The Report sets out key highlights for the year, including:
• The Foundation, alongside the CareTech Foundation, has partnered with the British Asian Trust to invest in a £1million programme by which to deliver a step change in mental health and wellbeing provision in Pakistan. In just the first year of the programme, some 63,000 individuals have benefitted from the programme;
• The Foundation was delighted to launch its new flagship university scholarship programme earlier this year. The Sheikh Family Scholarship will provide graduate and undergraduate scholarships to Muslim students from poor backgrounds, and preferably to first-generation university students, at St Anne’s College Oxford University, Cambridge University, Warwick University, City University and the Open University at Cambridge Muslim College.
• The Foundation awarded a three-year grant to the Contact Hostel in Manchester to support their work in supporting homeless and vulnerable young women in Manchester.
In addition to these exciting new developments, the trustees have been particularly pleased with the new Hardship Grant scheme, providing much-needed small grants to individuals facing significant hardship. In this first year of operation, the Foundation was able to provide grants to 40 individuals totalling £125,000; the majority of grants were for less than £2,000.