"I wanted to create an endowment that would last in perpetuity and help the community of Southend indefinitely into the future when its problems will be even more complex than they are now."

Howard Biggs
Founder, Southend Fund

The Southend Fund is creating a long term endowed fund which will last in perpetuity. Its aim is to raise funds and provide grants for projects that will benefit the Southend community as a whole.

The Southend Fund is innovative and it differs from other charities in the following ways:

1. As the Fund grows - it invests all monies collected and uses the earned income from these investments to fund its grants, preserving the capital for future sustainability.
2. It provides a targeted focus on our local community, but aims to support the broadest spectrum of activity.
3. Volunteers from local businesses and organisations join local residents to fund raise and award grants.Sir Teddy Taylor is Patron and Howard Briggs and Peter Croysdill chair the grants committee and fund raising committee respectively. This arrangement ensures all donations received are used as effectively as possible, with maximum benefit going to Southend community projects
4. The fund is managed by the Essex Community Foundation (ECF) who receive and process grant applications and provide support to the applicants, if required. With their economies of scale they are able to monitor and maximise the effectiveness of the investment portfolio and ensure that there is a cohesive account of all the monies donated to the fund and grants awarded to local charities.
   

How it Works
Flexibility is the key to the success of this fund. Donors can give anonymously or publicly and can specify which type of good cause they would wish to see benefit. Companies can pool their local charitable budget for greater impact. Local fundraising organisations can regularly donate a percentage of their income in the secure knowledge that their contribution will be sustained. Existing charitable trusts can be transferred across to The Southend Fund with the certainty that their original terms of reference will be honoured. Legacies will be managed within the fund according to the wishes of the deceased.

The fund is designed to grow to provide a capital sum for posterity while providing much needed funds for grantmaking each year.

Its Beginnings
The Southend Fund was originally set up by Cllr. Howard Briggs during his mayoral year of 2001-2002 specifically to produce a regular source of income in future years to support charitable activity in Southend. Southend boasts a dynamic voluntary sector, with around 600 charitable organisations actively providing support and help to those in most need and enriching the arts and culture of our community. However, as locally-based groups, often known only to those using their services, they have difficulty in raising the funding needed to carry out their work. They often have to compete for funds with high-profile, nationally-known charities.