Students Award Grants to Canterbury Community Groups

Kent Community Foundation recently partnered with the University of Kent to establish the Kent Student Philanthropy Fund with funding donated by Philanthropist David Jamilly to allow students to learn first-hand about charitable giving.

The Philanthropy in Action module that the students participated in, was run in partnership with Kent Community Foundation who managed the grants and co-delivered several workshops, providing students with insight into the charitable sector, grant making processes, and the challenges of charitable giving. Students also heard from several charities who outlined their work and the issues locally that they are trying to address.

After reviewing the many applications, the undergraduate students chose to award grants of £750 to two small community organisations operating in the Canterbury district, Music4Wellbeing and City Impact CIC.

Natalie Smith, Director of Grants and Impact, Kent Community Foundation, said, “We are delighted to be working with the University of Kent on this innovative project which is one of the first of its kind to be run jointly by a UK university and a Community Foundation to introduce students to charitable  giving. Having reviewed the applications,  the students presented authoritative cases for why the causes should receive funding and impressed us with the arguments they put forward.”

Dr Ali Body, Director of Studies – MA Philanthropic Studies, University of Kent, said, “We’ve been delighted to work in partnership with Kent Community Foundation to deliver this innovative module, it has been a fantastic experiential learning process for the students, with great outcomes for local community organisations as well.”

BA (Hons) Sociology and Social Policy student Cathryn Stevens said: ‘The ability to learn about philanthropy whilst actively being involved in the grant giving process meant I was able to better understand what charities have to go through to get funding and the benefits and restraints of the current system. Working with Kent Community Foundation was a great experience, and the end result of giving money to two extremely worthy causes is a great thing to have been able to do as a student.’

To find out more about the type of projects Kent Community Foundation funds, visit www.kentcf.org.uk/funding

Notes to Editors

Music4Wellbeing supports individuals and their families suffering with dementia through music therapy workshops and City Impact CIC is a youth charity supporting disadvantaged young people and young offenders in Canterbury. Both receive grants of £750 which will be  being used for the capital costs of buying equipment to support the charities’ ongoing work.

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 £50 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