Charity and Sponsorship
We are committed to making a real difference to the communities in which we operate by supporting a wide range of charitable causes and community organisations.
Our Charity and Sponsorship Committee comprises staff who are geographically spread across the UK to encompass all of our bus and rail operating areas. The committee creates an effective, transparent process within First at a Group level by considering and deciding upon requests for funding and gifts in kind based on our charitable criteria.
Our charitable criteria include:
- Young People
- Health
- The Environment
Applications which fall outside of these charitable criteria will not be considered for funding. Unfortunately, we are unable to support all causes. Any decision made by First with regard to requests of funding and gifts in kind is final. First will not, under any circumstances, enter into any discussion with an applicant regarding any such decision.
External applications must be supported in the form of a letter from a FirstGroup employee. This applies to external individuals, charities and community organisations. External applications which fail to provide a supporting letter will not be considered for funding. Please also note the supporting letter must be submitted at the same time as the application.
Community Investment Exclusion Policy
We also have a Community Investment Exclusion Policy, which identifies types of initiatives and causes that we do not fund. These include:
- Political parties or bodies
- Promotion of religious beliefs
- Third-party giving organisations
- Projects funded from local or central government
- The Arts (unless the donation provides direct support to one of our criteria)
- Animal Welfare
- Research projects that are not directly associated with the needs of the business
Download the application form (PDF 248kb) - (Opens in a new window)
Please return your completed form by e-mail to cscapplications@firstgroup.com
If you wish to submit your application by post, please send to:
Arlene Livingstone
FirstGroup plc
395 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5RP