Impact videos

Thanet Disabled Riding Centre provides individual tailored riding and therapy sessions to children and adults with many different physical and mental disabilities, vulnerabilities and special educational needs.

Kent Community Foundation has supported the organisation since 2014, recent funding through the Albert Burns Children's Trust Fund allowed them to purchase a disability lift to help their riders mount the horses. 

Food Friends tackles social isolation and loneliness in communities through food and friendship. Their meal-sharing initiative connects volunteers – who are willing to deliver an extra portion of their home cooked food – with a neighbour, who would benefit from a delicious home cooked meal and doorstep chat.

Kent Community Foundation has been supporting Food Friends with grant funding since 2020.

bemix support people with learning difficulties and/or autism to speak up, make choices and become powerful and influential. They support them to gain opportunities and become more independent in learning, housing, work, health, money, travel, leisure and relationships.

Kent Community Foundation has been supporting bemix with grant funding for over 10 years. 

Wilderness to Wonderland tidies, plants and maintains neglected public spaces in Margate. 

Funding from Kent Community Foundation has helped them to transform unused spaces in Margate into wonderful, colourful enticing areas which have brightened up the town and improved the feeling of civic pride.

Faversham Assistance Centre (FACE) enable elderly and disabled people who are financially challenged, stay in their own homes for longer. They do this by offering practical help in the form of garden maintenance, decorating and odd jobs to those who are unable to carry out these tasks themselves due to ageing or disabilities.

We have been supporting FACE for over 20 years with grant funding of nearly £60,000.

Windmill Community Gardens Margate is a thriving community hub located in the heart of Thanet. Established in 2004, this hidden gem is composed of two one-acre sites (a community garden and a market garden) that were transformed from derelict wasteland allotments after local families requested “Somewhere safe to grow food with their children”.

We have been funding Windmill Community Gardens Margate since 2017 with grant funding totalling over £20,000. Recently we awarded them £4,642 for their community compost scheme and visited the initiative to see how the funding has been used.

Shapeshifter Productions is a performing arts charity making culture accessible, bringing world-class artists to share their expertise with communities of diverse ages and backgrounds, engaging in projects that not only build skills and confidence but also address well-being, self-esteem, anxiety and loneliness.

Kent Community Foundation recently funded their Smiling Sessions project, a participatory music project that brings chronically lonely older people together through song. 

Smarden Community Store & Post Office is a brilliant local provision which really cares about the community. The store received a loan and grant through our Kent Social Enterprise Loan Fund (KSELF). The funding allowed them to focus on their core business aims and plan financially over a 5-year period giving them the stability to build upon.

Watch the video to hear about how the loan and grant has contributed to its major success, exceeding all business plan expectations (forecast turnover was £186k by year 3, actual turnover was £327k). 

Outdoor Studios provides artist-led workshops for creative experiential learning exploring environment, landscape, and place, and the advancing impact of climate change. They aim to bring free and low-cost activities to families who may feel excluded from arts and culture, focusing on areas of deprivation in and around Kent. 

Kent Community Foundation recently awarded them funding to run a series of creative outdoor workshops for young carers supported by Imago Community.

Unity Roots CIC is based in the Riverside sheltered 88-bed accommodation, The Quays, in Sittingbourne, Kent. They have built a professional music studio and use the space to offer positive experiences to people who are homeless, have been homeless or are at threat of becoming homeless.

They received a £4,000 grant to operate the studio two days a week and extend the range of opportunities.

Uprising Youth and Community is a local charity that has been working locally in Ashford, Kent since 2011 with a core aim of 'inspiring hope and bringing community transformation'.

Kent Community Foundation recently funded their Hang10 Project which provides 4 weekly sessions of free to access sport activities (e.g football, swing ball, badminton, Panna ball skills). 

Making a Difference to Maidstone (MADM) supports individuals and families who find themselves in crisis through homelessness, domestic abuse, addiction, financial need, unemployment, relationship breakdown, and more.

Kent Community Foundation has been supporting the organisation with funding since 2018.

SNAAP (Special Needs Advisory & Activities Project) informs, encourages and supports parents and carers, enabling them to provide the best possible help to their children via a range of services.

Their 'Buzz' club offers a creative, safe fun environment for children, aged 8-13 with less complex needs and their 'Chill' club helps young people, aged 14-25 with less complex needs to increase their self-esteem and confidence while enhancing social and communication skills.

