People working for local community projects in Sussex, Surrey and Kent can now apply for funding from Gatwick Airport’s Foundation Fund, which was relaunched today.
The grant criteria align with priority areas that many local authorities currently focus on and are designed to:
- Build better communities by fighting social isolation and tackling disadvantage
- Enable social mobility by raising aspirations and improving skills
- Improve health (physical and mental) and wellbeing
- Make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people
A total of £300,000 in grants is distributed each year, with projects in Sussex, Surrey and Kent receiving £100,000 each in three rounds of funding.
The fund is designed to distribute the economic benefits that the airport generates among local people and communities that may not benefit directly from other economic contributions the airport brings to the region.
Gatwick’s Foundation Fund was launched in late 2016. To date a total of £1.2 million has been distributed in 236 grants, benefiting over 100,000 people across Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
Two further sources of airport-related funding are also available for local community projects. The next round of Gatwick Airport Community Trust’s grant programme opens in December 2022 for projects in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. Charities dedicated to improving access to employment, training, housing, mobility, or leisure for society’s most disadvantaged will also be invited to apply to the VINCI UK Foundation for grants in January 2023.
How to apply
Sussex, Surrey and Kent Community Foundations manage the programme and assess all applications for their county. These local trusts and foundations raise funds for and make grants to local charities and community groups, and also manage grant funds on behalf of a wide range of donors, including companies, charities and private individuals. To find out how to apply to the Gatwick Foundation Fund, please see gatwickairport.com/funding