Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) (charity no.1094446) helps passionate people in Somerset change the world on their doorstep by funding local charities and inspiring local giving and philanthropy.

We provide rewarding and impactful ways for donors to give to the people, places and causes they care most about in Somerset. Working with individuals, businesses and public sector partners, we are the largest independent funder of local communities in our county.

Since we were founded in 2002, we’ve awarded over £30 million in funding, to thousands of local charities and social enterprises, and hundreds of individuals, building stronger communities and changing thousands of people’s lives across Somerset.

We are also building a significant endowment as a long-term asset to sustain our support long into the future.

We’ve grown significantly in the past six years and our next strategy, to be launched in early summer 2025, will set out ambitious plans for the next 10 years to increase our impact and influence and build a Foundation that will benefit our communities for generations to come.

SCF is part of a network of 47 Community Foundations operating throughout the UK. Together we are one of the largest funders of communities across the nation.

Our Values
We’re here for everyone – We embed diverse perspectives throughout everything we do and welcome and value the uniqueness in everyone.

We drive equity – We work to better understand the needs, challenges, dreams and aspirations of historically underfunded communities* and take positive action to redress the balance.

We act with integrity – We’re transparent about how and why we do things and always do the best we can.

We lead with kindness – We’re supportive, compassionate and respectful to each other and everyone we serve.

We strive to be better – We seek and reflect on feedback and insight, foster collaboration and share our learnings to get better results.

The opportunity
We’re building our Board of Trustees to provide us with the skills and expertise we need to sustain the highest standards of governance, while reflecting the diversity and expertise of the communities we work with.

As a Trustee you’ll:
- have strong links with Somerset
- support and promote the Foundation’s mission
- be able to give the time commitment to carry out the role effectively.

You’ll share our passion for Somerset and have the range of skills and experience needed to support the delivery of our mission.

Due to the forthcoming retirement of a number of trustees, we are recruiting up to 3 new trustees. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our Board to better reflect the communities we serve and are particularly looking for people who bring the following skills and experience:
- investment management, including ‘ESG’ and ethical considerations
- digital skills and/or experience leading digital transformation in organisations
- working with or for local voluntary sector organisations
- insights into communities closest to Hinkley Point C (HPC)
- organisational leadership, management and governance.

We welcome applications from members of diverse communities or backgrounds, including young people, and those who bring lived experience or knowledge of activities undertaken in the programmes we fund.