We recently awarded them funding towards their Family Support Service which provides emotional and practical advice to families.

Rising Sun Domestic Violence & Abuse Service Ltd provide advice and support to adult and child survivors of domestic abuse and aims to help individuals make their own choices, regain their freedom and take control of their lives.

Kent Community Foundation has recently awarded them funding towards their core costs including the costing for their volunteer-led counselling service.

We joined Medway Voluntary Action's 'Couch to Community' cookery class at Jaspers Community Cafe, where their members learnt how to make cheese scones using Jaspers Community Cafe's special recipe.

We awarded Medway Voluntary Action £7,500 to run their 'Couch to Community' programme for isolated or lonely individuals in Medway to journey from 'couch' to community connectivity. The cookery class is just one of the fantastic community activities they run for their members.

Imago Dei Prison Ministry offer courses for women in prison, focusing on addressing the underlying reasons behind offending and changing the self-perceptions of women who end up in prison, and giving them tools to feel empowered to make different choices and help reduce reoffending rates.

We have been funding Imago Dei since 2016. In this time we have helped them run 103 courses for 407 women who have been in prison.

Home-Start Dover is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting the welfare of families with young children under the age of 11. It offers volunteer home visiting support to families with parental mental health issues, children’s behaviour and emotional issues. Volunteers offer regular practical and emotional support in the home, to empower families by helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown.

Kent Community Foundation awarded grants to allow Home-Start Dover to run two Support Family Groups and funding for the salary of their Family Support Worker.

The community food project Families Eating And Sharing Together, known as FEAST, is run by a group of passionate volunteers with a mission to tackle food inequality. They operate from four locations in the Tonbridge area running two community larders called Feast Fresh which offer fresh produce to those on a low income and provide hot healthy lunches to families in the school holidays.

Kent Community Foundation has been funding FEAST since May 2022 and recently awarded them a grant of £21,250 to help with their core running costs and purchase food for their community larders and lunches.

The Community Cupboard, provide emergency food supplies, essential toiletries and other household items, to individuals and families in financial hardship and also to other charities or organisations working to prevent poverty.

The Community Cupboard has recently received two grants through the Wards Emergency Support Fund to support their families through these difficult times. We have also awarded them funding for their staff salaries so they can operate five days a week and to extend the foodbank to meet the increasing demand.

Lily’s Social Kitchen first started as a way of creating opportunities for people from all walks of life to access work and training.

Their 'Pay-as-you-Feel' café based at Singleton Village Hall in Ashford hopes to reach those in the community who can’t afford to pay to be able to come and have a coffee and something to eat without having to worry.

They have also opened as a Warm Room to help with the cost-of-living crisis so members of the community can drop in to receive a warm welcome from their staff and interns.

We awarded them grants to support their work, including funding towards their Warm Banks.

Blackthorn Trust provide holistic, life enhancing opportunities for people with mental health challenges, chronic pain and type two diabetes. They offer a social-therapeutic environment where people can recover through nurture, healing, and growth. They offer specialist therapies and a range of workshops at their unique facilities near Maidstone, which include a large biodynamic garden, a deli/café and kitchen, craft and woodwork studios and therapy rooms. 

Kent Community Foundation recently funded them for the salary of their Community Hub Manager to oversee cookery classes, food education and the running of the café.  

Brogdale Collections is a charity working to provide access and education about the National Fruit Collection to the public.

They received a grant towards the salary of their Education Co-ordinator for their Education & Engagement for Children and Young Adults Programme, allowing them to continue to run events like juicing workshops in the summer holidays, build a programme of curriculum based activities for school visits and school outreach engagement. We also awarded them funding to help them maintain and provide public access to 9.5 hectares of the National Fruit Collection heritage fruit orchards, which would otherwise have been destroyed and permanently lost to the public.

Custom is a community organisation working at the intersections of art, food, agroecology and activism. Their core activity 'The Locavore Growing Project' in Folkestone, Kent, connects people to where their food comes from, how it’s grown and it’s role in social, environmental and climate justice.

We have recently awarded them funding towards their Locavore Growing Project, Holiday Club and the training of volunteers. 

Oasis support adults, children and young people in East Kent, Medway & North Kent who have been affected by domestic abuse.

