£200,000 Funding for Environmental Projects

Kent Community Foundation is delighted to launch a new fund to support projects across Kent and Medway which protect the county’s beautiful countryside and coastline and address social issues which are intertwined with environmental impact

Ahead of the COP26, UN climate summit, beginning on 31 October in Glasgow, Kent Community Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of its ‘Fund for the Environment’ to safeguard Kent’s natural habitat and green spaces.

The Fund will support  projects improving local spaces and encouraging more sustainable ways of living, that understand the link between poverty of life and poverty of environment and aim to improve the most affected  communities.  These may include grants towards the planting of trees and hedging regeneration, restoration of local habitats, organised litter picking, and beach cleans, community garden projects, projects focused on educating children about local wildlife and nature, or on learning about growing and cooking your own food or  projects using solar panels or insulation to make community buildings greener.

Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation, said, “The launch of Kent Community Foundation’s ‘Fund for the Environment’ ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow is a key part of our environmental strategy to make Kent and Medway a better place to live now and for the future.  ‘Great Big  Green Week’  also celebrates action on climate change  and community engagement  and was the perfect time to announce the additional £200,000 that will be available to fund environmental projects across Kent and Medway. 

“We believe that local community action can be at the heart of delivering valuable solutions to lessen our impact on the environment, and importantly, offer benefits that local people can reap. Changes in our natural environment disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in Kent. Our new fund will  help address the potential future impacts of warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers on the future prosperity, environmental quality, and health and well-being of our local communities and we look forward to receiving applications from community groups and charities.”

To find out more about the Fund for the Environment visit www.kentcf.org.uk/funding

 

About the Fund for the Environment

The Fund for the Environment opens with £200,000 to fund  projects with average grants of £4,000, to improve local spaces and encourage more sustainable ways of living, that understand the link between poverty of life and poverty of environment and try to improve the most affected  communities.  These may include the planting of trees and hedging regeneration, restoration of local habitats, organised litter picking, and beach cleans, community garden projects, projects focused on educating children about local wildlife and nature, projects focused on learning about growing and cooking your own food or  projects using solar panels or insulation to make community buildings greener.

About the COP26, UN Climate Summit

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow between 31 October – 12 November 2021. The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies, and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire climate action ahead of COP26.

www.ukcop26.org

About Great Big Green Week

The Great Big Green Week will take place between 18 – 26 September 2021 and will be the largest event for climate and nature ever seen in the UK. Thousands of events will celebrate how communities are taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces and encourage others to get involved too.

www.greatbiggreenweek.com

About Kent Community Foundation

Grant-maker Kent Community Foundation has been finding, funding, and supporting some of the smallest voluntary organisations in the county for twenty years. In this time, it has distributed over £45 million to support thousands of small charities and deserving causes where a modest sum of money can make a significant impact.

They are part of a UK wide accredited network of forty-seven Community Foundations who are committed to improving the lives of local people and communities, particularly the most vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged by matching those who want to help, with those who need the help.

Responsible for more than eighty philanthropic funds, Kent Community Foundation is unrivalled in its knowledge of local causes and assists individuals, families, and businesses, who want to help, to establish and administer their own charitable funds.

www.kentcf.org.uk