BAA Communities Trust
Registered charity number: 1058617
Who we are and what we do
BAA has its own grant-making charity, The BAA Communities Trust. Funded by an annual donation from the company, the independently run Trust makes grants to support projects in the communities closest to BAA’s airports – Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Southampton and Stansted.
We place a priority on funding projects linked to education, the environment and economic regeneration – areas for which local people tell us they most value Trust support. Through our grants we aim:
- To create learning opportunities for young people and so raise their aspirations
- To break down barriers to employment through skills development
- To help protect the environment
- To support airport staff active in the community.
The Trust has donated a total of nearly £7 million since it first started in 1996. During 2011 we made more than 500 grants to a total value of nearly £700,000 in the communities around each of our airports.
Trustees
- David McMillan, Director General Eurocontrol, Trust Chair
- Alan Coates, Ealing and Hillingdon Education Business Partnership
- Mary Francis, Learning and skills consultant
- Alison Moore, Education and Skills Manager, Hillingdon Borough Council
- Matthew Gorman, BAA Heathrow
- Clare Harbord, BAA Heathrow
- Punam Kharbanda, Business in the Community
- Alastair McDermid, Planning and Development Consultant
- Steve Ronald, British Airways
Airport Community Funds
The Trust has set up new community funds for each of the airports, with locally based panels helping Trustees with grant-making decisions. The panels each meet at least four times a year to consider applications.
How to contact us
You can download a short guide for grant-seekers and an application form, or contact Trust Director, Caroline Nicholls for further information and guidance:
- Email: heathrowcommunityfund@baa.com
- Address: The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2QQ
Airport Community Fund
Contact: heathrowcommunityfund@baa.com
Who can receive grants
The Trust funds a wide range of community organisations and charitable groups and charities. These include:
- National/international charities, delivering projects in or involving people from the communities local to BAA’s airports
- Locally-based charitable organisations
- Schools and local authorities delivering community projects
- Grassroots community groups and organisations
- Local grant makers
- National/international charities in support of staff fundraising activity.
Support for staff
The Trust supports BAA staff with their charity activity and community volunteering - employees can apply for grants of up to £250 to match their own fundraising achievements or donations towards local community projects they are working with. For more information e-mail heathrowcommunityfund@baa.com
Heathrow Community Fund
Heathrow's Community Fund is managed by the main board of Trustees.
Examples of recent grants awarded
Around Heathrow
Secondary Schools Engineering Challenge
This project supports more than 2,000 Year 8 students in secondary schools in the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Slough and Spelthorne, with a focus on raising pupils’ aspirations and awareness of skilled employment opportunities at Heathrow by helping students to understand the high-level skills require by BAA engineering apprentices.
Green Corridor - Green Volunteer and Training Scheme
This programme, for which the Trust has gained matched funding from the youth volunteering charity v, creates managed volunteering opportunities for young people, company staff and community groups, working on green spaces in communities in all boroughs close to Heathrow.
Can Do!
This two-day, work-related learning event for 85 pupils from 10 special needs schools in Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow is run in partnership with the British Airways Community Learning Centre by Ealing and Hillingdon Education Business Partnership. The event helps pupils understand more about employment options by providing workshops and hands-on activities in areas such as catering, customer service and hair and beauty.
Hounslow – The Docking Station!
Heathrow Community Fund has made a grant towards this new café and restaurant in Brentford High Street as part of a local pilot scheme challenging young people in Hounslow secondary schools to develop a business plan for an empty shop in Brentford High Street in just eight weeks.
National
V-inspired National Awards
These awards, run for the first time by v the national volunteer youth service, celebrated the achievements of more than 700 young volunteers, aged from 16-25. The trust awarded grants of £1,000 for each of the winners in eight categories to donate to a charity or community project of their choice.
Do-it.org
Trust funds are helping the development of a national volunteering website, run by the charity Youthnet.
Worldwide Volunteering for Young People – Boost! Bursary awards
The Boost! Awards are a new youth bursary scheme designed to help and encourage young people to volunteer in their local community. The awards will help young people aged between 16 and 19 who live within 25 miles of Heathrow Southampton or Stansted airports to undertake voluntary projects by contributing to the costs of food, accommodation and transport.
Shelterbox – in support of relief efforts in Japan
The Trust has donated £5,000 to match, pound for pound, funds donated by BAA’s staff to this appeal.
