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May 13, 2026
As part of this re launch, we have refined our eligibility criteria and funding routes to ensure our resources are focused where they can make the greatest difference - supporting smaller and grassroots organisations across Kent and Medway.
Below, we set out the changes to our funding routes, eligibility criteria and priority impact areas, alongside important information for applicants.
Kent Community Foundation is committed to purposeful giving - ensuring our funding reaches where it can make the greatest difference.
We focus on making modest grants to smaller organisations, where we consistently see the strongest local impact. With limited resources, we are committed to using them as wisely and effectively as possible. This means prioritising our support for smaller and grassroots groups and refining our criteria to better reflect this commitment.
Supporting smaller organisations
We are reducing our maximum income threshold from £3 million to £1 million, based on an average of the last three years.
Where fundholders wish to proactively support larger organisations, Kent Community Foundation will continue to facilitate this.
Organisations will now be able to apply once in any 12 month period, rather than twice.
Some one off or niche funds may sit outside this criteria and we will clearly advertise these where applicable.
The annual income limit is increasing to £100,000 (average over the last three years), which reflects our definition of micro or grassroots organisations.
Decisions are made within six to eight weeks.
We’re pleased to re open the Annual route, following valuable feedback from applicants and partners.
Key updates include:
Annual income limit reduced to £500,000 (three year average).
Maximum grant size reduced from £15,000 to £10,000.
Open to organisations that have received three grants in the last three years, provided all impact reporting has been received.
We will share updates to keep applicants informed.
This route is designed to support ongoing core costs so please do not apply for time specific or one off expenditure.
Applications remain live for 12 months following assessment.
Grants may be awarded at any point during that 12 month period.
There are no changes to the General route.
Grants of up to £6,000
Decisions within four to six months
These changes will come into effect on 22nd May 2026.
To better reflect the needs of communities across Kent and Medway, we have revised our priority impact areas:
Mental health and wellbeing
Children, young people and families
Crisis and basic needs
Connected communities
Environment
You can find out more about our impact areas here. Your work may align with more than one goal - please choose the one that feels the best fit.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Demand for our funding is high, and we are seeing a significant increase in applications across all our funding routes. Recently, two high‑profile funds were heavily oversubscribed - one by five times and another by four times. While we carefully assess every application we receive, our limited resources mean we are unable to fund them all. As a result, even strong, well‑developed applications may not always be successful.
We share this to acknowledge that fundraising is particularly challenging right now and to encourage you not to lose heart if your application is unsuccessful - with us or with other funders. A “no” is not a reflection of the value or quality of your work; it is simply the outcome of high demand and finite funding.
We are incredibly proud to support organisations working to improve lives across Kent and Medway, and we deeply appreciate the time, care and passion that goes into every application.
If you are applying for the first time, we strongly encourage you to contact our Grants Team for an initial conversation. They can offer guidance, answer questions and help you feel confident about the process before you apply.
Thank you for everything you do to help our communities thrive. We are proud to be part of the positive change you are creating across Kent and Medway.