Kensington and Chelsea Foundation

The Kensington and Chelsea Foundation, established in 2008 as an independent place-based charity, addresses profound hardship, exclusion, and inequality in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) by funding impactful local projects and connecting donors to community needs. Led by Director Victoria Steward Todd and a diverse board, it champions participatory grant-making, training local residents with lived experience to set criteria and allocate funds, guided by values of agility, responsiveness, boldness, imagination, transparency, and collaboration. This community-led model ensures solutions reflect real needs, prioritizing the south of the borough and minoritised groups, with a vision of happy, healthy lives for all residents.

It funds thematic priorities including children and young people, mental health, skills and employment, education, and reducing isolation, supporting grassroots organisations via core costs (for those under £100,000 income), project grants, capacity building, events, and multi-year initiatives. Key programmes encompass Community Spirit Small Grants (rolling basis), Youth Empowerment Grants, Education Fund, and Cadogan Community Grant, exemplified by recent awards to Minds United FC for mental health football, Fit for Life Youth CIC for sports, and SPID Theatre for gardening—reaching over 23,300 disadvantaged residents in 2023-24.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities, CICs, or community groups based in RBKC, delivering projects where at least half of beneficiaries are local residents. Typical grants range from £2,000 to £25,000 (averaging £8,000–£15,000), applied for via programme-specific online forms with supporting documents; no unsolicited applications accepted—check website for rolling or dated rounds like EOI deadlines. Exclusions include organisations over £100,000 income for core costs, non-local groups, or projects with fewer than half local beneficiaries, distinguishing KCF's rigorous, evidence-based focus on hyper-local, transformative impact over national causes.