PFC Trust

The PFC Trust is a grant-making charity founded by Patrick and Frances Connolly to give back to Hartlepool and North East England, where they lived for 25 years. Its core mission is to improve lives and life chances across the region by empowering communities, fostering partnerships, and promoting self-sufficiency through capacity building, training, and direct funding. Rooted in values of empowerment, community-led development, and highlighting positive regional aspects, the Trust adopts a catalytic approach that helps people help themselves, blending founder-led personal philanthropy with responsive local knowledge.

It funds broad community-focused initiatives, including health and wellbeing (via NHS Community Transformation Fund and Dementia Support Fund), sport (especially Hartlepool Sport for athletes and teams), early years education, mental health transformation, general community projects, and social inclusion efforts. Support covers project funding, core costs, capital grants, scholarships, and capacity building for grassroots groups addressing local needs, with emphasis on sustainable impact for diverse beneficiaries like young people, dementia patients, and vulnerable residents.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, community groups, or social enterprises based in or serving Hartlepool and the wider North East England, with a preference for small, grassroots VCSE organisations showing strong local partnerships and evidence of impact; no strict income thresholds or religious restrictions apply. Typical grants range from £1,000 to £10,000, varying by fund (e.g., £500–£3,000 for athletes).

Unsolicited applications are accepted via online forms during annual rounds (e.g., 2025: Early Years/Mental Health close 14 Feb, General/Athlete 28 Feb), with some requiring initial Expressions of Interest; decisions follow trustee meetings. Distinctively flexible and personal, the Trust avoids non-local or non-community-led projects, prioritising empowerment over dependency for lasting self-improvement.