Fund your community project

Community groups in Swale have received a cash boost for projects ranging from a football tournament to a Christmas lunch for lonely residents, thanks to local councillors.

Each of Swale’s 47 councillors has £1,000 available to fund small-scale, local community projects that provide benefits in areas such as cost of living, culture, sport, recreation, health, environment, community safety, crime reduction and education.

The grant scheme is still open, and the application process simply needs the person or group to discuss the project with their local councillor to get their support.

The person or group will then complete the relevant form and submit the application for approval to the council.

Interested parties can apply to one or more councillors for funding and could have all, or part, of their project funded.

This year’s grants helped purchase things like; a community kitchen’s beekeeping equipment, a scout group’s climbing well, a community centre’s fire alarms, a non-profit’s therapeutic art supplies, a museum’s display cabinets and a day centres’ interactive projector.

And events such as advice, dementia and empowerment coffee mornings, carnivals, Christmas light switch on days, pride, an archaeological roadshow and domestic abuse community drop-in sessions.

Cllr Hannah Perkin, chair of the Housing, Health and Communities Committee, said:

“We have already supported so many amazing projects through our member grants this year, but we can still help more!

“If you have a small-scale project, that will benefit Swale’s communities, please get in touch with your local councillor and see if they can support you financially.

“Councillors can also pool their resources together to help fund more ambitious projects, we can’t wait to see what other amazing projects come to life with our support.

“Thank you to every single person involved in making these events, charities, and community assets possible, without your hard work this investment into our communities wouldn’t be able to achieve what it does.”

Find out more about member grants and make an application by visiting  our grants page.

Projects that have been funded since May 2025:

• 4th Milton Regis Cub Pack - maintain the two planters outside Sittingbourne Station
• 7th Faversham Scout group - purchase and building of a climbing wall
• Blue Town Heritage Centre - training for volunteers for guided walks
• Borden Heritage Group - towards archaeology roadshow
• Borden Sports Association - towards running of the pavilion
• Children & Families Ltd – support health and wellbeing
• Cinque Ports Rowing CIC - a cover for the safety boat when not in use
• Conservatoria – towards a bookbinding workshop
• Creed outdoor learning - towards youth sessions
• East Kent Colleges Sheerness School - Christmas dementia café
• Faversham Assistance Centre (FACE) - garden maintenance and decorating
• Faversham Carnival Club - towards 2025 carnival costs
• Faversham Community Networking Group - adults loneliness Christmas lunch
• Faversham emergency equipment - installation of defib in Faversham
• Faversham Swimming Pools Management Committee Ltd - purchase new floats
• Faversham Town Council - putting a bee post at the perry court allotments.
• Faversham town council – recreation ground and the friends of the Faversham rec
• GEM72 - supporting young people
• Gore Court Hockey Club - providing equipment and covering club membership costs
• Graveney and Goodnestone Village Hall - towards a new storeroom extension
• Grovehurst Community Hub - towards setting up a community café
• Hartlip Village Hall - works on village hall
• Heather House Community café - bleed control kit, and emergency homeless packs
• HER VOICE CIC – therapeutic art supplies and contributing toward guest speakers
• Kemsley Community Centre Trust - towards new sign outside community centre
• Lynsted Community Kitchen Garden BEE HIVES – purchase bee keeping equipment
• Men-Talk - towards existing service offer
• Milton Creek Trust - towards annual running costs
• Monday Dance Club - towards Christmas party/summer activity
• New Leaf Support - Project will provide 4 weeks of coffee empowerment mornings
• Oasis - towards community junction drop in
• Queenborough and District Naval Ensign - towards annual parade
• Queenborough Guildhall Museum - replace display cabinets
• Queenborough Town Community Centre - upgrade of fire alarm system
• Queenborough Town Council - QTC Christmas Lights Parade 2025
• Raybel Charters - towards continuing work on the barge
• Sheppey Court - towards winter events
• Sheppey Entertainment Association - towards solar panels
• Sheppey Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets - cover cost of nine devices licences
• Sittingbourne Carnival - towards annual event
• Sittingbourne Christmas Lights and Sleigh Rounds - Switch On Day and events
• Sittingbourne Football Club - youth tournament for the community
• Stepping Stones Pre-School - to create an all-weather classroom for pre-schoolers
• Swale Borough Council - replacement of street nameplates
• Swale CVS - towards their befriending service
• Swale Foodbank - towards existing service offer
• Swale Pride - contribution to annual Pride event in Swale
• TAM Together CIC - promote healthy nervous system awareness
• Teynham Village Hall - to purchase a new freezer and fly zapper
• The Autism Apprentice - advice coffee mornings
• The Freedom Centre - towards updating the centre
• The Queenborough Society - to purchase a card terminal
• The Willow Day Centre - towards purchasing a mobile interactive projector
• West Faversham Community Association - towards pride fun day

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