Supporting and strengthening our communities
Our expert knowledge of Dorset’s voluntary sector means we can help donors to support the causes they are most passionate about. Our grants help small groups and charities make a huge impact because we understand they know best what they need to strengthen their communities.
Ways to Give
Apply for Funding
Grants awarded2025/26
Click on each region of the map to view the total grants awarded.Dorset
Christchurch
Bournemouth
Poole
Purbeck
North Dorset
West Dorset
Weymouth and Portland
East Dorset
360 Giving
We are committed to transparency in our grant-making which is why we work with 360Giving to publish information about the grants at the end of each financial year. Explore 360 GivingLatest newsand stories
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Case study: Gifts in wills
German film actress, model, photographer and DJ Renate Morley left a gift in her will that will continue to support the community she loved. Renate, of Milner Road, Bournemouth, died on Christmas Eve 2021, aged 85 after a long illness. Friends said she lived a long, colourful life, full of excitement, creativity and love. Her
Case study: Neighbourhood Fund
Gillingham Youth Club used a £5,000 grant from our Neighbourhood Fund to cover staff wages, hall hire and activity costs to deliver sessions that reduce young peoples’ isolation and improve their mental wellbeing. Senior Youth Leader Shelley Finch said the grant allows the club to hire trained youth workers, plan activities and organise community events
Case study: Surviving Winter
A Surviving Winter grant of £200, distributed through our partners at Citizens Advice East Dorset and Purbeck, enables people living in fuel poverty to switch the heating on during cold weather. It can also be used to buy smaller items to help vulnerable people keep warm. Energy Team Manager Dan Fancy said the people he
Case study: EDC Project Fund for Strength and Sustainability
Grants from the EDC Project Fund for Strength and Sustainability are helping the Brazilian Educational and Cultural Centre (BREACC) improve its teaching and put it on a stronger footing. The Bournemouth group, which supports Portuguese speaking children aged two to 15 all over Dorset, with educational programmes, used an initial £2,306 grant for a new
Case study: Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund
Chill Dorset used the restorative power of the sea and the freedom of swimming to give 65 people struggling with their mental health a new found confidence and a sense of community. The group was awarded almost £6,500 from the Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund, run in partnership with NHS Dorset, Community Action Network
Young and Talented grants help siblings step towards professional dancing careers
FOUR siblings who moved across the world to follow their ballroom dancing dream in Dorset have been helped with grants from Dorset Community Foundation’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Fund for Young & Talented. Logan Taylor, 16, and Ethan, 15, Gisel, 14, Ohara, 13 and dad James moved from Melbourne, Australia, to Boscombe so they could study at the
SWEF grant adds a shine to young entrepreneur’s car cleaning dream
YOUNG entrepreneur Kieran Jackson is being helped to clean up in the car washing business thanks to SWEF Enterprise Fund grant from Dorset Community Foundation. The 20-year-old, from Blandford St Mary, set up specialist car cleaning firm KJ Detailz a year ago but needed help to expand when he found he couldn’t keep up with
New trustees will add financial know-how to board
TWO new trustees will bring decades of financial know-how and charity experience to Dorset Community Foundation. After more than 35 years in banking Rupert Blake has been using his skills in the voluntary sector, setting up a school charitable foundation at Bishops Wordsworth Grammar School in Salisbury and being a governor at The Sheiling, a
Green fund saves school’s gardening club and boosts eight other projects
A GRANT from our Wessex Water Environment Fund has saved a school’s gardening club, as well as helping eight other green projects. The fund, which supports projects that improve local biodiversity or have a positive impact on the environment in Dorset communities, has awarded more than £16,000 to fund a range of initiatives including rainwater
Information meetings for Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund
THREE information days for groups interested in applying for a grant from a Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund have been organised by our fund partner Community Action Network (CAN). The meetings, two of which are in person and one online, will be a chance to hear from CAN, ask questions and connect with Access
Information meetings for Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Mr Angus Campbell has just launched an appeal for donations for his Young and Talented Fund set up in partnership with the Foundation. The launch event took place at Wey Valley School in Weymouth and included speeches from internationally acclaimed artist Stuart Semple, Taekwondo champion Kate Norman and Rebecca Raybould
Second £1 million fund will help alleviate mental health pressure on NHS
DORSET Community Foundation is working with NHS Dorset and Community Action Network to distribute another £1 million in funding to grass roots community groups and charities for mental health projects that alleviate pressure on clinical services. Two years ago DCF awarded £1 million in funding through the Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund to 53
Leave a Legacy
Leaving a gift to Dorset Community Foundation in your will is a powerful and emotive of making a lasting impact on the community and cause that you love. Gifts in wills