Neighbourhood Fund

WHAT CAN THIS BE USED FOR?

Supporting local community groups whose work addresses local issues, social problems, poverty and disadvantage.

What we fund + [+ denotes an accordion box the opens when clicked]

Services that effect positive change and bring tangible improvements to quality of life for Dorset residents.

In particular:

• Services supporting older people to lead more active, healthy and independent lives (addressing social isolation and loneliness, declining health, poor access to services and support for carers)
• Services supporting people experiencing mental health issues, including those with diagnosed conditions and early intervention work (addressing low self-esteem and personal aspirations, relationship difficulties, unhealthy coping behaviours and other issues).

Priority may be given to groups who are:

• Working in partnership with other providers
• Involving service users in the design of services and inviting feedback
• Providing services or activities that are easy to access – with clear referral routes

We are looking to support services that effect positive change and bring tangible improvements to quality of life for Dorset residents.

We can fund continuation of existing services that are delivering evidenced outcomes, the expansion or adaption of these services in line with local needs or increased demand, piloting new ways of working or launch of new services.

We will fund any costs relating to the work you deliver including core costs, service delivery costs and reasonable capital costs (e.g. tools, office equipment or sports equipment). Contributions towards large capital appeals are a low priority.

Groups with two or more current grants from our funding programmes are a lower priority for funding. Groups with annual expenditure over £250,000 will not usually be considered by the panel

Which groups can apply +

• Registered Charities
• Constituted Community and Voluntary Organisations
• Community Interest Companies limited by guarantee
• Companies limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives

Those with:

• At least three unrelated people responsible for running the organisation (for registered charities these are trustees, for CICs/Social Enterprises these are directors)
• A written constitution or set of rules that sets out the purpose and management of the organisation
• A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated signatories required for payments
• An appropriate Safeguarding Policy and EDI policy

Who can’t we make grants to? +

• National charities, including those with distinct services in Dorset
• Schools – but we can fund PTA groups if they meet our eligibility guidelines
• Religious or political causes – faith based organisations should advise whether funded activities are designed to, or include elements that are designed to influence people’s religious choices
• Public bodies in order to carry out their statutory obligations
• Animal welfare organisations
• Anyone asking for retrospective funding for items already purchased or work completed
• Organisations with more than 12 months’ unrestricted reserves. If you hold significant reserves, please make clear why they cannot be used to cover the cost of the activity.

Application deadlines and grant timescales +

The fund is currently CLOSED. The next round of this Fund is expected to open in November 2026 and the deadline will be January 2027

Groups should hear the outcome of their application by the end of xxxxx, so the earliest start date for your activities is xxxx.

The activities funded must start within two months of the award and groups have up to 12 months to spend the grant.

How likely is my application to be successful? +

We have approximately £100,000 to distribute in each round.

In the last round, 62 per cent of applicants were successful and the average grant was £3,800.

Where does the money for this fund come from? +

Income from our own investments, which in turn come from many different people, businesses and other charities.

Part of our job is to match grant applications to these different pots of money which sometimes have their own priorities.

How do I apply to this programme? +

All applications are now made on our online portal. Please use the same username (email) and password to access the portal each time – you will be able to see all your current applications and previous applications.

What documents do I need to apply? +

Attach the following supporting documents to your application, or send them to grants@dorsetcf.org

• A copy of your constitution or governing document, if you are not registered at Companies House or the Charities Commission
• A copy of a recent bank statement no more than three months old. This can be a scan or photo of paper statement, or a copy downloaded from an online account. We need to see the bank name and the account name, number and sort code
• A copy of your latest annual accounts (if they more than a year old, please send draft accounts for the current year if possible). In the case of new groups, please send a financial forecast or budget for your first year if you have one
• Your Safeguarding policy and Equality & Diversity policy
• CICs operating more than one year should also provide their CIC 34 report, and those with micro accounts only should provide their trading profit and loss accounts

You do not need to send any of these documents if you have already sent them to us in the last six months – apart from your bank statement.

We have added an ‘any other information’ box to all our application forms for anything you need clarifying.

Monitoring and reporting +

You should have tools in place to measure and record the intended outcomes of the grant. Examples may include feedback forms or questionnaires, interviews or discussion groups, recording observations, attendance logs or other relevant data. We do not expect complex or multiple methods.

Completion of an online End of Grant report is a requirement of funding. It must include how funds were spent, outcomes achieved (for beneficiaries and or your organisation), learning during the grant period and individual case studies where relevant.

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