The Foundation Donates over £144,000 in 2023 to Homeless Charities Globally

Last year, The Fine & Country Foundation continued their commitment to supporting global organisations and charities in their fight against poverty and homelessness. Following years of turbulence and unease in the world’s economy, fuelled by a global pandemic and many wars and conflicts, charities looked to support networks such as The Foundation for the help they so sorely needed. The Fine & Country Foundation are pleased to announce that they have donated a phenomenal £144,198 to these causes over the past 12 months. 

The Foundation awarded over £92,708 to charities via two grant schemes and other programmes over 2023, with a total of 51 global charities benefiting from donations. In November, 23 charities were allocated funding, totalling £47,220, while in Spring, 28 charities received a share of £45,488. The Foundation's Grant Programme is dedicated to offering financial assistance to non-profit organisations, focusing specifically on supporting charities in the UK and abroad in the ongoing battle against homelessness and poverty. This funding will provide crucial support to these charities, enabling them to sustain their vital community work. Applications for this year’s round of Spring Grants will be accepted from 1st March 2024. 

Most recently, in December, The Fine & Country Foundation hosted their annual Carols by Candlelight event in collaboration with the iconic King’s College Cambridge. The concert, with music and readings in beautiful surroundings, raised an incredible £21,000, which was donated to Emmaus Cambridge, Jimmy's Cambridge, Wintercomfort and Cambridge Cyrenians, all offering vital services to homeless people across the Cambridgeshire region. 

October saw Fine & Country branches from the UK and Jersey, host a coffee morning, welcoming  the public into their offices to enjoy baked treats and refreshments, raising over £1,500 for The Foundation in the process. Participating Fine & Country licensees  decorated their office spaces with brightly coloured balloons and bunting to entice hungry passers-by in to spend their money in exchange for coffee and cake. 

Harry Middleton, partner at Fine & Country Chiswick embarked on a tremendous undertaking of swimming across the English Channel in June 2023, with the aim of raising substantial funds for two charitable organisations close to his heart: Make-A-Wish and The Fine & Country Foundation. An avid endurance athlete with a history in competitive swimming, Middleton completed the dangerous solo crossing in 12 hours 46 minutes, raising almost £3,000.

During March, Fine & Country agents from across the globe came together in London for our International Annual Conference, in which The Foundation features heavily as a reminder to our network to consider the bigger picture. A  silent auction was held in honour of The Foundation, with over  £8,800 raised on the night in generous donations, covering everything from new ovens, towels, bedding and food packages.

In February, a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing over 55,000 civilians, with multitudes of people injured, homeless and in the need of urgent help. In an effort to assist those impacted by the disaster, the Fine & Country Foundation donated over £10,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Turkey-Syria earthquake appeal. 

Throughout 2023, the Fine & Country network went to great lengths in their fundraising efforts, which contributed massively to the superb amount achieved. Fundraising included a wide variety of events such as a Christmas-themed charity walk raising over £700, multiple Sleep-Out events, a charity disco raising £6,000, a Tough Mudder 5km course and other philanthropic feats. 

Adventurous agents from the network will be embarking on a fundraising journey to the Everest Base Camp in 2024 to coincide  with  the 10-year anniversary of The Foundation. With a target of reaching the £1 million mark in funds raised to celebrate the milestone, the Everest trip will be a huge boost in the organisation’s efforts. Nepal holds significant meaning for The Foundation, as the remote hillside village of Thangpalkot1, in the Sindhupalchok district of Nepal, was fully reconstructed in a joint venture by The Fine & Country Foundation and Campbells Foundation in 2018, after it was struck by a devastating earthquake.

Jon Cooke, Trustee of the Fine & Country Foundation, says: “The donations and grants that The Foundation give play a part in providing essential financial support to many non-profit organisations fighting against homelessness and poverty. Many of these organisations rely on donations to survive, and money they receive helps them to continue the vital work they are doing within their communities.” 

He adds that The Foundation would not have been able to achieve such inspiring figures without the Fine & Country network. “While The Foundation organises fundraising events throughout the year, many of the agents within the network take it upon themselves to get creative and do a host of activities to raise money. Without the amazing effort and support of the network and generosity of the public who donated money to their fundraising activities, The Foundation would not have been able to achieve this milestone. I am looking forward to counting down to the £1 million mark with our network as we celebrate 10-years of proactive support and fund-raising this year,” says Cooke.

The Foundation has so far, since it's inception in 2014, raised over £940,000, a big thank you again to all of the members of the Fine & Country network and their communities for all of your continued support and fundraising throughout 2023, without which, this achievement would not have been possible. 

If you're thinking about planning a fundraiser in 2024, let us know at foundation@fineandcountry.com.

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