If you’d like to apply for a direct grant, your scheme must support local people.
When you apply for Capital Grants Programme, your organisation will need to prove that it has - or can raise at least 25% match funding.
We offer a range of funding, supporting capital projects, initiatives that meet with our strategic criteria, and annual contributions to causes within our area of benefit.
Funding Programmes 2026/2027:
Capital Programme:
- We accept requests for grant awards of £10,000 or more. As applicants are required to provide a minimum of 25% match funding, the total project cost must be at least £13,333 for an application to be eligible
- Supports: Purchase, refurbishment or repair of buildings or physical spaces, investment in physical or IT assets, accessibility improvements
- Open to organisations that can demonstrate the capital expenditure is planned and integrated into their broader organisational strategy
- Providing a minimum 1 year of signed accounts
- At least 25% matched funding must be secured before funds can be drawn down
- Decision: mid May 2027
- Deadline: Sunday 29th November 2026 11:59pm
- The majority of the capital grant awards in 2025 averaged £12,500
We encourage applicants requesting over £50,000 to contact us before applying.
SPRING 2027 PROGRAMME IS NOW OPEN.
Small Grants Programme:
The Small Grants Programme accepts applications on a monthly rolling basis, enabling faster distribution of funds to local charities and grassroots organisations. As a result, there are no application deadlines, and submissions are welcome at any time.
- Up to £5,000 per grant
- Supports: Core/operating costs, project costs, small capital items (e.g., equipment, minor repairs).
- Open to organisations with an annual income under £250,000
- Decision: usually within 5 – 6 weeks of the submission date. Please note that timescales may vary, particularly around the Christmas and Easter holidays.
- No match funding required
- We do not usually fund national charities but we may consider applications from local branches of national organisations – eligibility can be checked on our application policy page
- Avg. grant size in 2025: £3,000
We particularly encourage applications from first-time applicants or organisations we have not funded under the Small Grants Programme within the past eighteen months.
A note about application processing over the Christmas period
Please be aware that any applications submitted on or after 11 November 2026 will be processed in January 2027, following our Christmas break. Applicants will be notified of the outcome, and any successful grants will be awarded in February 2027.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.
Annual regular giving to Talbot Village
- St Mark’s CE Primary School
- St Mark’s CE Church
- University Chaplaincy
To Apply
Capital Programme (Spring 2027) and Small Grants Programme are now open for applications.
For more information, visit our FAQ section.
Information about future grant rounds will be announced via our email newsletter and on our website. To be the first to hear about upcoming opportunities, please subscribe to our newsletter.
“We wanted to learn more about the world we live in and what this may look like in the future, hearing from experts in the immediate area, as well as those living and working across the whole county.”
— Nick Ashley-Cooper, Chairman
Our ambitions
Systemic change
Address those more complex and difficult problems facing our society recognising that long term systemic change is more challenging than programmatic funding.
Support of marginalised groups
Ensure that marginalised groups are not failed or hidden from view and amplifying the voice of those less often seen and heard.
Cross-sector collaboration
Work more closely with others to support charities and related organisations, enhancing cross-sector coordination and communication.
In 2021, we explored some of the key issues facing Dorset, both now and in the future.
Our Dorset 2050 report captures the voices of those living and working in our area, as well as those of over 70 leading experts and practitioners in areas of health and wellbeing, social care, charity, and local government.
