Funding Round-up – Grants & Support for Education (Part 4), Winter 2024

MVA offer a collection of announcements focusing on themes of funding and support for Education aimed at helping charities and similar groups to continue their work.

Whilst every effort has been made to provide up-to-date information, due to the varying nature and progress of public policies and other related activity, MVA do advise that some of the details below may have changed since the time of its issue and ask that readers please check with each organisation’s website for the latest news.

Various Funding Programmes from Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust
Grants are available from the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust (CFCT) to local not-for-profit organisations for projects that improve the quality of life for people in Kent (especially those who are the most disadvantaged.)

The Trust currently offers various funding programmes including (but not limited to):

Investing in Communities - Grants are available to build the capacity of community organisations and local charities working with vulnerable people in Kent to help them deliver sustainable, face-to-face services
Investing in Families - Grants to charitable organisations working with disadvantaged families in Kent with the aim of improving people’s life chances and promoting social cohesion
Investing in Young People - Discretionary grants to organisations in Kent that support disadvantaged young people that improves their skills, builds their confidence and resilience and which break down the barriers to their employment

At the time of writing, there was no recognised deadline, suggesting these are Continuous Rolling Programmes and applications can be accepted at any time.

For more information and how to apply, visit the CFCT website.

Computers 4 Charity’s "Young Carers" Programme
Regional charity Computers 4 Charity are delivering support to Young Carers by offering refurbished technology for those who might not always be able to attend school.

Out of an estimated 7 million carers in the UK, 800,000 of them are young carers aged between 5 and 17 years who look after an adult or a member of the family.

Whilst it can be fulfilling because of the difference they make; it also brings with it daily challenges when that young carer is the main person looking after their friend or family member.

Young carers may often find it difficult to keep up with their school studies or higher education, or struggle to stay focused enough to keep up with course work or the demands of homework.

Added to this, caring sometimes means they may have to put a career on hold or miss out on reaching their full academic or career potential.

Where at times they have no choice but to take on responsibilities well beyond their years, many young carers can also find it hard to make or keep friends or have little or no time for play or socialising - or just to be children or young people.

Regional charity Computers 4 Charity are offering their help to other Charities that support young carers by donating refurbished IT equipment to help those individuals who might not always be able to attend school.

The Charity point out many other benefits, but advise their offer is aimed at providing access to education and online learning to help Young Carers.

For more information and how to apply, visit the Computers 4 Charity website.

Educational Grants Programme from Family Action
National charity Family Action are offering grants to individuals over the age of 14 looking to make more of their educational potential by going into further education.

Family Action advise many people can face challenges during their time at college; often meaning they are not able to complete their studies and follow their future career goals.

For others, it is their life situation that may change, which means they need to re-train to gain employment that matches their family life.

Family Action advise their Educational Grants Programme aims to help individuals to begin their studies, as well as to support existing students to continue and complete their studies.

For eligibility criteria please check their website.

Launched in Autumn, the funder advises that applications will be accepted till 30^th April this year, but is subject to enough funding being available.

More information and how to apply is available at the Family Action website.

Local grant giver and community support organisation Kent Community Foundation (KCF) also has services that can offer support to individuals and families in need. To find out more, you can contact KCF on 01303 814 500.

MVA continues its efforts to provide coverage of local and national news and events from the Voluntary and Charity Sector.

If you would like to see coverage of specific news or subject to help your charity, your project, your community group or enterprise, you can get in touch by email at info@mva.org.uk, you can also contact MVA via the website.