Benefact outrank Asda and churches pocket the difference

Benefact outrank Asda and churches pocket the difference

Essential support to churches and their communities is now available through new grant-giving programmes from Ecclesiastical, Benefact Group and their charitable owner Benefact Trust.

The Building Improvement Grants programme helps protect and enhance churches and Christian buildings ­– ensuring their continued use for generations to come. The programme will support capital costs such as essential repairs and improvements, conservation and restoration and energy-efficiency measures. Also, the new Community Impact Grants Programme, which helps projects making a positive and transformative impact on lives and communities, is also now open for applications.

These initiatives come at a time when the Benefact Group has been named the UK’s third-largest corporate donor to charity, according to the Directory of Social Change – The Guide to UK Company Giving 2023/24. This has been achieved by donating all dispersible profits back to churches, charities and communities.

In fact, the Benefact Group finished higher in the rankings than corporate giants such as Vodafone Group plc, Goldman Sachs International and ASDA Stores Ltd. The group has given almost £200m to good causes since 2014 and is aiming to reach its ambitious cumulative target of giving £250m by 2025.

Mark Hews, group chief executive at Benefact Group, said: ‘Owned by a charity, here at Benefact Group all available profits go to good causes, helping to transform thousands of lives for the better. The more the group grows, the more we can give and make an even bigger difference in society.’

Their flagship Movement for Good Awards is now in its 5^th year and enables individuals to nominate their favourite charity (or charities), putting them into a draw for a chance to receive an award. This year they will be giving away over £1m in three main ways:

£1,000 draws – nominate a favourite charity at any time for the £1,000 draw. There will be three £1,000 draws this year, giving away between £120,000 and £150,000 in each.

£5,000 special draws – four themed special draws over the year, giving 10 awards of £5,000 in each. The first draw will be launching soon, so keep an eye out on their website for these limited time themed draws.

Larger Grants – These £10,000+ grants are available from July to support larger transformative projects get off the ground.

• Ecclesiastical are on stand P29 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands