News Maidstone good causes invited to apply for thousands in funding thanks to new Community Resilience Fund
Maidstone Borough Council is calling on local voluntary and community organisations to apply for funding through its newly launched Community Resilience Fund 2025, which opens on Monday, 6 October and closes on Sunday, 23 November 2025.
The fund, approved by the Cabinet in July, supports the Council’s Corporate Strategy 2025–2035 and its commitment to building Resilient Communities. With £60,000 allocated annually, the fund aims to empower residents, strengthen community ties, and address key challenges such as food insecurity.
This year’s funding round places a strong emphasis on expanding dignified access to healthy, affordable food. The Council is particularly interested in projects that build local capacity and skills to tackle food poverty, encourage collaboration and volunteering, and create long-term, sustainable food initiatives that empower residents.
Whether it’s growing, cooking, sharing, or redistributing food, the Council welcomes ideas that bring people together and build lasting resilience.
Maidstone Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Safety, Councillor David Naghi, said: “We’re looking to support creative, community-led projects that help residents grow, cook, share and recover food in ways that build skills, reduce waste, and strengthen local connections.“By encouraging initiatives like vegetable gardens, food cooperatives, cookery classes and seed libraries, we’re not only tackling food insecurity, we’re also promoting sustainable practices that reduce carbon emissions, cut packaging waste, and reconnect people with the food they eat.”
Examples of eligible projects include community vegetable gardens, food cooperatives offering access to wholesale and surplus food, cookery classes focused on budgeting and healthy meals, seed and tool libraries to reduce cost barriers, and food recovery enterprises using surplus food to provide low-cost meals. However, this is not an exhaustive list, and organisations are encouraged to propose creative, locally relevant solutions.
Organisations can apply for small grants of up to £4,999 for one-off or pilot projects, or medium grants of up to £9,999 for collaborative projects that demonstrate sustainable outcomes. Applications will be assessed on their contribution to reducing food insecurity, the benefit to Maidstone residents, the impact on community resilience, and the clarity of delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
Eligible applicants include voluntary or community organisations, registered charities, constituted and non-constituted groups with a bank account, faith groups (inclusive of all faiths), and not-for-profit companies or Community Interest Companies.
Applications from individuals, sole traders, profit-distributing companies, organisations based outside the UK, or those not supporting Maidstone residents will not be considered. Only one application per organisation will be accepted.
Applications can be submitted online.
For questions or alternative formats of the application form, email vcsliaison@maidstone.gov.uk.
To receive updates on funding opportunities and community news, organisations can join the Voluntary and Community Sector mailing list by contacting vcsliasion@maidstone.gov.uk.