Investing in communities

We make grants to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people living in Kent and Medway.

Investing in communities: Making small grants to community groups and local charities to strengthen their resilience and build their capacity to deliver sustainable services to people at the margins of society.

Colyer-Fergusson Trust believes that smaller, locally focussed organisations are often best placed to deliver flexible, responsive and direct support to the most vulnerable people in society. It also recognises that they and their beneficiaries have been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. This grants’ programme is targeted at smaller, community-led organisations with three complementary strands: -Stabilising: providing grants for basic running/core costs including core costs associated with meeting the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. -Extending: providing one-off grants to help develop and strengthen local, grassroots organisations. -Delivering: providing one-off grants for the costs associated with delivering small projects or resources for socially excluded groups.

The Trust is interested to hear from smaller charities in Kent; those delivering essential services to the most vulnerable people in the community and working at grass roots and local community level across a wide range of activities, where a relatively small amount of money can make a big difference.

Level of funding available: Organisations can apply for a grant of between £500 and £5,000 per annum, for a maximum of three years or a one-off grant of up to £15,000. Groups are advised to apply for amounts that are proportionate to their annual turnover. Organisations that are not able to provide published financial records will be restricted in the grants they can apply for.

Extra priority will be given to groups that: • work in a particularly disadvantaged or deprived area; • have limited access to other sources of income; • clearly define the need they are addressing; • demonstrate a commitment to service user involvement; • illustrate how they aim to deliver social outcomes; • can demonstrate partnership working

Eligibility criteria: • Organisations must be a registered charity, CIC, social enterprise or other properly constituted not-for-profit organisation with a management committee with at least three unrelated members • Organisations must be based in Kent and benefit local communities • Gross income in the last financial year must be less than £500,000 • Free reserves in the last financial year must be less than twelve months of expenditure • Grants can be paid only into a UK bank account in the organisation’s name.

We regret that we are not able to fund: • Individuals - unless they are made as part of our ‘Hardship Awards’ Programme • National charities receiving widespread support • Statutory bodies and anything deemed to be the responsibility of the State • Nurseries, schools, colleges, hospitals and health authorities • Medical care, medical equipment or medical research • Academic research, scholarships or bursaries • Animal charities • The promotion of religion • Museums and galleries or the restoration or conservation of buildings • Annual or one-off events and festivals • Work outside of Kent • Endowment appeals • Work that has already taken place i.e. retrospective funding • Round-robin, widely circulated appeals