Dorset Council: New round of community grants open
The latest round of Community and Culture Project grants is now open for applications.
The grants, which are managed by Dorset Council, welcome applications for projects and events for community, arts, accredited museums, heritage, sport, youth, play and physical activity.
Already this year the council’s Community and Culture Project Fund Rounds 4 and 5 provided grants of £277,755 to support both community & Cultural projects across the Dorset council area.
In addition, the council was also able to provide much needed funding of £56,570 to support local groups to enhance, adapt and improve their facilities and community spaces.
Cllr Laura Miller, Cabinet member for Culture, Communities and Customer Services, said:
“I am very pleased we can provide these small but vital grants to promote a wide range of cultural, heritage and physical activities that enrich the lives of people who live and work in Dorset.
“The previous rounds of the Community and Culture Project Fund grants have made a huge difference to residents in Dorset, and we look forward to seeing more applications from a wide range of community groups and organisations.”
Groups who are planning innovative and creative projects to engage new people in high quality arts activities in 2024 are encouraged to apply for a grant. We also want to fund heritage projects that aim to include all members of the community especially those priority groups who don’t normally access cultural opportunities.
The grants can fund up to £5000 towards a project that will have a social impact and support local communities and hard to reach groups and can provide up to 80% of total project costs up to a maximum of £5,000. Applicants must raise at least 20% of their project costs themselves.
If your project is in the early planning stages and you can demonstrate need for the activity and clear benefits for those groups taking part, then we want to hear from you.
Cultural applicants must also meet one of the Councils key priorities and meet at least one cultural outcome listed in Dorset’s cultural strategy.
If you are looking for a revenue grant to cover core running costs, then you can also apply for the council’s Organisational Support Revenue Fund Round 4
The fund offers groups the opportunity to apply for a grant of between £5,000 - £10,000 per annum for up to two years starting April 2024 until end March 2026. Cultural themed organisations cannot apply for this round.
There is no match funding required for this grant fund, but we will require applicants to meet our criteria and demonstrate how any work funded will deliver impact and be sustainable beyond two years.
You can find out more about eligibility, and how to apply for either grants on the Dorset Council website.
Alternatively, if you would like to talk to an Officer about your project the following Officers can help you:
Communities
Ian Wells, Grants Officer, email ian.wells@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or communities@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Fiona Thomas, Community Engagement Officer, email Fiona.thomas@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or communities@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Cultural
Tracy Cooper, Recreation and Culture Officer, email tracy.cooper@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or LeisureWDWP@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Vicky Dewitt, Museums Advisor for BCP and Dorset Councils, email Vicky.dewit@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
