Community projects in Sussex and Surrey are encouraged to apply for funding from Gatwick Airport

The grant criteria align with priority areas that many local authorities are focused on and are designed to build better communities by fighting social isolation, tackling disadvantage, enabling social mobilit, improving skills, improving health (physical and mental) and better the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

A total of £300,000 in grants is distributed each year, with projects in Sussex and Surrey receiving £100,000 each in three rounds of funding. The fund is designed to distribute the economic benefits that the airport generates among local people and communities that may not benefit directly from other economic contributions the airport brings to the region.

Gatwick’s Foundation Fund was launched in late 2016. To date, a total of £1.2 million has been distributed in 236 grants, benefiting over 100,000 people across Sussex and Surrey. Two further sources of airport-related funding are also available for local community projects. The next round of Gatwick Airport Community Trust’s grant programme opens in December 2022 for projects in Sussex and Surrey.

Charities dedicated to improving access to employment, training, housing, mobility, or leisure for society’s most disadvantaged will also be invited to apply to the ‘VINCI UK Foundation’ for grants in January 2023.

Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Gatwick Airport, Melanie Wrightson said: “We feel tremendously proud to be back in a position where we can offer grants to so many worthwhile community projects across our region.

“The work these community groups do is invaluable to local residents who directly benefit and we welcome applications from all projects that meet the wide-ranging criteria.”

How to apply

Sussex, Surrey and Kent Community Foundations manage the programme and assess all applications for their county. These local trusts and foundations raise funds for and make grants to local charities and community groups, and also manage grant funds on behalf of a wide range of donors, including companies, charities and private individuals.

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To find out more about how to apply to the Gatwick Foundation Fund, please see take a look at the link provided: gatwickairport.com/funding