4th Oct 2021

Backing ActionFunder to fund community grassroots activity

Sir Robert McAlpine is amongst a cross-industry group of founder funders backing today’s call from ActionFunder for hundreds of businesses to set up grant programmes for local causes.

Sir Robert McAlpine, South West Water and Argent Related have joined forces with ActionFunder, a new platform which makes it easier and quicker than ever for firms to channel funds to community grassroots activity that matter to their business, people and customers.

Businesses are already giving £2.7bn to charities in England and Wales each year but small and micro charities receive only 2% of this amount with most going to bigger charity brands. ActionFunder is tapping into a growing desire among businesses of all sizes to do more to support these smaller charities as well as small community initiatives whose role in tackling the climate crisis and growing inequality has been spotlighted during the Covid pandemic.  

Sir Robert McAlpine is amongst a cross-industry group of founder funders backing today’s call from ActionFunder for hundreds of businesses to set up grant programmes for local causes during the next three months following launch. During the platform’s pilot phase around 650 projects have come forward seeking support with thousands more charitable and community projects now joining. ActionFunder will draw upon an existing register of charitable organisations curated by Semble, the B Corp behind the platform. £350,000 has been committed during the site’s four month-long beta trial period.

ActionFunder’s ‘tech for good’ matching functionality helps businesses quickly find relevant projects that meet their giving preferences with attributes including geography and cause areas mapped according to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Businesses get an impact report, images and video content from grantees through the platform within weeks of project completion.

Over the past few months, founder funder Sir Robert McAlpine has funded around 40 projects through ActionFunder in communities near its construction sites across eight UK locations.

ActionFunder’s trial phase has generated interest from professional services firms, companies with a network of local offices, family-owned businesses and foundations looking to deliver on their local environmental and social commitments without needing specialist in-house resource.

ActionFunder is a virtual funding agent for community groups and small charities enabling them to pitch, just once, for consideration by many companies. The platform provides a video pitching feature as an alternative to a written application form, enabling voluntary sector leaders to convey the passion and demand driving their charitable project. ActionFunder levies a 5% fee on funds.

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