Gatwick Airport calls for Kent groups to apply for £233,000 of funding

The Gatwick Foundation Fund and the Gatwick Airport Community Trust are calling on local groups and charities in the Kent area to apply for grants to support them during the cost-of-living crisis. 

There is a total of £233,000 available across both programmes and the application process is now open. The deadline for the Gatwick Foundation Fund is 10 February 2023. For the Gatwick Airport Community Trust, the deadline is 31 March 2023.

Melanie Wrightson, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Gatwick Airport, said: “We have been working with grassroots organisations, charities and voluntary projects to improve people’s lives and help those in need in the Kent region for many years. We want to urge these important groups to apply for funding.”

Gatwick Foundation Fund in Kent

The Gatwick Foundation Fund was founded in 2016 and provides support to community groups across Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

A big focus for the Fund is to provide grants to local projects and community groups that fight social isolation and tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and improve skills, promote health and wellbeing, and support children and young people.

Amongst the previous recipients is Citizens Advice in North and West Kent which used the funding to provide additional support to people with mental health needs.

Helen Beckerson, Operations Manager at Citizens Advice in North and West Kent, said: “The funding we received from the Foundation Fund helped us to launch a pilot program in Tonbridge and Malling to help us provide additional support to clients with mental health needs.

“The Foundation Fund awarded us £5,000 which enabled our teams to follow up with clients and ensure they had ongoing support to help them resolve issues they were experiencing, for example with benefits.

“In-depth work like this can take many months. The feedback we received was extremely positive and we used the learnings from this to expand the project in our region. We’re so grateful to the Foundation Fund for the money, funding and support, which made a tremendous difference to our clients too.”

Gatwick Airport Community Trust (GACT)

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

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.

A past GACT recipient was Imago Community, a social action organisation which operates in Kent, as well as Medway, East Sussex and London.

Angela Holland, Director of Children and Young People Services, Imago Community, said: “Thanks to funding from the Gatwick Airport Community Trust, young carers were able to enjoy an action-packed day meeting other young carers.

“Those attending all have caring responsibilities for a family member and enjoyed a break from their caring role to take on new challenges.

“Activities included rock climbing on the sandstone rocks on site, high ropes, archery, team building and bush craft skills including lighting a fire to toast marshmallows over.

“The weather may not have been all sunshine, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the young carers who all had a great time! Funding makes events like this one possible, making memories, meeting others in similar situations to increase their support networks and most importantly of all – having fun!”

Another previous recipient of GACT funding was The Friends of Hever School which used the money for a shepherd’s hut and a trim trail.

Karen Ellwood, Grants Group, Friends of Hever School PTA, said: “The GACT has awarded the Friends of Hever School PTA £7,250 in support of two significant longevity projects. Without the support of the GACT these would simply have not been possible to deliver through traditionally available fundraising options alone.

“The first application enabled us to successfully procure, construct and fit out an extra-large, multi-use, shepherd’s hut which has provided a stimulating, peaceful, safe, separate space to instantaneously support the mental health and well-being of all pupils at school all year round.

“Another year on and progress is underway for the next, large, long-term change for Hever School.

“The immediacy of the effect of GACT grant funding support is what is so impactful and appreciated, especially when it is directed at the ever-developing growth and progress of children.”

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

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

Kent social media post

Gatwick Airport has announced £233k in funding to support communities during the #CostOfLivingCrisis

#Kent community groups and charities are encouraged to apply:

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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/