Their services include refuge and safe accommodation, group programmes, counselling, mentoring and training for professionals.

We have been funding the organisation since 2006 to support their services. 

Gillingham Street Angels help the homeless, members of the community, and vulnerable people of all ages in the Medway towns and surrounding areas. From their foodbank at 43 Skinner Street, Gillingham, they supply food parcels. They also supply clothes, bedding and general household items. They provide facilities to wash and dry clothes for the homeless.

We have recently awarded them a grant of £3,600 through our Medway Corporate Giving Fund to go towards their core costs to run the organisation.

Primal Roots is run by friends and colleagues who have experienced addiction, homelessness and a life of crime and found recovery through outdoor fitness. Carl set up the organisation to help people affected by substance misuse, after finding fitness helped him. 

Tony also shares his story after turning his life around and becoming a mentor with Primal Roots after 17 years in prison. 

Repton Community Trust aim is to provide excellent resources and opportunities, empowering people to connect, build community and lead a more fulfilled life. Their Community Shop, People's Pantry is a community lead food bank which has supported 3000 people in 18 months.

Sandra turned to Repton Community Trust when she struggled to buy food after some unexpected dental work.

The Paddock Wood Community Advice Centre was established in 2012 in response to local need (primarily advice around issues of spiralling debt due to local preponderance of high unemployment levels/low income jobs). Major changes in welfare benefit, loss of legal aid and closure of other advice agencies has resulted in an exponential increase in demand for their service. They support clients on any issue and have specialist advisers in debt, benefits, relationship breakdown, housing, employment and consumer matters. 

The Centre supported Steven after he was left struggling financially after an injury left him unable to work. 

Mid Kent Mind is a mental health charity that offers a range of services to support anyone with a mental health problem.

We have been supporting the organisation since 2015 for various projects including counselling services, mental health management courses, building work and social clubs. 

Barry shares his story about the support he received from Mid Kent Mind after the passing of his wife. 

SATEDA provide direct access to support, advocacy and advice for victims and survivors of domestic abuse through a range of services.

We have supported SATEDA since 2018 for family counselling, creche facilities, digital review and a project helping victims of domestic abuse applying for protective civil orders.

We spoke to Mary (not her real name) about how she fled an abusive relationship and how SATEDA supported her and her daughter.

Growing for Good CIC

Growing for Good CIC was set up in early 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic, to engage and train ex-offenders from HMP East Sutton in the growing, care and propagation of plants for commercial sale into office spaces, with the ultimate aim of trying to reduce re-offending rates through the provision of training, experience and career paths. 

They have received two grants from Kent Community Foundation through our COVID-19 Emergency Funding and Kent County Council Strategic Recovery Fund.

Clay Colour Works CIC

Clay Colour Works CIC is a working pottery, providing work experience for adults with learning difficulties.

KCF funded them for their healthy eating classes to provide life skills and facilities for their members to prepare healthy meals and to eat their lunch in a safe environment away from the main pottery workshop.

Diversity House

Diversity House's core priorities and vision are the promotion of community integration, reintegration, inclusion and social cohesion by addressing social inequalities caused by the social determinants of gender, race/ethnicity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, religion, beliefs and values among others.

Kent Community  Foundation funded their Swale Supporting Girls through The Tampon Tax Fund. 

Communigrow

Communigrow provide opportunities for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to gain new skills, knowledge and abilities that improve their prospects for employment and independent living.

They recently received funding through Kent Reliance Provident Society Fund, David Friday Memorial Fund and Martello Fund.

Sk8side CIC

Sk8side CIC delivers youth work from the Sk8side Youth Centre, next to the Ryan Clements Skate Park, in Ashford. The aim of the work is the personal and social development of young people aged 8-21 5 days a week.

Kent Community Foundation funded their Youth Employment Support project to provide training/employment support for young people who are NEET as well as an older age group using the skate park.

Find a Voice

Find A Voice is a Kent based registered charity which helps and supports people of all ages with speech, language and communication difficulties throughout Kent, Medway and beyond.

Kent Community Foundation recently funded them to buy an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device, sometimes known as "talking technology" through The Frank Brake Charitable Trust Fund.

Home-Start Medway

Home-Start Medway provides unique and varied services for families with children under 5 across Medway.

