Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of data centres, has announced the return of the Kao SEED Fund for a second time. The Kao SEED Fund will distribute funding pots of between £500 and £2,500, to community groups, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations in Reddish for projects that will run throughout 2027.
The Kao SEED Fund, which stands for Social Enterprise and Environmental Development Fund coincides with the ongoing construction of Kao Data's new £350m data centre in North Reddish.
This year's fund will focus on two themes:
· Environmental Sustainability: projects that reduce waste, improve biodiversity, strengthen local links to nature, such as community gardens, alleyway projects, sustainable food growing and tool libraries.
· Enterprise Innovation: projects that give local enterprises the chance to trial new initiatives that benefit the community and support local economic resilience, such as incubator market stalls and makers markets.
Sector 3, as Stockport’s Chairty Infrastructure support organisation will coordinate the application process, administer funding and support successful applicants.
The first Kao SEED Fund supported 20 amazing community projects across Stockport throughout 2025 and included plastic donation stations and bike repair schemes to therapeutic gardening initiatives and employability programmes.
Lizzy McDowell, Director of Marketing at Kao Data, said:
“It’s incredibly important to us as a business to play our part in the communities where we site our data centres. The first Kao SEED Fund round funded some truly incredible community projects from across the borough of Stockport and we were really privileged to get to know them and follow their progress.
“The next Kao SEED Fund round will focus on community groups and organisations located in North Reddish and South Reddish wards in order to support communities close to the data centre site. We cannot wait to find out what innovative community projects and initiatives will be on the horizon for Reddish residents.”
Stockport MP Navendu Mishra supports the Kao SEED Fund and added,
"Community organisations and charities play a vital role in supporting people across Stockport and strengthening our local communities. The Kao SEED Fund is a fantastic opportunity for groups in North Reddish and South Reddish to secure funding for projects that make a real difference to local people and I would encourage eligible organisations to apply."
Applications will close on Wednesday 2 December and funding will be awarded from February 2027.
There will be a Meet the Funder event on Wednesday 11 November at Re:Dish in Reddish, for charities and community groups to find out more about the SEED Fund.