The Credit Union Foundation

The Credit Union Foundation is a registered UK charity (charity number 1096199) dedicated to supporting and strengthening credit unions throughout the United Kingdom. Established with the aim of empowering communities, advancing education, and making strategic investments, the foundation plays an essential role in fostering financial inclusion and resilience by promoting the growth and sustainability of credit unions.

Mission and Objectives

The foundation's core mission is to strengthen credit unions and support their role in providing accessible financial services to diverse communities across the UK. This mission is pursued through three primary pillars:

• Community: The foundation is committed to fostering a strong sense of community by supporting credit unions as important local financial institutions. By doing so, they contribute to improving financial health and resilience within communities.

• Education: Education is a priority for the foundation, which offers resources and training aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of credit union staff and volunteers. This helps improve the quality of service provided to members.

• Investments: Through strategic investments, the foundation ensures credit unions remain resilient and capable of expanding their services to meet the needs of more members.

Activities and Initiatives

The Credit Union Foundation supports the credit union movement primarily through:

• Providing education and training in the knowledge and skills necessary for establishing and operating credit unions effectively.
• Offering grants and strategic financial support to help grow credit unions and enhance their infrastructure.
• Developing and promoting initiatives aimed at poverty alleviation by enabling low-income communities to access affordable financial services.

As an independent charity, the foundation relies on donations from organizations and individuals to fund its work, which includes advancing efforts to improve financial education and inclusion across the UK.

Impact

By empowering credit unions, the foundation contributes to improving financial resilience among underserved populations, helping members avoid high-cost borrowing and manage their finances more effectively. The foundation's work supports credit unions as community-based financial institutions that provide crucial alternatives to mainstream banking, often serving individuals excluded from traditional financial systems.

The Credit Union Foundation remains a cornerstone organization in the UK credit union sector, driving forward initiatives for sustainable community finance and financial education to build brighter futures for all communities it serves.

[1] https://www.creditunionfoundation.org.uk [2] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3987622 [3] https://www.creditunionfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/ [4] https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/directory/credit-union-foundation [5] https://wavecb.org.uk/east-sussex-credit-union-foundation/