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    1. Rail

    National Express Foundation Increases Funding to Support Thousands More Local Youngsters

    Feb. 22, 2016
    Young people from across South Essex and East London could benefit from thousands of pounds of extra funding as the National Express Foundation, the charity arm of local train operator c2c’s parent company, has increased its annual fund available.
    Related To: National Express Transit Corporation

    Young people from across South Essex and East London could benefit from thousands of pounds of extra funding as the National Express Foundation, the charity arm of local train operator c2c’s parent company, has increased its annual fund available for local good causes by 50% to £150,000.

    Since the Foundation’s launch in 2012, thousands of local young people have benefited from being involved in projects which received grants totalling £112,500. Previous local beneficiaries have included students at South Essex College, the Helping Hands Job Club in Lee Chapel North, Basildon, and the Arc Community Theatre Group in Dagenham.

    The fund is only available for local groups in South Essex and East London, along with other areas where National Express operates local transport services in West Midlands and Medway, Kent. This year’s window to apply for funding is now open, with all applications due to be submitted by midday on Friday 18 March 2016.

    The National Express Foundation provides two different groups of funding to local groups:

    •  Grants of £2,500 or £5,000 to support local community groups that provide positive and engaging activities for young people in deprived areas
    • Grants of £10,000 per year for local colleges and universities towards innovative bursary schemes which help students from disadvantaged backgrounds continue in further or higher education

    Anthony Vigor, chairman of the National Express Foundation, said, “Each year the number of funding applications we receive increases and last year we saw a record 150% increase compared with 2014 numbers. We’re delighted that over the last four years the National Express Foundation has been able to support over 8,000 youngsters. This year we’re really pleased to announce that we have an increased £150,000 of funding available to help even more local young people in our community so I would urge all local educational institutions and community groups to put in an application for funding.”