The “Great Brompton Bake Off” is a Home-Start Medway initiative, designed to support serving and former forces families in Medway. The weekly “Bake Off” group is free to attend and encourages forces families to bake, integrate and make new friends.

Art in Romney Marsh (AiRM)

Art in Romney Marsh (AiRM) aim to advance the education and access to cultural events for the communities of rural Romney Marsh and the surrounding areas.

The barriers for a large proportion of Romney Marsh communities include poverty, poor transport links and accessibility. AiRM aims to provide high quality and relevant opportunities by providing learning programmes in the villages so that transport and cost are not prohibitive.

Alkham Valley Community Project

Alkham Valley Community Project is an inclusive community project which promotes the benefits to health and well being that can be achieved through participation in horse sport and recreation.

The project provides horse riding, carriage driving and educational opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged adults and children who would not normally have the opportunity to take part.

Olympia Boxing CIC

Olympic Boxing CIC deliver fitness programmes in schools and community groups.

This particular project was funded by The Gatwick Foundation Fund to develop a programme where adults in the community who have low family incomes and are experiencing barriers to participation due to their disadvantages, can attend sessions and access support from professionals.

Romney Marsh Day Centre

Romney Marsh Day Centre offer health and well-being services to elderly and isolated people who reside on the Romney Marsh both in their centre and through their community services.

Dandelion Time

Dandelion Time supports children experiencing serious emotional and behavioural difficulties, resulting from trauma, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Dandelion Time delivers an individually tailored programme of practically-based therapeutic sessions, combining farm and natural craft activities with one-to-one emotional support.

West Kent Befriending Service

West Kent Befriending Service encourages their members to feel part of the community and re-engage in social activities where possible to reduce the feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Funding through Kent Community Foundation enabled a minimum of 30 new volunteers to make a difference to a minimum of 30 new member’s lives. The service also includes social inclusion days like the Talking Bus which takes elderly people out for trips around the local area.

No Walls Gardens CIC

No Walls Gardens CIC work predominately with vulnerable adults such as ex-offenders, persons with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and mental health issues. They give their clients a greater connection to the community, work experience and skills training by carrying out community gardening and food growing projects across the local area of Northfleet.

Spadework

The team at Spadework talk about how Kent Community Foundation's grants have helped them provide meaningful training to adults with learning disabilities and some of the charity's trainees talk about what they get out of the experience.

Music4Wellbeing

Music4Wellbeing CIC consists of professional arts practitioners, health professionals and academic researchers who deliver a range of cultural activities for people living with disabilities in East Kent.

Kent Community Foundation funded Music4Wellbeing's initiative, Carers Create to support families in East Kent living with dementia.

Seaside Singers is one of their regular fun singing and rhythmic movement sessions.

Medway Plus

Medway Plus have received various grants through Kent Community Foundation for social activities for elderly people in Medway who are most isolated. 

This video was shot at their Christmas Talent Show for elderly and isolated people. The team and service users explain how the funding has helped run social inclusion events, like this one, for elderly people in the area. 

Swale CVS

Swale CVS received a grant through our Elderly and Isolated Priority Areas Route for projects supporting their elderly and isolated members in Swale. The grant allows them to offer telephone befriending, lunch club, games club and bi-monthly trips utilising their volunteer transport scheme.

In this video the team, volunteers and members of the 'Games Club' at Swale CVS explain the importance of the funding in tackling social isolation and the impact it is having on elderly people in the area. 

Hi Kent 

Hi Kent is established to promote and further charitable purposes for the benefit of deaf and hearing impaired persons. Hi Kent offer free support, training and advice services to people suffering from severe hearing loss and/or tinnitus throughout Kent, including Lipreading Classes, Tinnitus Support Groups, hearing aid maintenance clinics, and advice on assistive equipment available to persons with hearing loss.

Funder Films CIC

A Few Words About Me was a poetry workshop for people living with dementia which took place in Canterbury (UK) between September 2017 and March 2018. The workshop was run by Funder Films CIC, hosted by poetry therapist Victoria Field and funded by the National Lottery Awards for All and Kent Community Foundation.

Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival

Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival, in partnership with Age UK Tunbridge Wells and Smoking Apples Theatre Company created a new community arts project for those living with dementia. This film documents the five sessions Smoking Apples ran with clients at Age UK Tunbridge Wells and captures their stories and memories through shadow puppetry.