Thanks to increased donations from the John Good Group, plus a growing business network, the Matthew Good Foundation celebrated its most impactful year yet in 2023, granting over £300,000 to charities and non-profits. 90% of funds awarded went to small charities (those with an annual income of less than £1 million), in line with the Foundation’s strategy to amplify the work of grassroots organisations.
The mission of the Matthew Good Foundation is to amplify small charities and non-profits whose high-impact work is often unseen and underfunded. They do this by running a range of bespoke grant-giving programmes, both independently and with their business partners.
The Matthew Good Foundation was created by the John Good Group in 2011, and it is the group’s increased commitment to the Foundation that is to thank for much of their recent growth. Even as the Foundation grows its business partners and funding sources, the John Good Group remains by far their largest committed funder and biggest business partner, with an extremely comprehensive employee-focussed charitable giving programme.
John Good Group’s Employee Giving Programme
John Good Group’s programme sees employees offered a variety of different ways they can use the Foundation to support their communities. As well as winning donations to their charity of choice in a monthly draw, employees can apply for match funding, grassroots grants, vote on where company donations are directed in Grants for Good, and take part in corporate volunteering days.
In 2023, employees from the John Good Group’s locations in Hull, Immingham, Cardiff and London were able to support charities close to their hearts.
In Hull, Adam Walsh secured £2,000 of double match funding for his 212-mile cycle fundraiser for Sailor’s Children’s Society and Leeds Hospitals Charity, whilst employee Chloe was able to fund a commemorative bench for her late Grandma, supporting Turning Corners and Dove House Hospice. Other employees volunteered for local charities, including Rich Quelch who has been helping FiND with their marketing plan.
In Cardiff, employees secured grants for charities meaningful to them such as Bristol Seafarers centre and Bronwen’s Wish. Meanwhile London employees were also able to support local small charities such as Uniting Friends and Waterloo Community Counselling.
Nationally, employees were introduced to an even wider range of small non-profits through Grants for Good which selects charities from across the UK and beyond and asks employees to vote for their favourite. The 20 charities shortlisted in 2023 included Men in Sheds in Hull, Silkfutures (previously known as LAB7) in Cardiff and Youngwilders in London. Other projects supported include Scotland based Sanitree, UK- wide BillyChip and those further afield such as Care Across Communities – operating in Bangladesh.
Map showing the geographical distribution of all the Foundation’s giving in 2023
The Minorfern Foundation
In 2023, the Foundation teamed up with its first business partner outside of the John Good Group, helping SDL Minorfern to create the Minorfern Foundation, which will award grants to local charities and community groups selected by SDL Minorfern employees, to the value of £40,000 in its first year. In 2023 they supported their first two charities, Walking for Hope and The Children’s Hospital Charity.
The Amplify Fund
With strong links across the small charity network, the foundation also supports non-profits through its Amplify Fund which receives donations from a range of sources, including public donations. With this fund, the Foundation supports selected growing small non-profits with longer-term support through an Amplify Charity Grant.
In 2023 the Foundation continued established funding packages for charities that include The Inga Foundation, Reef World Foundation and Downright Special, whilst also committing funds to new charity partners including Clean Ocean Sailing, FiND, and the Foundation’s latest race medicine project – Race Ready.
Race Ready is a project close to the hearts of those at the Foundation, who have been funding race medicine projects since their namesake, Matthew Good, passed away unexpectedly whilst running a half-marathon for charity. The Foundation has helped to fund and advise on the establishment of Race Ready Run CIC, which has just launched the first version of its innovative new app, aiming to arm individual athletes with the knowledge they need to stay fit and healthy during endurance events.
Through the Amplify Fund, the Foundation also offer extended help to fund and produce increasingly important video content through Amplify Charity Films. Having launched the pilot programme in 2022, 2023 saw the Foundation fund film content for 10 organisations including Access the Dales, Outkast Panda Crew and Diversified.
Reflecting on an extremely successful year, Michelle Taft highlighted the importance of supporting small charities and non-profits:
“Small charities and nonprofits serve as the backbone of our communities, offering vital assistance and resources where they are most needed. However, their invaluable contributions often go unnoticed, and many face significant challenges in securing the funding required to sustain their operations. Therefore, it is vital to support small charities and nonprofits through unrestricted funding to ensure their resilience and long-term impact in the UK. .”
Michelle Taft – Executive Director, Matthew Good Foundation
Even after another record year, the Foundation has no plans to slow down. As well as planning to grant even more funds in 2024, they are also continuing their mission to create a wider philanthropic community, helping more businesses and non-profits connect and work together to support their communities. They also plan to back up their mission with an impact measurement programme that will demonstrate the effect supporting small charities has on both charities and the businesses which support them.
Adam Walsh, CEO of the John Good Group – the Foundation’s founder and main funder reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting the growth of the Foundation:
““The John Good Group is a unique family business deeply committed to its social impact. We’re one of only a few organisations whose whole purpose is directly aligned with delivering additional profit into charitable endeavours, and we’re proud to do this via our charity, the Matthew Good Foundation.
In 2022, the John Good Group made a significant commitment to increase funding to the Foundation, and it’s fantastic to see the substantial growth in activity and its impact on small non-profits and our local communities.
It’s been fantastic to see employee engagement increasing year after year, as well as the development of our volunteering and pro-bono work, and finally, sharing the Foundation’s expertise with other businesses who can use it as a platform to achieve their own philanthropic ambitions.”
Adam Walsh – CEO, John Good Group
2023 marked a further significant milestone for MGF, as the total amount given to non-profits since its inception in 2011 surpassed £1 million, a figure which is now advancing rapidly. At the time of writing, the Foundation has already hit £1.25 million granted to good causes.
The Foundation has released full details of their 2023 giving in a 36-page Annual Review, available to read online now.