Trustees Appointed to Tackle Inequality and Drive Success for Communities

Six new board members have been recruited to lead the newly formed Bradford District Community Foundation (BDCF) operating under the banner of GiveBradford.

Sasha Bhat, Steve Hartley, Amjid Hussain, Azim Kidwai, Sharon Orr, and Roohi Collins join existing Acting Chair, Craig Burton. They will act as trustees for BDCF and oversee the work of GiveBradford.

GiveBradford, launched in 2017 by Leeds Community Foundation distributed over £1.5m in grants and support for local communities across the District, in 2020/21. Key to the success of GiveBradford has been the development of strong partnerships and regular consultation with Community Organisations and key partners.

Just some of our key programmes providing investment into grassroots groups include; The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation Fund, Sir Ken and Lady Morrison Fund, Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s Youth Fund, Provident Financial’s Manjit Wolstenholme Fund, Power to Change and B G Campbell’s Keighley Community Health Grants and Pears Foundation Fund.

The last 12 months has also seen the launch of emergency funds including the GiveBradford Resilience Fund, which provided funding to local charities in response to Covid-19, and The No Child Cold Campaign, working with a variety of cross-sector partners to tackle inequality head-on.

Steph Taylor, the executive lead for GiveBradford said, “In 2012 the BDCF charity ran out of funds, was made dormant and transferred to Leeds Community Foundation which agreed to establish a fund for Bradford. Both charity’s boards have decided to make BDCF active again after a legacy gift was left for the benefit of communities across Bradford: thus providing resource for Bradford to set up independently, while maintaining the income streams and expertise and regional opportunities provided by remaining linked to Leeds Community Foundation.

“It’s been a year of great challenge and opportunity for GiveBradford. As the largest independent funder in the district, we knew we had a role to play in securing and distributing funds quickly to where they could make the most impact and our ability to do this with local people at the forefront really came under the spotlight. I’m proud to say that this year we’ve distributed more funds than ever before, reached new community groups addressing inequalities across the district and made great progress against our aim to provide wherever possible unrestricted, flexible funding.”

Azim Kidwai said, “I am sure my fellow trustees would agree that we are all unanimously ambitious in our desire to create opportunities for all across the District. Building on the amazing work of GiveBradford, since its launch over 4 years ago, we look forward to providing strong governance that maintains the foundation’s independence, supporting the team to attract both philanthropic and statutory investment, and raising awareness of GiveBradford across our diverse and vibrant communities.

“I am proud and excited about the future of GiveBradford; its ability to provide a deeper understanding of need and direct funding to where it is needed, supporting thousands of people across the District.“