Charity and Sponsorship Committee

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 consists of staff from across the North of England bus operating areas region. The committee creates an effective, transparent process within First, at a regional 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.

Off the Buses Charity Newsletter

Off the Buses is our Charity & Sponsorship Committee newsletter in the North Region. Visit our Off the buses page to read the latest issue.

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

How to Apply

Please return your completed form by e-mail to: northcsc@firstgroup.com

Please note applications can take between 6 and 10 weeks to process, therefore please ensure your application is submitted well in advance of your required financial commitment or activity date.

• Download the application form - PDF - (259 KB)

If you wish to submit your application by post, please send to:

The North Region operating areas are Manchester, Chester, Wirral, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield Leeds, York, Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster. If you are outwith these areas please apply to the National Charity and Sponsorship Committee by clicking here.