Our   Approach 

GRANTS           

 

Grant giving that has greater impact by being more inclusive, collaborative and bolder in its ambitions.


In 2021, the charity undertook a consultation exercise to understand the key issues facing Dorset now and in the future, in order to have greater impact with its giving and help support the communities that live and work in the area. We benefited greatly from listening to those who are living and working in south-east Dorset as well as to over 70 experts and leading practitioners. These were vital conversations and as a Trust, we want to carry on working with partners to ensure a sustainable approach to defining and addressing the issues that are most important to tackle together.  

The summary of the resultant Dorset 2050 report is available here:


Dorset 2050: Key Conclusions and Opportunities , April 2021


Following this report the Trustees agreed to commit funding to three key priorities:

  • climate change awareness
  • mental health support
  • educational exclusion of children

Further information on the initial round of funding for the Strategic Priorities programme can be found below. 

TYPES OF GRANTS

We offer a range of grants:

  1. Direct grants – can be for capital, project or revenue funded items
  2. Strategic priorities – addressing one of the following themes:
    • Climate change / environmental community action
    • Promoting mental health and wellbeing
    • Tackling educational exclusion
  3. Annual regular giving to Talbot Village:
    • St Mark’s CE Primary School
    • St Mark’s CE Church
    • University Chaplaincy

If you would like to apply for a direct grant, your scheme can be of any size – but it must support local people. 

When you apply, your organisation will need to prove that it has - or can - raise at least 25% match funding. 

The next steps for the Strategic Priorities progamme will be announced shortly. 

APPLY HERE

AMBITIONS

Dorset 2050 sets an ambitious agenda to help shape our future strategy and also the process by which we will get there. 

Our ambitions are to:

  • Address those more complex and difficult problems facing our society recognising that long term systemic change is more challenging than programmatic funding
  • Ensure that marginalised groups are not failed or hidden from view
  • Work more closely with others to support the sector and cross-sector coordination and communication
  • Be open to offering core, unrestricted funding for organisations, recognising that some may need support to get through particularly challenging times or to scale up operations.