating in areas of deprivation.

To be eligible, charities must be registered with the appropriate charity regulator, have beneficiaries in the UK, be nominated by a Society member or colleague, and must not have received a donation from the Foundation in the past two years. Applications that do not meet the published criteria cannot be considered. 

For more information or to make a nomination, visit the website here: www.ybs.co.uk/your-society/charitable-foundation.