Karen Perkins
As CEO my role is to lead the strategic direction of the Foundation and uphold its values. Through strong, clear leadership, my focus is on building capacity, ensuring impact and sustainability of the Foundation and continuing to build our reputation as a champion for philanthropy in Bedfordshire.
Working closely with my senior team; the Head of Operations and Head of Partnerships, together we shall ensure that services are maintained and delivered to an exemplary standard and are always underpinned by our principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Francesca Johnstone
As Head of Operations my role is to lead, manage and coordinate all aspects of the Foundations grants and programmes across the priority areas. I also lead on several initiatives including the Small Charities Forum offering support and advice to charities on accessing our services.
With an extensive background in the grants sector I am passionate about supporting local community groups in finding ways to address local need.
Michele Rigby
As Head of Partnerships my focus is on overseeing the management and monitoring of our flagship Community Investment Fund (CIF) donated by London Luton Airport (LLAL) for the benefit of communities in Luton. I am always delighted to discuss how we can support corporates in achieving their CSR vision.
I also work to nurture and expand the Foundation’s partnership work with voluntary sector organisations, corporates, and the public sector. BLCF believes strongly that partnership working is key to building philanthropy and informed giving, and I enjoy supporting new partners through their investment in our community.
Breege Begley
As the Community Investment Fund (CIF) Relationship Manager, my main role is working with the Partnership Manager supporting and monitoring Luton charities and community groups through the annual CIF process. I am in regular contact with grant applicants to help them navigate the process ensuring all the correct information is supplied and that their organisations meet the required criteria of the fund.
Once the award has been made, I liaise with the groups throughout the year to ensure the project is delivered within the timeframes agreed and that the correct monitoring takes place for us to analyse the effects on beneficiaries.
Alongside this I am also responsible for the Luton Youth Fund and oversee the LuDUN fund.
Hannan Ali
As a member of the Grants Team I work on several donor-advised funds including national funding programmes and the Jane Cart Trust, as well as supporting and building a clear understanding of need through relationships with current and potential grantees.
I collate and report data on our giving into the Funders Race Equalities Alliance and through our commitment to the 360Giving Data Standard. This makes our work open and accessible and ensures the Foundation’s data is used to drive meaningful change through better decision-making.
Sarah Greene
As a member of the Grants Team I work across numerous different funds both at a national and local level and am tasked with building and developing relationships in the community.
My key responsibility is to support the hundreds of organisations who contact us for funding each year with advice and guidance on their applications. I am also involved with other key initiatives at the Foundation, including the Small Charities Forum.
Sharon Kempson
My role as Grants Administrator is to work alongside the grants team to help coordinate and support the hundreds of applications for funding that we receive each year. I am involved in the grant process from start to finish ensuring the correct criteria documentation has been supplied and all aspects of the assessment process have been properly adhered to and logged on our database.
I’m looking forward to reviewing the feedback from our grant impact reports and will ensure this is shared with the wider team and funders so they can see the tangible difference the awards have made. I will also act as the key liaison point for team meetings and the collation and distribution of regular minutes and reports.
Jaqui Childs
Jaqui has been advising the Foundation since June 2019. She is an FCA, having spent years as a partner in accountancy practices advising corporate entities. At the Foundation she oversees the finances, which includes fund management, reporting and accounting systems and reporting to the trustee board.
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