The National Express Foundation, a charity set up in 2012 to help disadvantaged young people, has awarded a total of £145,000 in community grant and educational bursary funding this year.

To date the Foundation has already helped over 11,500 young people. This year’s funding is expected to benefit over 2,700 young people by supporting them with the cost of their studies and also helping groups deliver positive activities in the community.

Anthony Vigor, Chairman of the National Express Foundation said:

“We are delighted to announce the National Express Foundation funding awards for 2017. Our £145,000 funding will help deliver even more positive and engaging activities for local young people and help those who might not otherwise be able to continue with their studies in further and higher education.

“Since our launch in 2012 we have already helped over 11,500 local young people and with the latest round of funding awards we will be able to support nearly 3,000 more. We’re really looking forward to getting involved in the delivery of this year’s projects and seeing how it helps local young people progress in life.”

£75,000 of the total funding has been awarded to 22 community groups across Coventry, Birmingham, the Black Country and Kent.

Two universities and a college have also secured annual bursaries worth £30,000 per year to help disadvantaged young students continue in further and higher education. Four other universities are receiving second and third year installments of bursary funding to continue supporting around 100 students as part of Foundation funding secured in 2015 and 2016.

The community groups to benefit from the Foundation’s community grant funding in 2017 are:

• £2,500 Balsall Heath CATS, Birmingham
• £2,500 Beacon Evangelical Church, Birmingham
• £2,500 BME United Ltd, Wolverhampton
• £5,000 Cannon Street Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham
• £2,500 Castle Vale Neighbourhood Partnership Board, Birmingham
• £2,500 Disability Resource Centre, Birmingham
• £2,500 Friends of Sycamore Adventure, Dudley
• £5,000 Gospel Oak Community Centre, Birmingham
• £2,500 Hall Green Youth, Birmingham
• £2,500 Handsworth Carers Group, Birmingham
• £2,500 Handsworth Wood Youth Group, Birmingham
• £2,500 Holding On Letting Go, Kent
• £5,000 Kids In Communication, Walsall and Wolverhampton
• £5,000 Let Us Play, Wolverhampton
• £2,500 Our Place Community Hub, Sutton Coldfield
• £5,000 Radio Plus, Coventry
• £2,500 Smethwick Youth and Community Centre, Smethwick
• £2,500 Sport 4 Life UK, Birmingham
• £2,500 St Basils, Birmingham
• £2,500 Tara Martins Community Project, Kent

Coventry University, University of Warwick and Walsall College will also receive annual bursaries of £10,000 per year to help local young students continue with their education. Coventry University also receives a final installment of £10,000 from a bursary funding programme agreed in 2015. Three other universities that are receiving their second and third year installments of their annual bursaries are Aston University, Birmingham City University and the University of Wolverhampton.

Last year, for the first time, the Foundation pledged to provide £5,000 of funding for three consecutive years for two community groups - Olio Hub in Darlaston, West Midlands and Lee Chapel North Helping Hands in Basildon, Essex. This will support continuing projects for the two groups during 2017 and 2018.

For full details of the respective projects and bursary programmes supported by Foundation funding this year please visit www.nationalexpressgroup.com/foundation