CEO Message
- Communities face increasing hardship due to rising fuel and food costs.
- In FY 2025–2026, £3.3m in grants were awarded, including:
- £1.25m through the Main Grants Round
- £64k through Area Fund small grants (vital for grassroots groups)
- Strong appreciation expressed for fund owners and panel chairs.
Grant Demand vs. Available Funding
- Although over £3m was awarded, applications totalled £10m+.
- Growing need means CF Surrey aims to increase giving and expand funding capacity.
- Most common requests relate to essential community support needs.
Collective Funding Opportunities
- Emphasis on pooling donor resources to:
- Award larger grants
- Provide multi‑year funding
- Support sustainability and growth
- Enable collaboration between private, corporate, and public funders
- Offer matched funding in some cases
Surrey Care Leavers Fund
- Over 750 young people leave care in Surrey each year, often without support.
- Care leavers face higher risks of:
- Mental ill health
- Substance misuse
- Criminal justice involvement
- Since 2024, £98,000 has been granted to organisations offering:
- Youth workers
- Therapy and counselling
- Financial education
- Employment support
- Help with housing and travel
- Demand is increasing, and matched funding is currently available.
- Contact: [email protected]
Surrey Education Fund
- Despite Surrey’s prosperity, many young people face barriers to education and employment.
- NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) numbers for 16–25s have nearly doubled since 2016.
- Fund supports disadvantaged young people up to age 25 through:
- Equipment, books, travel, tuition
- Educational facilities and training projects
- Grants to individuals, schools, charities, and community groups
- In 2026, focus is on organisations supporting NEET or at‑risk young people.
- May 2026 applications already exceed £100,000.
- Contact: [email protected]
Overall Takeaway
CF Surrey is facing surging demand and is encouraging collaborative, multi‑year, and pooled funding to meet the needs of vulnerable groups—especially care leavers and young people at risk of falling out of education or employment.
