- Lankelly Chase is leading the way by joining the Living Wage Foundation's new scheme for charity funders.
- The scheme recognises funders that commit to supporting charities by funding posts at the Living Wage or above.
Lankelly Chase has received recognition as a Living Wage Friendly Funder in the UK from the Living Wage Foundation, joining the likes of Comic Relief, People's Heath Trust, Lloyds Bank Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.
As part of their commitment to being a Living Wage Friendly Funder, Lankelly Chase supports successful applicant charities to pay the Living Wage to any grant-funded staff posts.
Living Wage Friendly Funders themselves are Living Wage Employers and then, where possible, encourage grantees to become accredited employers over time.
Living Wage Friendly Funders work together to end low pay in the Voluntary and Community sector.
Thousands of charities and funders have already embraced the Living Wage across the UK, but low pay remains a real challenge across the sector. The Living Wage Friendly Funder scheme has been funded by People's Health Trust and developed in collaboration with a range of funders including the People's Health Trust, Trust for London, Barrow Cadbury, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Comic Relief.
The Minimum Wage in the UK is currently £7.20 an hour in the UK, but the UK Living Wage, which is set independently and calculated in accordance to the basic cost of living in the UK, is considerably higher at £8.45, rising to £9.75 in London.
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
We are delighted to recognise Lankelly Chase as a Living Wage Friendly Funder. The leadership shown by Lankelly Chase demonstrates a commitment to tackling the serious problems that low pay brings to our communities. Many organisations in the voluntary and community sectors are working hard to tackle social injustice and poverty; it's only right that those committed to these roles are afforded at least a Living Wage. We hope to see many more funders and corporates follow the lead of Lankelly Chase and the other Living Wage Friendly Funders. At a time when half of those in poverty live in a household where someone has a job, the Living Wage is much needed by families across the UK. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day's work with a fair day's pay.
Julian Corner, CEO, Lankelly Chase said:
We are proud to sign up as a Living Wage Friendly Funder and help ensure charity workers can earn a real Living Wage. This scheme is all about collaboration. We are delighted to add our support to this important initiative and to be working with a diverse group of funders to combat voluntary sector low pay.
John Hume, Chief Executive, People's Health Trust, said:
People's Health Trust is pleased to welcome Lankelly Chase as the latest charitable funder to join the Living Wage Friendly Funder network. By becoming part of this rapidly growing scheme, they have demonstrated their commitment, as a funder, to working towards ending low pay in the Voluntary and Community sector. We want to see the Living Wage become the norm, and believe that funding organisations can lead the way in making this happen within the Voluntary Sector.
Media enquiries
Emma Kosmin, Programme Manager
emma.kosmin @livingwage.org.uk
02070439882
Notes to editors
About the UK Living Wage
- The UK Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK and employers choose to pay it on a voluntary basis.
- The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK.
- It is an initiative of Citizens UK and offers accreditation to employers that pay the living wage, or those committed to an agreed timetable of implementation, by awarding the 'Living Wage Employer' mark. There are now over 2,900 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.
- The Living Wage Friendly Funder scheme recognises grant makers thatsupport charities to pay the Living Wage through their grant-making: https://dev.livingwage.org.uk/about-friendly-funders
- You can follow the Living Wage Foundation on twitter @LivingWageUK https://twitter.com/LivingWageUK and find out more about the Friendly Funder Scheme using #FriendlyFunders
The Friendly Funder Framework
Living Wage Friendly Funders agree to three sequential core principles:
PRINCIPLE ONE:
Become an accredited Living Wage Employer with the Living Wage Foundation.
PRINCIPLE TWO:
Pay the Living Wage to grant funded posts or be demonstrably working towards paying this over a period of time agreed with the Living Wage Foundation.
Living Wage Friendly Funders seek to ensure that all posts which are wholly or partially funded by the funder pay the Living Wage, unless there are particular reasons for this not to happen (these might include difficulties in maintaining differentials, and the impact on other posts within the grantee's workforce - there is more information in our FAQs).
PRINCIPLE THREE:
Support grantees to become Living Wage Employers by signposting them towards:
- The Living Wage Foundation
- Other Living Wage Friendly Funders
- Other Living Wage VCS organisations in their area