
All SPFL club associated charities receive £10k grant
Written By SPFL Trust Media Centre
We are delighted to announce that the SPFL Trust has now paid out £300,000 in grants to SPFL club associated charities.
Key headlines:
- £300,000 allocated to SPFL Trust eligible charities under Scottish Football United banner
- All 30 charities associated with SPFL clubs have now been issued with their £10,000 Covid-19 crisis fund grant
- Commitment comes from an anonymous donor, who was introduced to the SPFL Trust by philanthropist James Anderson, following his recent £3m+ donation
These grants were possible after the SPFL Trust received a gift totalling £625,000 inclusive of Gift Aid, by a second anonymous donor, following James Anderson’s earlier £3,125,000 gift in June. The funding is being used part of a broader initiative, Scottish Football United, a major new project to be launched later this year.
The clubs awarded funding are as follows:
Aberdeen FC Community Trust
Airdrie Community Trust
Albion Rovers Community Trust
Black and Gold Foundation (Annan Athletic)
Ayr United Football Academy
Brechin Community Football Trust SC049645
Celtic FC Foundation
Clyde Community Trust
Dundee FC in the Community Trust
Dundee United Community Trust
The Pars Foundation (Dunfermline Athletic)
East Fife Community Football Club
Falkirk Football Community Foundation
Station Park Community Trust (Forfar Athletic)
Greenock Morton Community Trust Limited
Hamilton Academical FC Community Trust
Big Hearts Community Trust (Heart of Midlothian)
Hibernian Community Foundation
Kilmarnock Community Sports Trust
Livingston West Lothian Youth Foundation
Montrose Community Trust
Motherwell FC Community Trust
Partick Thistle Charitable Trust
William Wiseman (Queens Park) SCIO
Raith Rovers Community Foundation
Rangers Charity Foundation
Ross County Foundation
St Johnstone Saints in the Community
St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation
Stranraer FC Community Trust
Club associated charities are committed to using their funding in a variety of different ways, including: upskilling staff or volunteers to meet Covid-19 protocols, helping with the socio-economic impact on the local community, and preparing for returning to activities within the community and at club stadia.
Celtic FC Foundation has been carrying out a variety of support initiatives throughout Covid-19, alongside several core services, and the funding will help them to continue the fantastic work in the local community.
A spokesperson said: “More than ever, people in our communities require a helping hand in increasingly challenging circumstances. Presently, we are providing food and essentials to those most affected in our local community, including low-income families, socially-isolated individuals, the elderly, the unemployed, the homeless, as well as frontline NHS staff. This grant will allow us to protect our core services and ensure we can maintain our ongoing response to the COVID-19 crisis”
Stranraer FC Community Trust has highlighted that the funding will be vital in helping them continue to be a central point for their local community, and in turn, help various other organisations to thrive post-covid-19.
Project officer Alan Jenkins commented: “During these unprecedented times, the outlook for all football-related activities within our community looked to be facing huge challenges.
“This fantastically generous grant given by the SPFL Trust has provided our organisation with the fundamental financial support to move forward with confidence to deliver on its objectives.
“Stranraer FC Community Trust will now be the anchor organisation that will support numerous groups and individuals, to ensure the provision of a biosecure facility which will be available to all in our community to continue participating in football.”
The Black & Gold Foundation, linked with League 2 side Annan Athletic, will use the funding to create a safe space for vulnerable groups.
Trustee Philip Jones says, “The provision of the grant from the Scottish Football United Fund will be of significant help to the Black & Gold Foundation in that it will allow us to provide a facility for office space and meeting/learning room which we have long had aspirations to provide at Galabank.
“The foundation deals with many vulnerable groups, and this facility will provide a private, safe, and secure place for these individuals to meet or carry out learning programmes on a more regular basis. We will be forever grateful for the opportunity to make good use of the grant donation.’
Further detail will follow, but in principle, Scottish Football United will bring together clubs, governing bodies, with national and local public agencies to create a focal point for future crisis planning and support. This will enable Scottish football to react and support communities quickly, and at scale.
Nicky Reid, SPFL Trust chief executive officer, commented: “The need for this funding could not be greater at this time. All 30 charities have evidenced this in their applications, and I am delighted that the funding will go towards supporting these community initiatives.
“The SPFL clubs and trusts can have a profound impact on their local community and beyond. This funding, and future Scottish Football United funding, is to help support them when times are tough, so that they can continue to support others.”