Charity of the Year scheme set to launch

Charities across the Thames Valley will be invited to apply for the University of Reading’s new Charity of the Year Scheme, which is set to launch in April.

The initiative will see the University select a single charity to work with and support, in a variety of ways, throughout an academic year. The charity must be active and supporting local people in the Thames Valley (defined as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire).

The Scheme aims to create positive impact for the selected charity, with clear outcomes and benefits for the local community, at the same time as supporting the University’s charitable objectives of advancing education, learning and research for public benefit.

Examples of ways in which the University could support the chosen charity include:

• Awareness raising among the large University staff community about the charity and the services it offers in the local community.
• Staff fundraising opportunities.
• Opportunities for the charity to benefit from staff volunteers – and to promote opportunities for student volunteering.
• Opportunities to undertake collaborative research in areas of mutual interest.

'Engaged with the world around us'

Applications for the Charity of the Year Scheme will open in the week commencing 15 April, with a deadline of early June.

A charity will be selected over the summer, and official activity will begin in September, the start of the new 2024/25 academic year.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “Launching our Charity of the Year Scheme is a further sign of the University’s commitment to being a university engaged with the world around us.

“We have been a part of the fabric of the Thames Valley for over a century now, supporting the communities that surround us. We already work with local charities in a variety of ways, through our Community Fund initiative, our community-based research projects and more.

"This new scheme offers our University community the chance to come together and get involved in supporting our chosen charity, and hopefully have some fun at the same time.”

The Charity of the Year Scheme came about following a proposal made to the Vice-Chancellor during one of his regular VC Surgeries, which allow any colleague to book a slot to discuss an idea that supports the University Strategy. Summer term surgery dates will be advertised on the Staff Portal soon.

The Charity of the Year Scheme is separate to the University’s Community Fund, which typically provides one-off grants for projects that staff members are involved in either as part of their job or in a voluntary capacity, also across the Thames Valley region. Applications for this year’s Community Fund will also open after Easter.

Colleagues are encouraged to share the news of this new scheme with any charities they have a connection with.