Recovery fund launched for Kent voluntary organisations

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough

A new £180k fund has been launched to help voluntary organisations in Kent adapt to the life post Covid-19.

The Strategic Recovery Fund is being administered by Kent Community Foundation on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC) and offers grants of between £5k and £10k to support voluntary organisations to develop and adapt their business plans and strategies to help them gain access to a range of further funding sources in the future.

The grants can be used to purchase one-off support across a range of topics including:

  • Business planning/operational review & strategy
  • Income generation review & strategy
  • Financial review & strategy
  • Website upgrade/digital skills
  • Marketing/social media

Grants could also be used to pay for specialist time-limited intervention or for training purposes.

Roger Gough, Leader of KCC said: “I am delighted to announce that we are creating a Strategic Recovery Fund for the voluntary sector and I am grateful to Kent Community Foundation for administrating this on behalf of the council to ensure that this funding is accessible to a wide range of organisations.

“The fund has been created in response to the challenges we know voluntary organisations will be facing over the next financial year in particular, based upon direct engagement with the sector. The voluntary sector has played a vital role in helping individuals and communities through the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to do so. The sector has shown great innovation and resilience in this most difficult time. I hope, through this funding, to help voluntary sector organisations to strengthen their capacity and build a sustainable future. The voluntary sector is a vital part of our communities and a significant partner. This funding reflects our continuing commitment to support a strong voluntary sector in Kent.”

Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive of Kent Community Foundation added:  “We are pleased to be able to distribute this funding to voluntary organisations across Kent.  The KCC Strategic Recovery Fund will support organisations to plan for a sustainable future by providing funding for external expert advice on finance, fundraising, marketing and communication and website development as well as training to upskill existing staff.

“We know that organisations in the charitable sector in Kent need help to start thinking about how they can survive the COVID-19 pandemic and this funding has come at exactly the right time.  We want to thank KCC for this forward-thinking approach to helping the Kent Community Foundation provide this vital support.”

For more information on the Strategic Recovery Fund, or to make an application visit: https://kentcf.org.uk/funding/KCC-strategic-recovery-fund