How can I apply for funds for my organisation?
You will find information about our current grants programmes on our ‘How to Apply’ page. There are also links to pages where you can download guidance material and apply online.
Is there a deadline for applications?
Our Community Fund programme accepts applications on a rolling basis, but the other programmes have closing dates, although these are subject to change if we reach capacity for the application round.
Please check the individual programme guidance material for details of deadlines for applications.
How much can I apply for?
You will find information about the range of grants available in the guidance material for each programme.
Please note that the main grants programmes will not normally make a grant for more than 33% of an organisation's most recent annual income and the Community Fund will not normally make a grant for more than 50%.
Can I apply to more than one funding programme at one time?
No. We ask that organisations submit only one application in each rolling twelve-month period. This applies to both successful and unsuccessful submissions.
Our charity works with several groups included in Brighter Futures. Can we apply for a grant for a service that covers all of them?
Brighter Futures awards grants for work that addresses a specific need experienced by one of the identified vulnerable groups. If your organisation requires funding for generic use then, assuming the organisation meets the criteria, you should apply to the Community Fund.
Some of the people we work with fit into one of the groups in your Brighter Futures programme. Can we apply for core costs?
The Brighter Futures programme aims to support the cost of work that will directly tackle the issues set out in our six categories: NEETS; care leavers; domestic abuse; lonely isolated people; homeless people and refugees/asylum seekers. We will only fund core costs if a charity was set up to work with one of these groups e.g. a domestic abuse charity, refugee charity or homeless charity. Otherwise, a charity can apply for funds for a specific initiative which fits one of the groups e.g. tackling old people's loneliness, supporting care leavers or helping NEETS into employment or training.
Can we apply again if the organisation has recently been awarded a grant?
No. You should not apply for any more funding while you have a 'live' grant relating to any CFCT programme. CFCT consider a ‘live’ grant to be any funding for which you have not yet submitted a final monitoring report.
If you are in any doubt about when you can make a further application, please contact us.
Can we apply again if the organisation has recently been turned down for a grant?
We ask that organisations submit only one application in each rolling twelve-month period to any of our programmes.
How do you assess applications?
All applications are assessed by our specialist assessors. Sometimes this involves a telephone call or site visit, depending on the complexity and scale of the application. All grant decisions are made by our Trustees.
Can I call you and talk to you about my project?
We operate with a small part-time staff team and therefore it is not easy to reach us on the telephone.
It is better to communicate with us by email to grantadmin@cfct.org.uk
How long will it take to hear the outcome of my application?
This will depend on the programme you are applying to and how much you are applying for. Specific information can be found on the individual grant criteria. However, you will usually hear within one to six months from date of submitting the application.
What monitoring will the Trust require?
CFCT operates a light touch monitoring process. All groups are asked to provide a short update, via email, 6 months after receiving an award. If you receive a multi-year grant, your organisation will receive, via email, an Interim Report pro-forma for each year of the award. This must be completed within six weeks of receipt. Without this the Trust will not pay that year’s grant instalment, and you will have to apply again for funding. All grantees will receive a request for a final report at the end of the grant period. This must be completed before any further applications for funding are submitted. For more information on the Trust’s monitoring process, please see the news item on our platform.
Do you make grants in Medway?
Yes our grant programmes cover Kent and Medway
What is your age range for young people?
We consider young people to be between the ages of 14 and 30.
Do you fund organisations from outside Kent?
We will consider funding organisations from outside Kent provided that the proposal they put forward will be of benefit to the people of Kent and they have a physical presence in the county or they have particular expertise and are looking to deliver new services not currently supplied by a Kent-based organisation. Our 'Through the Gate' programme will fund organisations based outside of Kent for work in Kent prisons.
Are national organisations always excluded?
We try to be as inclusive as possible with our grant's programmes. Small and medium sized national charities can apply, providing that they offer meaningful services to Kent people/communities. What we try to exclude are large national charities seeking funds by arbitrarily apportioning part of their national services to Kent beneficiaries.
The exception to this is our 'Through the Gate' programme which accepts applications from large national organisations if they specialise in the rehabilitation of offenders and can offer tangible impact in Kent prisons.
Can I apply for a grant for myself?
We are not able to make grants directly to individuals. However we can fund individual young people through our Partner Grants programme.
You may wish to ask your teacher, social worker or someone working in a local charity who knows you well, to contact us for more information.
Are you still funding churches?
At present we do not have a specific church funding programme but churches can apply for grants within our main programmes, if they fit the criteria.
How can I contact you to ask a question about your programmes?
If you have questions about any of our grant programmes, please send an email to: grantadmin@cfct.org.uk and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
