NatWest and SafeLives reach almost 1,500 domestic and economic abuse survivors through £1m Circle Fund donation

NatWest has released the latest figures from ‘The Circle Fund’ in partnership with SafeLives; the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good. The Circle Fund has given 123 services the opportunity to receive funding to distribute to survivors most in need of support.

According to the Office for National Statistics, lockdown saw a major surge in domestic abuse calls to helplines and SafeLives’ own research showed more than 90% of frontline domestic abuse services reported an increase in demand.

In 2020, NatWest donated £1m to SafeLives, who will continue to distribute it those in need over a three year period. Through the Fund, a wide range of services including My Sister’s Place, Money Advice Plus and Women’s Aid have so far been able to support 1494 survivors with grants and 93% of those receiving assistance have been women.

Our report found that people from all walks of life across communities in the UK have been affected by economic and domestic abuse. As a bank we are committed to championing people and families, which is why we’re proud to continue our partnership with Safelives.

We donated £1m to SafeLives at the height of the pandemic when the increase in reported cases called attention to the scale of this harmful issue. Since last year we’ve seen the tangible impact for survivors, helping to build their financial confidence and independence and we will continue to look at ways to support and protect those affected

David Lindberg, CEO of Retail Banking at NatWest

We are so grateful to NatWest for this amazing donation. We can see already that the Circle Fund is making a difference to the lives of hundreds of survivors of domestic abuse.

It’s sobering that relatively small amounts of money can be life changing and we are proud to continue to support the many frontline domestic abuse services who have signed up to the Fund, and their work in walking alongside victims and survivors to support them to safety and live the lives they want after harm has happened.

Suzanne Jacob, Chief Executive of SafeLives

The Circle Fund: Small Sums Making Big Change A Partnership Between NatWest and SafeLives

The Circle Fund was born out of an established relationship between SafeLives and NatWest which began in August 2019.

Read the report