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- Benefact Group, Ecclesiastical’s parent company, has donated £200m to charities since setting its first giving target in 2014
- The money has supported more than 10,000 charities over the past decade
- Ecclesiastical has awarded over £625,000 to brokers to support good causes through its Closer to You scheme
- The specialist insurer is thanking brokers for their support in reaching this milestone, with more than 800 recently voting in Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards
Ecclesiastical Insurance’s parent company, Benefact Group, announces that it has donated £200 million to charities since 2014 - a major milestone on the road to meeting its ambition of donating £250 million to good causes by 2025.
Over the past nine years, the charity-owned specialist financial services group has supported over 10,000 charities, helping to transform countless lives as part of its purpose to contribute to the greater good of society.
Benefact Group, the UK’s third-largest corporate donor1, distributes donations through a range of programmes – employee giving, business giving and Group-led programmes such as the flagship Movement for Good Awards, which has awarded more than £5 million to 2,500 charities over the past five years.
Ecclesiastical’s broker giving programme, Closer to You, has seen £625,000 distributed to brokers since 2017, helping to support local causes close to brokers’ hearts.
The Group also gives all available profits to its charitable owner, the Benefact Trust, which awards grant funding to churches and Christian charities working to make a positive and transformative impact on their communities. Since 1972, the Trust has awarded over £256 million in grants, £100 million in the last five years alone.
Last year, Benefact Group celebrated its £100 million2 donation landmark with a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, which, amongst other dignitaries, included His Royal Highness the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.
Commenting on reaching the £200 million giving mark,
"Charitable giving is at the heart of what we do at Ecclesiastical, so I’m thrilled we have been able to donate this incredible sum to good causes. Owned by a charity, all of our available profits go to good causes, and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give. Our giving would not be possible without the support of our incredible brokers, customers, partners, and colleagues, and so I would like to thank every person who has helped us reach this incredible milestone.
“Thanks to you, we’ve been able to support more than 10,000 charities, helping to transform thousands of lives in the UK and abroad. We have an ambition to be the largest corporate donor in the UK, and reaching this milestone motivates us to raise even more money to help those in society who need us most.”
In addition to its giving, Benefact Group also helps charities through its advice and support, which includes fundraising guidance, colleague volunteering, webinars, and online resources. Earlier this year, the Group published its Value of Giving report, demonstrating the value and socio-economic benefits of charities to the UK economy.
Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.
1 DSC UK Guide to Company Giving 2023/24
2 £100m giving target set in 2016 and achieved in 2021. The £200 million achievement is cumulative giving since 2014.