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The Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA) provides frameworks which can be used by local authorities, social landlords and other public sector bodies to procure works, products and services for the construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing, schools, and public buildings. WPA have also established the WPA Community Benefit Fund. This fund is being utilised by their Executive Committee Members to reinvest funds generated by WPA activity back into their own communities. This allows WPA to work in partnership with Community Foundation Wales, who work alongside WPA Members to get the best possible return for their communities.

Over the last year in excess of £90,000 has been invested into community projects by WPA. Not only are the projects assessed with regards to benefits achieved and monetary investment, but they are also assessed on the social impact they have on the wider communities. The Community Foundation Wales (CFW) has been operating since 1999 and have awarded over £40m in grants to grassroots community groups and charities to strengthen communities across Wales. Through their work and support, they endeavour to reach the people most in need and help to create equality and opportunity within Welsh communities.

CFW recently celebrated their 25^th Birthday, a huge achievement which marks many years of community enhancement, support, and investment into Wales, and its communities. Mali Hill, WPA’s Senior Business Coordinator and George Stevens, LHC PG’s Director of Communities, greatly enjoyed attending. The CFW Chair, Alun Evans and the board of trustees attended the celebration, and invited partners and groups to present the local causes which had benefited from CFW’s continual support. Plans for the future were also discussed, in order to maintain the support and investment to make further improvements to Welsh communities. The event was held on Monday, 9^th September 2024 at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, kindly sponsored by RBC and Brewin Dolphin.

The evening was greatly enjoyed by all, celebrating the impact of the work CFW and its groups, have achieved over the past 25 years. Hearing from inspirational community groups, along with the presentation of CFW’s “Fund for Wales” report from Little Things. This evidenced the importance of small grants which make a huge difference to local, community groups. The report included the impact areas of the fund, along with awards presented for specifically impressive philanthropic achievements of individuals and organisations in Wales. The event was a brilliant evening, which reflected on achievements and planned ahead for the future, alongside the students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, who put on an impressive operatic performance. The Birth Partner Project also shared their story of how a grant from CFW has helped them provide volunteer birth partners to support refugee and asylum seeker women during childbirth.

The evening included the important reflection of the great work achieved, alongside planning for more local community support throughout Wales in the future, and how imperative this is to the running of small groups and local initiatives which make a huge impact in lots of people’s lives. WPA continue to work with CFW to award grants to grassroots community groups and charities in need of support in Wales and look forward to achieving even more in the future.