About Us

Who are we?

Glasgow Care Foundation was established in 1874 before the NHS and Welfare State with the main aim to alleviate poverty in Glasgow.

With the motto “A Helping Hand not a Hand Out,” we like to think of ourselves as a “Small charity doing big things for Glasgow.” Because all funds earned through fundraising or donations go straight to helping those in need.  That is why our Board of Trustees are voluntary – we are constantly striving to keep costs down.

What we do?

We provide support to some of the poorest families and individuals who cannot get help from any other source. This takes the form of essential household goods (flooring, beds, white goods, etc.). Where there is food poverty, we provide supermarket gift cards to allow people some dignity of choice. We are increasingly concerned about the crisis people will face this year because of fuel poverty and the choice between heating or eating, and we are currently looking for different ways to help.

Our client referrals come from organisations such as Social Work, Housing Associations, Citizens Advice, and other agencies working with vulnerable people.

We also support community projects and we put back the magic into Christmas with gift cards to purchase some toys from Santa’s list or food for Christmas dinner.

For a better understanding of the importance of the Glasgow Care Foundation, we encourage you to read the following statistics as well as the whole report relating to Glasgow’s poverty rates.

5.5%

According to the ONS, the Consumer Prices Index, which includes owner occupier housing prices (CPIH), increased by 5.5% in the year to February 2022. The major contributor for the increase were housing and household services (1.39 %), primarily from electricity, gas, and other fuels, and owner property owners' dwelling costs

Source: ons.gov.uk

25.2%

According to the latest local authority level data from 2016-2018, 25.2 % of Glasgow homes were fuel poor

Source: gcph.co.uk

14%

of working households in Scotland living in poverty

Source: gcph.co.uk

36,000

In March 2020 it was estimated by Glasgow City Council that over 36,000 children were living in poverty in the city and that over 16,000 of these children were from lone parent families.

Source: gcph.co.uk

Mission:

We are a small charity doing big things for Glasgow, helping Glaswegians when they
cannot help themselves because our main goal is to alleviate poverty and improve quality of life in the city. That is why we empower people and enrich lives by offering practical assistance to people in financial need who have exhausted all available sources, fund local community projects and provide pensions and grants.

Vision:

We are determined to have a greater impact on reducing poverty in Glasgow by
positively improving 10,000 lives over the next 10 years.

Values:

  • COMMUNITY, we as Glaswegians want to help our Glasgow community,
  • EMPATHY, we put ourselves in the position of the Glaswegians we help,
  • DIGNITY, we put the dignity of the people first,
  • TRUST, we work in a trusting environment: “We trust our people and the people we help.”
  • AGILITY, we adapt our purposes to changing circumstances and we will continue to do so to arrive quickly to help Glaswegians in need.

Listen to some testimonies about our work