Over half a million euros to support Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the UK and Ireland

Over €500,000 of additional funding towards the Ukraine crisis brings Benefact Trust’s total support to over €1,000,000. The Trust is privileged to contribute to the incredible work of charities on the frontline making a difference. The latest grants are helping seven organisations to support Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the UK and Ireland. 

Benefact Trust, which owns Ecclesiastical Insurance in Ireland, continues to grow its contribution in Ireland to charitable causes year on year. 

Benefact Trust responded quickly to the crisis in Ukraine by awarding over €250,000 (£250,000) to charities on the ground in Eastern Europe. This was followed by another donation of over €250,000 (£250,000) donation in June 2022. With over 140,000 Ukrainian evacuees already in the UK and Ireland, the Trust is now responding to the urgent needs of these vulnerable people who have arrived without basic English language skills, accommodation, adequate clothing and food. 

Speaking with charities working directly with evacuees has demonstrated that many churches, dioceses and Christian charities are at the forefront of providing vital support. 

To assist these frontline organisations, the Board of Trustees has awarded a total of over €500,000 in grants to: 

·       The Irish Red Cross (IRC) – The IRC is the main agency supporting Ukrainian evacuees arriving in Ireland. In April 2022, the charity took over an 8,000 square foot warehouse in Dublin, which has been kitted out to provide basic language skills, arts and crafts for children, Irish dance and yoga, and serves as a general meeting place for Ukrainian evacuees. The site also includes a computer centre and offers psychosocial support and help with resettlement and future employment in the area. over €25,000 (£25,000) from the Trust will help replicate the warehouse model across other sites in Ireland. 

·       The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland – Over €40,000 (£40,000) will also help The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland to operate a grants scheme to help projects working to support Ukrainian evacuees. 

·       The Church of Ireland – Over €85,000 (£85,000) will support The Church of Ireland to run a grants scheme on behalf of the Trust. The Church of Ireland has already identified a number of projects within its parishes involved in supporting the integration, accommodation and safety needs of Ukrainian evacuees – all of which need vital funding support. 

·       Church Urban Fund (CUF) – Over €140,000 (£140,000) funding will help CUF to run a grants scheme on the Trust’s behalf, awarding funding between €500 and €5,000 to churches and registered Christian charities in England who are supporting Ukrainian evacuees to resettle. 

·       Baby Basics – Baby Basics has grown to be the largest network of baby banks in the UK, providing much-needed essentials for babies and their families. So far, the charity has supported over 1,820 Ukrainian children and families, and with a grant of over €50,000 (£50,000) from the Trust, it will be able to do even more.  

·       Sanctuary Foundation – The Sanctuary Foundation is a newly formed charity, established in February 2022 as a rapid response initiative to inspire families, individuals, churches, community groups and businesses to welcome Ukrainian evacuees to the UK. Over €20,000 (£20,000) funding will support training for evacuee hosts, so that they have the resources they need to open their doors to vulnerable families.  

·       Love Your Neighbour (LYN) – And over €140,000 (£140,000) funding will support LYN’s ‘Love Ukraine’ grants scheme, which launched in April 2022. Trust funding will enable LYN to scale the scheme further across its network of church hubs in the UK, helping them provide both emergency and longer-term support to Ukrainian evacuees as they arrive, including clothing, food, toys, advice clinics, employment support and language lessons to help them successfully settle in the UK. 

David Lane Managing Director, Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland said: “At Ecclesiastical Insurance we are proud to be part of an organisation that gives all its available profits back to charity. We believe that together, we can make a difference and help those who need it most and it’s great to see Benefact Trust recognise the fantastic work that is being done by the Church of Ireland, The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland and the Irish Red Cross.”  

Liam O’Dwyer, Interim Secretary General at The Irish Red Cross said: “Benefact Trust has given us an exceptionally generous and timely gift that will enable our organisation to support the development of the Ukraine support centre in Dublin. The grant will ensure the continued expansion of this infrastructure nationally to deliver psychosocial backing, as well as other supports, led by the Ukraine community itself, including English language lessons, advice and employment opportunities and includes a computer hub.”