TFN's last Funding Evening on Wednesday, June 13th - hosted by Coutts & Co., attracting more than 120 attendees, raised £50,552.18 for the following 5 projects.

• SEED (Society for Education and Economic Development) - upgrading and replacing equipment of SEED's - after 10 yrs of continuous use, the second hand teaching tools used in the institute were in urgent need of replacing or upgrading. The Funding Network's grant enabled SEED to upgrade the tools so that the institute would be able to receive the official recognition from the government that the students require.
  
  
• Local Works - to halt the decline of local communities and economies by ensuring The Sustainable Communities Bill becomes law and that communities then take advantage of it. www.localworks.org
  
  
• Help2Read - the expansion of help2read, a proven child literacy support programme in South Africa, by the establishment of a permanent, locally staffed, office and training centre in Cape Town. "We are immensely grateful to all our donors, these funds guarantee the growth of our programme well into next year. As for all charities the need for funds is never-ending and, indeed, we see the wonderful response from TFN as a start to our fundraising efforts because you have proved to us that what we are doing chimes with donors' wishes of how their money can be used. By donors, I refer, if you like, to TFN being, for us, a sort of focus group confirming that we need not be shy about our product and can reach out to new funding sources with a confidence provided to us by TFN." Alex Moss, Founder of Help2Read. www.help2read.org
  
  
• Tax Volunteers - provision of free independent professional advice on personal tax to older people on low incomes (<£15,000.) Purpose of bid is to improve their service to the blind and partially sighted. www.taxvol.org.uk
  
  
• The Homeless World Cup - an annual international football tournament to inspire and empower people who are homeless to change their lives. The event gave a real financial & motivational boost to the projects that presented. "We wanted to say a huge heartfelt thank you from all of us for your great support last night. What a brilliant initiative. It really is fun the 6 minute timing for each presentation. It has given us all here a super boost this morning that we have another team to the Cup. At last with your help and support the finishing line is in sight! 4 to go and we now begin to feel we can do it!! And we know how much this will mean to the players, to their nation to be represented, to be involved in creating a positive future." Kat Byles, Presenter of The Homeless World Cup. www.homelessworldcup.org