Infrastructure Fund Continues Critical Support

The voluntary and community sector across Kent receives a significant boost with a £145,000 extension to the Infrastructure Support Fund.

This crucial funding from Kent County Council, managed by Kent Community, will enable ten key organisations to continue providing invaluable support services to frontline charities, community groups, and CICs until March/April 2026.

The Infrastructure Support Fund is designed to strengthen the voluntary sector from the ground up, ensuring that vital community services can thrive. It provides expert guidance and resources in critical areas, including:

• Governance: Ensuring robust and effective leadership.
• Funding & Diversification: Helping organisations secure and manage their finances, and explore new income streams.
• Staffing Advice: Offering support on recruitment, retention, and development.
• Networking Opportunities: Fostering collaboration and shared learning among groups.
• Bespoke 1:1 Support: Tailored assistance to address specific organisational challenges.

This extension means that more groups will benefit from this expert advice, allowing them to enhance their impact and better serve their communities. The initial fund was established to support existing, dormant, or new infrastructure projects, and this continuation reinforces its proven success in building a resilient and effective voluntary sector in Kent. 

Organisations receiving the extension

Nine existing organisations, along with one new addition, have been awarded grants to continue their vital work. These organisations form a network of support, collectively addressing challenges and strengthening the sector.

The new addition to this vital network is Ashford Volunteer Centre, which will focus specifically on a critical area of need: supporting trustees. Through their previous KCC-funded Kent Volunteers Project, the centre identified specific unmet needs relating to volunteering, particularly for trustees. Over the 9-month grant period, Ashford Volunteer Centre will implement a comprehensive programme to bolster trustee effectiveness and governance.

While the full list of recipients and their specific projects can be found on the Kent Community Foundation website (kentcf.org.uk/infrastructure-support-fund), some examples of the types of support being provided include:

• Funding For All: Delivering training, conferences, webinars, and mentoring to help VCSEs with fundraising and financial sustainability.
• Social Enterprise Kent (SEK): Offering high-quality, impactful one-to-one coaching on financial planning, legal matters, and overcoming growth barriers.
• Safer Communities Alliance CIC: Providing one-on-one support and events with a strong focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), helping organisations address specific needs and break down barriers to engagement.
• Stronger Kent Communities: Developing a Kent-wide leadership and partnership development project.
• Imago Community: Facilitating bi-monthly networking sessions, offering direct support, and providing training sessions.
• West Kent Mind: Contributing to strengthening governance and diversifying income for frontline organisations.
• Council for Voluntary Service North-West Kent: Supports communities and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) across Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley.
• Charity Mentors Kent: Offering strategic mentoring support to charity leaders across the county.
• CAP Enterprise Kent: To run their Kent Social Enterprise Club - a new online social enterprise start-up programme which supports community groups, local charities and social enterprises across Kent.
• Ashford Volunteer Centre: Bringing their extensive experience in volunteer brokerage, support for volunteer-involving organisations, and various community services to enhance the infrastructure support network.

This continued investment in infrastructure support is a testament to the recognition of its critical role in ensuring that local charities and community groups can operate effectively and make a real difference to the lives of people across Kent. 

Find out more about the organisations and the support they are offering here.