This UKCF funding program allocated funds generated from the VAT on sanitary products to projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls. The Tampon Tax Community Fund supported local organisations working with women who are most marginalized to overcome barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential.

One of the grantees was Bournemouth-based SAMEE, which works with some of the most vulnerable people in society to guide them into self-employment. The charity received a £9,000 grant from Dorset Community Foundation for the Single Mums Into the Lifelong Enterprise (SMILE) project, designed to help single mothers move away from benefit dependency by starting their own businesses.

The first round of the Tampon Tax Community Fund, within all UK Community Foundations, saw more than 4,000 local projects share in £3.4 million of funding to run vital projects and services for women and girls across the UK.