Customer Donation Fund
Supporting local communities
For every £100 increase in collective balances held in Community Directplus accounts, we will add 20p to the Customer Donation Fund, with a minimum of £5,000 being awarded twice a year. To date, we have supported over a thousand organisations, with over £935,000 of funding provided to a whole range of projects. In 2020, our Customer Donation Fund contributed almost £100,000 of funding to support 105 community projects, to help with their on-going work in their local communities during the pandemic.
Apply for the Customer Donation Fund
All Community Directplus account holders can apply for up to £1000 from the Customer Donation Fund to support special projects and fundraising activities. The closing dates for applications are March and September, and they will then be assessed in April and October. We will notify you of the outcome of your application. Apply using the form below.
Not a Community Directplus customer?
Our Community Directplus current account gives registered charities, community interest companies, co-operatives and credit unions an ethical way to bank for free.
Toy Library Project by Purple Elephant Productions
Frome’s Toy Library gives children in Somerset access to an exciting range of toys, games and books and encourages social inclusion through twice weekly stay and play sessions. The Customer Donation Fund is helping Purple Elephant Productions to expand the library and reach even more families in Frome and the surrounding villages.
Feeding communities with Café Abundance
Café Abundance is a social enterprise that operates pop-up ‘waste food’ cafes in South East Cornwall. Jemma Morgan told us more about the project and how a Customer Donation Fund grant has allowed them to feed even more people in their communities.
Growing Together at Trust Links
Growing Together is a therapeutic community garden project run by independent charity Trust Links in South East Essex. Matt King, CEO of Trust Links, tells us about how the project is changing lives and helping to build sustainable communities.
The Big Sunflower Project
The Big Sunflower Project is a positive and inclusive scheme that raises awareness of rare neuromuscular conditions by linking patients and their families to nature. Toni Abram who started the initiative tells us about the project and how a donation from The Co-operative Bank’s Customer Donation Fund has helped to secure its future.
Haringey Shed Theatre Project
Haringey Shed is an inclusive theatre and performing arts company for children and young people that gives every young person a part to play and where everyone is valued and respected. Jim Shepley, Executive Director of this very special performing arts group, tells us about the difference the donation from The Co-operative Bank’s Customer Donation Fund has made.
Patchwork Community Gardening Project
Patchwork Community Gardening Group in Bristol brings together a group of local people who hate to see a useful bit of land go to waste. They meet regularly to turn neglected patches of land into community gardens. Laura from the group told us about how a donation from the Co-operative Bank Customer Donation Fund in 2017 has helped their community orchard to flourish.
River of Flowers Project
With millions of hectares of flower-rich grassland having been lost in the UK, River of Flowers is on a mission to establish "rivers" of pollinator-friendly native wildflowers within urban landscapes across the UK. Kathryn from this non-profit social enterprise told us about a new project the organisation is funding through a donation from The Co-operative Bank's Customer Donation Fund.
Stitches in Time Project
Stitches In Time is a community led visual arts and textiles organisation established in Tower Hamlets in 1993. They work within schools and community locations throughout London and the UK. Katie Adkins, Director of Enterprise and Outreach, told us how a donation from the Co-operative Bank Customer Donation Fund helped them to buy vital equipment.
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