The KFC Foundation
Grants of between £200 and £2,500 are available for UK grassroots organisations providing safe social spaces, mentoring, work, or social skills for young people aged 11 to 25 in areas where KFC outlets are located.
Application deadline: SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2023 at 23:59 for Expressions of Interest. Please note that the Foundation’s website states that the scheme is closed, but it should be accepting applications now for its Autumn 2023 funding round.
Funder: The KFC Foundation (founded 2015. Charity number 1163560. Total value of grants awarded during the year ended 26 December 2021: £1,241,649).
Who can apply: smaller UK registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), unincorporated clubs or associations and unregistered charities providing services in an area in which a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet is located (a store locator is available at this LINK). Applying organisations must have an annual income of less than £300,000.
Key Words: Young People aged 11-25, Life Skills, Mentoring, Carers, Homelessness, Criminal justice, Social Disadvantage, Smaller Grassroots Community Groups, United Kingdom.
Although still registered as the KFC Foundation with the Charity Commission, the Foundation has recently retitled its Community Grants programmes as the KFC Youth Foundation Community Grants. The Foundation’s vision is to support young people in the UK to fulfil their potential; it makes grants to support charitable organisations to give young people a safe social space, mentoring, work programmes and social skills. The organisations that are supported by the Foundation are small grassroots groups, who in many cases, work with the most vulnerable young people in their community.
Grants of between £250 and £2,500 are available for activities and projects that:
- Benefit young people aged 11-25 years old.
- Empower all young people to fulfil their potential and build a positive future.
- Provide spaces that allow young people to feel safe and secure, helping to unlock talent and build life skills, provide mentoring, and improve their chances of gaining meaningful employment.
- Support those in a position of social disadvantage (for example, care leavers, those experiencing homelessness, young carers, young parents, young people at risk of or with experience of the criminal justice system), and
- Will demonstrate positive results within 12 months of the receipt of funding.
Registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), unincorporated clubs or associations or unregistered charities in the UK with a turnover of less than £300,000 that meet the following criteria may apply for a grant:
- Are local to a KFC restaurant (a KFC store locator can be found on the KFC’s website).
- Deliver services to one or more of the KFC Foundation’s target groups.
- Have a bank account in its own name with two unrelated signatories/dual authorisation.
- Have an active board of trustees or directors.
- Have a signed constitution/governing documents.
- Have a suitable safeguarding policy, and
- Have existed for at least 12 months at the time of submission.
During the year ended 26th December 2021, the Foundation awarded grants totalling £1,241,649. This included a single grant to Comic Relief – with whom the Foundation has a multi-year agreement – of £985,415.
A list of all major awards made during the year is available on page 8 of the Foundation’s Annual report.
The Foundation has stated that its ambition is to grow the programme to support an organisation in every community where KFC has a presence.
To apply, applicants are required to:
- Submit a two-minute video about their organisation, and
- Complete and submit an Expression of Interest form, via the link on the KFC Foundation’s website.
The deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is Sunday 24th September 2023 at 23:59.
Further information, guidance notes, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a draft application template and an Expression of Interest form is available on the Foundation’s website. Although the website states that the grant programme is closed to applications, it should be accepting applications now for its Autumn 2023 funding round.
Contact details for the Foundation are:
The KFC Youth Foundation Community Grants
Orion Gate
Guildford Road
WOKING
GU22 7NJ
Tel: 07837 093381 (as listed on the Charity Commission website)
Email: [email protected]