Gatwick Airport calls for Surrey groups to apply for £200,000 of funding

The Gatwick Airport Community Trust is calling on local groups and projects in the Surrey area to apply for grants to support them during the cost-of-living crisis.

There is a total of £200,000 available for groups in Surrey, as well as across Kent and Sussex – the application process is now open, and the deadline is 31 March 2023.

Melanie Wrightson, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Gatwick Airport, said: “Through the Gatwick Airport Community Trust we have been supporting grassroots organisations, charities and voluntary projects to improve people’s lives and help those in need in the Surrey region since 2002.

“We want to urge these important groups to apply for funding. The trustees are looking forward to receiving and considering their applications.”

The Gatwick Airport Community Trust (GACT) encourages and supports schemes that benefit diverse sections of the local community that are targeted towards the development of young people, the arts, sporting facilities, environmental improvement and conservation, enhancements to community facilities, volunteering, the elderly and the disabled.

Previous recipients of funding from GACT have included Make a Scene, which is a leading theatre company for learning disabled young people and adults working in Surrey, as well as across Kent, London and Sussex.

Make a Scene Artistic Director Andree Trotter said: “Last year Make a Scene Theatre was awarded a grant of £2,250 by Gatwick Community Trust towards creating sensory stories, shows, and experiences for young people with profound multiple learning disabilities and autism.

“Receiving a grant from GACT enabled us to bring sensory projects into local SEND schools. Often children with profound multiple learning disabilities and autism have little or no access to conventional theatre due to access, sensory needs, and costs. Make a Scene was able to bring fully interactive and inclusive experiences into school at no cost. This was then performed in an environment that is familiar to children thanks to the funding from GATC.”

Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead, another previous recipient, promotes volunteering and helps individuals and teams to find the right volunteer activities with local organisations.

Frida Norman, CEO of Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead said: “Last year, Voluntary Action Reigate and Banstead (VARB) received £1,013 from the Trust which we used to provide training to local organisations in the area.

“The training was on autism awareness in the workplace and dealt with understanding, awareness of, and support for individuals with autism.

“The VARB team also attended which now helps us to improve the support we give to the volunteers we work with who also have autism.

“We are confident that, rather than a one-off event, the GACT funding is having a lasting impact on voluntary services in the area and helping people with autism to be more involved.”

Local charities and community groups looking for funding in the Surrey area are urged to apply to GACT. In total £200,000 is available across the GACT area of benefit which also includes Kent and Sussex.

The trustees adopt strict criteria when choosing where to channel funds, focusing on areas around Gatwick Airport. As such, beneficiaries must live within the Trust’s Area of Benefit – click here for the map: https://www.gact.org.uk/area.php.

For more information about the Gatwick Airport Community Trust, visit: https://www.gact.org.uk/

The separate Gatwick Foundation Fund, which is currently closed for applications, will also make £100,000 available to Surrey beneficiaries during the course of 2023 in three funding rounds. 

For more information about the Gatwick Foundation Fund visit: https://www.gatwickairport.com/business-community/community/our-support/foundation-fund/

Surrey social media post

Gatwick Airport has announced a £200k funding pot for community groups helping those in need

#Surrey charities and voluntary projects can apply for grants before 31st March: 

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Editors notes

About Gatwick Airport Community Trust The Trust is an independent charity that has been in operation since 2002 as part of the legal arrangements between West Sussex County Council, Crawley Borough Council and Gatwick Airport Limited following publication of the airport’s Sustainable Development Strategy. It awards grants annually for deserving projects within the area of benefit, which covers parts of East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent. The demand for grants always exceeds the funds available, and the normal level of grants is from £1,000 to £5,000. Occasionally larger amounts may be considered if they will benefit a significant number of people and will make a valuable difference in the longer term. Applicants should seek advice from the Trust BEFORE applying for a larger grant. Gatwick Airport Limited funds the Trust, with the annual amount linked to passenger numbers. The purpose of setting up the Trust was to ensure that, as the airport continued to grow, funds generated by the existence of the airport should be made available to a board of independent trustees, to make a positive contribution to the quality of life of the communities affected by the airport and its continuing growth. Visit: https://www.gact.org.uk/ About Gatwick Foundation Fund The Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed by individual Community Foundations for Kent, Sussex and Surrey on behalf of Gatwick Airport, which oversees the programme and assesses all applications. Each year, there are three rounds of grants, which are split equally between Sussex, Surrey and Kent. Since it was founded in 2016, the Gatwick Foundation Fund has made more than £1m in donations, which support local grassroots community and voluntary projects that make a difference to people’s lives and meet local need. The Gatwick Foundation Fund was suspended in April 2020 due to the pandemic. It operates in Sussex across Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Wealden, in Surrey across Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge and the Mole Valley area, and in Kent across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. Visit: https://www.gatwickairport.com/business-community/community/our-support/foundation-fund/