It was the year 1914.
Months before guns rattle in what people would later call ‘The Great War’, one man put into action an idea that would fight for freedom of a different kind – the freedom of opportunity.
His vision was to pool the charitable resources of Cleveland’s philanthropists into a single permanent trust where community leaders would then distribute the interest to fund initiatives to improve the city.
The man’s name was Frederick Goss, and on January 2, he started the world’s first community foundation.
But the idea of a community controlled fund didn’t stay in Cleveland – it spread.
One hundred years have passed and this model of giving has become a global phenomenon, with 1700 existing community foundations all across the world – 46 of which are in the U.K.
Last month marked the launch of Wimbledon Foundation Community Fund which aims to distribute £100,000 to charities and organisations in the London Boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth in the coming year.
Helen Parker, Foundation and Community Manager at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), said that the club was keen to use the fame and resources from the world renowned Wimbledon tennis championships to give back to the local community.
The Wimbledon Foundation is the charitable arm of the AELTC that has partnered with the London Community Foundation (LCF) to supply grants of up to £5,000 to projects that address issues of health, education, poverty and projects that inter-community relationships.
Ms Parker said: “I’m passionate about finding those people who will be agents of change in helping people who haven’t had the right chances in life.”
One project that has benefited from a previous grant is the World Heart Beat Music Academy.
The academy is a place for young people in and around Southfields to experience and learn music from all over the world as well as providing disadvantaged youth with instruments and tuition.
Founder, Sahana Gero, believes that working with the LCF is an ideal partnership as the grant has helped her provide children with a cultural education in a climate where there are few cultural facilities available to them.
She said: “When you see the hunger for the children to learn instruments, you see what music does for people and how it can transform lives.
“Some children go through a lot of challenges and music gives them a chance to overcome those challenges and communicate with people, the world and themselves.”
Ms Gero found the location for the academy while training for a marathon. After negotiating with the landlords for a reasonable rate, the support of local businesses and a creative use of thrift – the bright and inviting music school was born.
Mrs Parker said: “Sahana is a great example of someone that lives locally in the area who knows what the needs are and understands where there is a gap, which is why people like her can make a huge difference.”
One young musician, Nathan Dawkins, 10, comes to the academy almost every day to join in with a host of activities which include a jazz band and choir.
“I don’t know what I would have done without the academy,” he said.
“It’s like you can do almost anything here and it’s really fun and happy and full of lovely people.”
While community funds are often established by groups, they can also be started by individuals.
One Wandsworth resident, Martin Richards, was inspired to start after a chance conversation with a friend that introduced him to the work of the LCF.
He said: “My motivation was that I’d been lucky in my life and wanted to try to help some of those who had not had the life opportunities I’d had.
“I had no idea there were so many inspirational individuals who had seen a problem or a need in their community and had the get-up-and-go to do something about it.”
Mr Richards said the help and support of the LCF staff in helping him choose the organisations to fund is invaluable.
“They do all the work while you and I can see the results of what we give,” he said.
He added : “If we give to a local community group through LCF, we can go to the group and see how our £100, £250, £500, £5,000 has been used and see the positive difference it has made.
“The smiles of appreciation on their faces alone make it worthwhile.”
Sonal Shah, Chief Executive Officer of LCF, attributes the success of community foundations to the sense of people looking out for their neighbours, which gives the foundation its wide variety of donors and projects.
She said: “I think it is really important in terms of building strong and resilient communities because it’s about people doing for themselves instead of being done to and making choices about their own area.”
Ms Shah added that greater knowledge of what is happening in local communities and others is vital in the fight to make lasting change.
“London is a place where you can really see extremes of wealth and poverty, and what we need to create is an equality of opportunity so that more people have access to the good things,” she said.
“If London wants to continue being a great city to live in then it needs to be a great city for lots of different types of people to live in.”
So, in the months to come, as we remember the heroes that fought for our freedom in the centenary of the First World War, let us also celebrate the clusters of groups all over the world that stand up and make a difference in their local community.
For further information on the work and process of the London Community Foundation, visit: http://www.londoncf.org.uk/
For more information on the Wimbledon Foundation Community Fund and how to apply for a grant, visit: http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/press_releases/2014-06-20/wimbledon_foundation_launches_100000_community_fund.html
If you would like to know more about the work of World Heart Beat Music Academy, please see : http://worldheartbeat.org/
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