Good Causes will benefit from over £40,000 at the fourth annual running of the SEIB Insurance Brokers Charity Awards in 2021. One winning charity will receive a grant of £10,000, a charity with a turnover of under £100,000 will receive £8,000 and the remaining £25,000 will go to eight runners-up. All winning charities will be nominated by the general public and then voted for by customers of SEIB. The grants will be presented to the winning charities at the SEIB Charity Awards luncheon in June 2021.
The public are invited to put their nominations forward for the charity they would like to see receive one of these valuable SEIB grants. Nominations are open now and will close at 5pm on the 12th January 2021. Once a shortlist of charities has been drawn up, SEIB clients will have the final vote for their favourite project. The winning charity and runners up will be announced at the 2021 SEIB Charity Awards luncheon.
SEIB Chief Executive Officer Barry Fehler explained: “At SEIB we firmly believe in contributing to the common good. The challenges of the past year have made this even more important and I am delighted that we are able to grant money to the causes that really matter to our loyal customers. The feedback we have had from recipients of our previous grants is humbling.”
In previous years the winning grants for the SEIB Charity Awards have been required to go toward capital projects. However, in light of the financial constraints brought about by Covid-19 SEIB changed this rule for 2020 and now also the 2021 awards. The company understands how difficult it will be for charities to continue to operate this year and the money may be used for charities immediate needs, including running costs. In 2021, the SEIB Charity awards are focusing on smaller charities and the maximum annual turnover for charities benefitting has been capped at £10m. In previous years, charities with a turnover of up to £15m have been able to receive a grant from the SEIB Charity Awards.
The joint winners of the 2020 SEIB Charity Awards, Bransby Horses and Redwings Horse Sanctuary, have been quick to voice their gratitude for the SEIB grant they received.
Redwings CEO Lynn Cutress said: “We were incredibly grateful to be awarded £15,000 by SEIB at their awards this year. It came at a time when our donations had been significantly impacted by the first coronavirus lockdown and was a welcome boost at a very challenging time. Since then, this grant has been put towards the annual running of our Horse Hospital, in particular towards the cost of veterinary equipment and medication which ensures our 1,500 rescued horses and donkeys can live happy and healthy lives at the Sanctuary.”
Sally Crawford, Bransby Horses’ Executive Director of Engagement and Income Generation said: “We are absolutely delighted with the incredible £15,000 awarded to us by SEIB. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we’ve had to close our visitor centre – a vital source of funding – for several months, and this has obviously had a serious impact on our charity work. The money we’ve been so kindly awarded will go towards purchasing an all-terrain vehicle which we can use at our Barlings site where over 50 horses and ponies have been moved as a result of our Bransby land being ravaged by floods.”
Always known for ‘putting something back’, SEIB is a commercial business with a charitable purpose. The company insures numerous charities and not for profit organisations. SEIB is an independent broker but is ultimately owned by a charity called the Allchurches Trust Limited and profits are used for good causes.
The aim of SEIB’s immediate owner, the Ecclesiastical Insurance Office Plc, has worked to give £100 million to good causes through the Allchurches Trust by the end of 2020.
No charity is too small to be in the running for the 2021 SEIB charity giving, but turnover is capped at £10m. All charities will need to be UK registered and state what the grant would be used for – for tax purposes.
Past winners of the top prize are not eligible for the larger grants, but if they are nominated and gain enough votes they could receive £2,000.
Giving is embedded in the culture of SEIB. From supporting grass roots competition that gives opportunities to amateur riders that they could only otherwise dream about, right through to the company’s support of good causes.
To find out more and to nominate your favourite charity please visit: www.seib.co.uk/giving
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