RURAL insurer NFU Mutual has announced £3.25million of funding for local and national charities in 2022.
The Stratford-based insurer is pledging this support to help tackle the ongoing effects of the pandemic and assist with recovery.
NFU Mutual will be donating £1.92m to local front-line charities through its Agency Giving Fund.
First launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic, the fund was delivered again in 2021. The insurer is keeping this annual fund going into 2022 to further help local charities and communities across the UK to rebuild.
To ensure these donations reach all corners of the UK and are directed where they are needed most, NFU Mutual’s Agency and branch offices, with 300 locations nationwide, will once again be invited to nominate local charities to receive a share of the fund.
To support national and regional charities, NFU Mutual is pledging £1m to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.
The trust is an independent charity the insurer set up in 1998 to support other charities and organisations working in the interests of agriculture, rural communities and the countryside. Since it was founded, the trust has distributed donations totalling £6m and made a positive difference to education, research, social welfare and poverty relief.
And £2m of that funding was pledged to support charities and communities during the pandemic over the last two years following increased donations from NFU Mutual. The £1m donation in 2022 will help to ensure the trust can continue this level of support in light of the ongoing impact of Covid-19.
Alongside this, NFU Mutual has also committed £30,000 to a new Community Champions scheme, to support causes close the heart of its people, by donating to staff fund-raising events and initiatives.
The £3.25m funding is completed with a £300,000 donation to the Farm Safety Foundation, an independent registered charity founded and funded by NFU Mutual.
This support will enable the Foundation to carry on working closely with partners and stakeholders nationally and internationally to help raise awareness of, and address the attitudes and behaviours around, risk-taking and poor mental health in the agricultural sector.
Nick Turner, Group chief Executive of NFU Mutual, said: “NFU Mutual is committed to making a positive impact through its charitable giving programme.
“Helping our members in times of need and supporting communities has always been at the very heart of our approach. We increased our charitable giving during 2020 and 2021 to assist frontline charities during the pandemic, and we recognise the importance of extending our heightened support into next year to help tackle the ongoing challenges of the crisis and to aid recovery.
“Our charitable giving programme in 2022 will aim to champion the causes that are working day and night to change people’s lives and give hope for a better future.”
