The Foundation exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. We ensure these organisations and their beneficiaries are appropriate and their aims meet our objectives. The groups we support deliver benefit to their communities in many different ways, they make no payment for our services and no relevant groups are excluded from our application process. We also exist to support individuals via a small number of funding programmes.

The Foundation’s area of benefit is Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole.

Who can Apply?

The Foundation awards grants to individuals and registered charities and organisations that can demonstrate their charitable purposes.

Organisations that can apply:

• Registered Charities
• Constituted Community and Voluntary Organisations
• Community Interest Companies Limited by Guarantee (see additional guidance in PDF of full policy)
• Social Enterprises (Companies limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives that meet the priorities of the funding programme)
• Charitable Incorporated Organisations

To be eligible the organisation must have:

• A management committee, board or Trustees of board of Directors with at least 3 unrelated people as members
• A written constitution or set of rules that sets out our the purpose and management of the organisation
• A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated cheque signatories

We will prioritise small, grassroots charities and community organisations over larger local organisations that have a higher profile. We do not support national charities, although we can support local branches of national charities if they are financially independent and locally managed. 

Applicants can apply to more than one grant programme throughout the year, however, if they are already in receipt of two grants they are a low priority for funding. An organisation cannot be in receipt of more than one grant from the same funding programme, or for the same project/service concurrently.

This is to ensure that:

• the Foundation is reaching as many groups as possible through its funding and not only appealing to those organisations who have previously been funded on more than one occasion
• previously funded organisations have submitted an end of grant form and the Foundation can be confident that the grant funding has been spent as required before considering a grant from the same funding programme or for the same project/service

Grants will not be awarded to the following types of activity or organisations:

• Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations
• The promotion of religion or political causes
• Retrospective funding – grants for a project that has started or been already completed
• Organisations with more than 12 months’ unrestricted reserves
• Animal welfare organisations

Grants will not normally be awarded to the following types of organisations:

• Organisations operating outside Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole
• Previously funded organisations with overdue end of grant form

Due to our limited funding and the need to focus on projects that have a lasting benefit, we will not normally fund the following project’s requests:

• Medical research & equipment
• General large appeals, sponsored and fundraising events
• Consultancy fees (including professional bid writer’s fees)
• Projects duplicating an existing service
• One-off events without limited long term benefit
• Building works including access adaptations
• Capital purchases of more than £1,000

For more detail on application processes, grants panels and complaints policy, please read our Grants Policy in full here.

If you are not clear about any of the above or have additional questions, please contact the Grants Team on 01202 670815 or email grants@dorsetcf.org.