THE COMMUNITY FUND
While every construction project is designed to create a positive impact, SDC recognises that the benefits are only usually felt by a small section or particular group of society. As a result, the company established a Community Fund in 2016 to provide a mechanism for supporting the wider community, from charities to local interest groups. Funded by an annual donation from the Employee Benefit Trust, local groups can apply for either monetary support or the time and experience of SDC’s staff. The only proviso is that the applicant must demonstrate the social value that will be created by receiving help from the Fund.
Since its inception, the Community Fund has donated in excess of £100,000 to local causes, with recent examples including:
- Assistance to Bedford Rugby Club.
- The refurbishment of numerous Scout huts across East Anglia and the Midlands.
- New gardening tools for volunteers at the Higgins Museum, Bedford.
- Taking a lead role in the protection of cyclists from construction traffic in Cambridge.
- Helping to establish a new community café in Botley, Oxford.
Donation requests will be considered if:
- They are connected to a project or are in the area that SDC is working in
- They are connected to any one of SDC's employees
- They are for / with / relating to a company that SDC has a long-term relationship with
The decision to support causes is made on a case-by-case basis by the CSR team at bi-monthly meetings.
