Kevin Richmond

Kevin Richmond grew up in Somerset and developed a lasting connection to Sussex and to Brighton in particular after arriving at the University of Sussex at the age of 18. He holds an MA in Social Work from the University of Nottingham and has spent his career across a range of local and national charities in the voluntary and community sector.

From 1999 to 2006 he was Director of The Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove, an organisation supporting unpaid carers in the city. In 2006 he became the first Chief Executive of Sussex Community Foundation, a newly established charity created to channel philanthropic giving toward small, local charities and community groups across Sussex.

Under his leadership of nearly two decades, Sussex Community Foundation grew into one of the ten largest and fastest-growing community foundations in the UK (of roughly 46 in the country). Since its 2006 founding, the foundation reports having raised around £48 million, given grants of roughly £35 million to over 3,000 organisations, and built an endowment of about £24 million to fund future grant-making. The foundation works by connecting donors — individuals, families, businesses and other funders — with grassroots charities, administering named funds and distributing grants on donors' behalf.

In 2025 Richmond announced he would step down as CEO at the end of March 2026 after 19 years, saying it was "time for me to move on to new adventures." The foundation appointed Julian Caddy (former CEO of Brighton Fringe) as his successor, starting in May 2026, as the organisation enters its 20th-anniversary year.

• Operates as a grant-maker, not an equity investor — "makes it easy for Sussex donors to support smaller local charities that are the backbone of community life in Sussex."
• Prioritises small charities and community groups, often with income under £100,000 and "few of which are household names," that play a vital role in their communities.
• Strong stated emphasis on tackling poverty and disadvantage — the foundation launched a "Tackling Poverty" report and ran a Cost of Living Appeal under his tenure.
• Champions collaboration with communities: Richmond has publicly stressed the importance of working *with* local communities rather than imposing solutions on them.
• Funds are donor-directed and place-based: the model matches philanthropists, families and businesses with local causes across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove via named and themed funds.