GrantRadar

Kent Community Foundation

Kent Community Foundation grants for organisations (Micro and General routes)

Kent Community Foundation's open application for charities and community organisations working in Kent and Medway. One application form is matched by the Grants Team against the Foundation's many donor funds, so applicants need not pick a fund. The Micro route offers up to £2,000 for organisations with income under £100,000 (decision aimed within eight weeks); the General route offers up to £6,000 for organisations with income under £1m (decisions usually four to six months). Project costs or core running costs can be requested, and each organisation can apply once in any 12-month period.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£10,000 – £6,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Constituted groups with charitable purposes working in Kent or Medway: registered charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), Community Interest Companies (CICs) and not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee (not shares)
  • You need a committee and your own bank account with two unrelated signatories; CICs and companies limited by guarantee must have three unrelated directors registered with Companies House
  • Annual income must be under £1 million (under £100,000 for the Micro route)
  • Organisations can only apply once in any 12-month period, regardless of outcome
  • Not eligible: non-constituted groups, schools (their Friends/PTFA groups can apply for extra-curricular activities), statutory organisations unless the project is clearly outside the state's obligations, and work outside Kent and Medway

What it funds

Work fitting one of the Foundation's five priority (impact) areas:

  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Children, young people and families
  • Crisis and basic needs
  • Connected communities
  • Environment

you can request funding for a specific project or a contribution towards your core costs. Micro route grants are up to £2,000 (annual income under £100,000); General route grants are up to £6,000 (annual income under £1m).

What it will not fund

  • Organisations with an annual income over £1 million
  • Non-constituted groups
  • Projects taking place outside Kent and Medway (including the London boroughs of Bexley and Bromley)
  • CICs or Companies Limited by Guarantee with Persons of Significant Control (PSCs) holding unequal powers
  • Schools (applications for extra-curricular or enhancement activities from associated groups such as 'Friends of' or PTFA are welcome)
  • Statutory organisations, unless the project is clearly outside the state's obligations
  • Retrospective funding: work that has already taken place

lower priority are national or regional organisations, organisations with no track record in the local district, organisations with a strong faith bias that may exclude certain communities, organisations with high reserves (typically over nine months) without clear explanation, and one-off festivals or celebrations without strong community involvement before or after the event.

How to apply

  1. Complete the Foundation's online eligibility checker
  2. Read the application guidance and FAQs (Word versions of the Micro, General and Annual route forms are available to plan your answers)
  3. Complete the online Micro or General application form; you can name a fund or leave the Grants Team to match you to the most appropriate funds
  4. Choose a referee if asked (depending on the route) and send them a copy of your completed application
  5. The Grants Team assesses the application; decisions are made by fund panels or the Foundation's Grants Committee
  6. If successful, payment is aimed within about one month of the award announcement

if you cannot apply online, the Grants Team can help by email, phone (01303 814 500) or in person, and can provide a Word version of the form.

Have ready

  • A full month's bank statement dated within the last three months, showing account name, number and sort code
  • Your most recent accounts (or audited management accounts or an income and expenditure spreadsheet)
  • Governing document with charitable objects and a dissolution clause (only if not registered with the Charity Commission)
  • Safeguarding policy (if applicable), reviewed or established within the last three years
  • Estimates or quotes supporting the amount requested; quotes are required for goods, services or one-off costs of £750 or more
  • Budget breakdown, with staff costs broken down by hourly rate

if you applied within the last two years some documents may not be needed again.

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