Whitbread Plc. Chairman's Fund

The Whitbread Plc. Chairman's Fund provides grants of up to £5,000 to charitable organisations delivering work in South Bedfordshire, including Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard, and the surrounding rural communities as far as the County Boundary to the South West. The fund has been created to support charities and community groups whose beneficiaries are resident in South Bedfordshire. Applications are managed through an Expression of Interest process, followed by full applications for selected organisations. The main objectives of this fund are skills and inclusion, the reduction of rural social isolation, and community cohesion. Applicants must demonstrate that their project meets one of these fund priorities. Following the Expression of Interest deadline, the Grants Team may contact applicants to discuss a possible application. Organisations with prospective applications which closely align with the fund priorities will be invited to make a full application for funding, subject to available funds. The outcome of these full applications is decided by a community panel of local residents who meet regularly and best understand the change needed in their local area.