Macro Milestone for Micro Grants

Since 2022, Kent Community Foundation has distributed half a million pounds to good causes through its Micro funding programme.

Introduced in early 2022, the Micro funding programme awards grants of up to £2,000 to charities and community groups with an annual income under £75,000. In the past two years over 250 organisations have been supported by experienced grant maker Kent Community Foundation with funding totalling £500,000.

One of the projects that recently received funding from the Micro programme was Margate based Bon Volks CIC. Kent Community Foundation awarded £2,000 to Bon Volks CIC for their ‘Swift Project 2024’.

The project highlights the importance of conservation and biodiversity by focusing on the migratory arrival and departure of swifts. Spending their winters in Africa, Swifts migrate 3,400 miles twice a year, and breed across the UK during the summer, but are most numerous in the south and east.

The project involves local Margate residents who become ‘Guardians’ of the swifts, by agreeing to have free swift boxes installed on their properties. The boxes are constructed by Bon Volks CIC volunteers from reclaimed materials and include MP3 players which call to the swifts and encourage nesting.

Ross Walker, Director, Bon Volks CIC said, “Our 2024 Swift project highlights the importance of conservation and biodiversity gains, by focusing on the migratory arrival and departure of swifts while raising environmental awareness and improving the wellbeing of residents.

“Dane Park Road in Margate is a focal point of swift nesting and feeding. The swifts habitually return to the road every year, to capitalise on the rich feeding sites that exist on the edges of Dane Park. However, in recent years nesting sites on Dane Park Road have begun to disappear and a reduced insect population has led to dwindling numbers. We believe the uniqueness of the Dane Park Rd phenomenon should be highlighted and celebrated and that the local residents should be rightly proud of their annual visitors. There has been increased coverage, nationally, of the need to protect the swifts, as a key part of a healthy functioning ecosystem and we hope our project will be used as an example for other neighbourhoods to follow our lead.”

Natalie Smith, Director of Grants and Impact and Deputy Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation said, “Swifts were added to the red list in the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report. Red is the highest conservation priority, with species on this list needing urgent action. As species on this list, are globally threatened, with big declines in breeding populations and ranges we were delighted to support this Margate based project from our Micro grants programme.”

The Swift project also involves a number of other activities including a community sweepstake to predict the date of the swifts’ arrival and an exhibition about their conservation work.

Does your organisation have an income under £75,000? Apply for a Micro grant here.