Laura Hardy is the Fundraising Manager at Dover Smart Project – a charity transforming lives across the Dover district through art and creativity.

Where the story began

A dinosaur was the unexpected beginning of Laura’s journey with Dover Smart Project and the charity sector.

Back in 2013, she discovered the small but inspiring charity while attending a community event. During the day, her three-year-old son happily painted a dinosaur on a wall, and Laura found herself curious to learn more about the organisation behind the event. She met the founder, felt an immediate connection with their passion to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the community, and offered to volunteer a few hours a week.

That small step turned into something much bigger. Thirteen years later, Laura is still part of the journey, and the charity has grown and continues to thrive.

Growing a creative community

Today, Dover Smart Project supports a wide range of people through weekly groups for young carers aged 5 to 18, older people, those living with dementia and their carers, individuals experiencing cancer in their lives, and parents of young carers. The charity also reaches the wider community through outreach work delivered from their bright pink bus.

Over the years, Laura has secured more than £1.5 million in funding for the charity. However, she is quick to recognise that this success would not have been possible without the support of Funding for All.

Mentoring that made the difference

“In 2017, the charity was ready to take a big step forward and apply for funding from Children in Need. It was a complex process, and it felt like the right time to ask for guidance. That’s when I met Kerry from Funding for All.

Kerry’s invaluable mentoring and support helped us secure our first major funding award of £60,000 for our Young Carers project. This was a huge milestone for us. The project was later featured on the national BBC Children in Need programme, which brought wonderful recognition to the charity and helped raise awareness of the work we do. It also opened the door to further funding opportunities for other projects.

Without Funding for All, we may not even exist today.”

Inspired by this story? Your organisation could achieve more with the right support behind you.
Discover how our Mentoring Programme for Kent & Medway’s voluntary sector can help develop your fundraising and make an even bigger.