Application policy

Our application policy

• Eligibility

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

  Organisations that can apply are:

  • Registered Charities including Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIO)
  • Constituted community/voluntary organisations and associations
  • Faith organisations that are requesting funds to support activities with the wider community
  • State schools, but not for projects that should be supported by statutory funding
  • Industrial and Provident Societies e.g. Housing Associations
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC) Limited by Guarantee and/or
  • Social Enterprises limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives.

  To meet our criteria:

  • Your organisation must be located or have a base within our area of benefit - Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Purbeck or East Dorset.
  • Your organisation must have at least three unrelated people on its Board of Trustees/Directors or management committee
  • Your organisation holds a valid bank account with at least two unrelated signatories
  • Your proposed activities will benefit people within our area of benefit
  • You have raised or are in the process of raising at least 25% of the funding that you require
  • You have a clear case for support, i.e. why the funding is needed, what difference it will make, and how you can deliver it
  • Your application is submitted in advance of the relevant deadline.
• Deadlines for submission 

  As part of our ongoing strategic review, we’re refining our approach to the 2025 grant programme. For the latest updates, please visit the Application Form page.

  PLEASE CONTACT US at info@talbotvillagetrust.org and a member of the team will be happy to advise you further regarding the grant process for 2025.

• The application form

  All requests for funding must be submitted on an online application form available through our website. If you’re thinking of applying or are unable to submit an application online, please contact our Grants department at info@talbotvillagetrust.org to arrange an informal conversation about your project and/or our application process.

  Online application forms require organisations to set out the details of their proposal.  How have you identified the need; who will benefit from your activities; how will you make a difference and how will you measure and monitor the outcomes of the project?  You’ll need to provide a breakdown of your budget and indicate how you’ll meet match funding requirements.

  You’ll also need to supply the following information as part of the application form:

  • You’ll need to indicate that your organisation holds a valid bank account with at least two unrelated signatories. The details of your bank account (name, sort code, account number) will only be requested if your organisation is awarded a grant.
  • If not publicly available, we may request your constitution or governing document.  We’ll need to know that your organisation holds a valid constitution and understand how it is governed.
  • You’ll need to submit audited or independently examined accounts or an income/expenditure spreadsheet depending on the size of the organisation.  It will demonstrate the financial position of the organisation regarding income, expenditure, loans, liabilities etc. New organisations without annual accounts may submit a financial forecast as an alternative.
  • You’ll need to submit your safeguarding policy if your organisation undertakes activities involving children, young people or vulnerable adults.

  Please contact us if you have any difficulty with the online application form, or if you require it in an alternative format.

• Exclusions

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

  • • Animal welfare organisations unless for assistance therapy
    • One-off events with limited longer-term benefit
    • Applications made by individuals, except in exceptional circumstances (by invitation)
    • Where the application is to repay a loan or previous commitment
    • Retrospective funding – grants for work that has already started or been completed
    • To fund the cost of repairs to churches and church buildings, unless these benefit the wider community
    • Where the application is purely concerned with the environment and not linked to local community-based sustainability efforts
    • Where the application is from an independent or fee paying school, unless the application is to assist those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds
    • Where the application is from a local authority school, unless the application is to meet expenditure which is clearly outside of the scope of funding for which the State should be responsible
    • Public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations
    • Projects for items/ refurbishment which are the responsibility of the applicant’s landlord
    • Projects where statutory funding has been withdrawn and/or where the proposed project is duplicating an existing service
    • Swimming pools, unless for specific therapeutic reasons
    • To fund research including medical research
    • Provision of broadband
• Funding Programmes

  We run direct funding programmes, with deadlines advertised on our website, social media, and through our networks.

• Types of costs that can be applied for

  Capital Costs

  Capital costs are the costs incurred in buying tangible items.  Examples are in the list below, but this is not an exhaustive list. Please do get in touch to find out more.

  • an office or building for the charity to use
  • refurbishment of an existing building
  • computers or other IT hardware
  • outdoor play equipment or camping equipment

  Revenue Costs

  These are costs associated with a project or service. This could include:

  • the salaries of the staff involved in delivering the service
  • hire of rooms
  • training on specific skills related to service delivery
  • transport
  • resources for use in the service

  This is not an exhaustive list; your project may have other direct costs. These costs are only incurred because the project is taking place.

  Core Costs

  These are costs relating to the day-to-day running of the organisation and are sometimes called running costs, indirect costs or overheads. They include:

  • Rent
  • Utilities and broadband rental
  • Governance costs
  • Accountancy and audit costs;
  • Insurance
  • Senior management and admin/finance/HR staff salaries

  We will consider core costs in exceptional circumstances e.g. where there is a strong case to support an organisation through a particular crisis period. Contact us for more information.

• How are applications assessed?

  Each application is considered carefully as we assess local needs, evidence of effectiveness, perceived impact, value for money and sustainability of the investment.

  • On receipt of the application, the Trust assesses eligibility and carries out due diligence checks based on the supporting documents supplied. We also consider the fit of the proposal to the charity’s grant giving aims.
  • Ineligible applications will not proceed to the next review point.
  • Eligible applications typically receive a visit or follow-up Teams call by a member of staff to discuss their application in more detail. This provides us an opportunity to find out more about your organisation.
  • All applications are presented to the Philanthropy Committee (a subset of the Board of Trustees) for further assurance and scrutiny. Applications are scored on a 4 point rating system.
  • The Philanthropy Committee comprises at least two trustees (one acts as the Chair) who review the applications. They may call upon external experts or others who bring knowledge of particular communities or areas as well as hearing further from the Grants team. Any commentary from staff is for guidance only.
  • An assessment summary of all eligible applications with recommendations for funding are put forward to the full Trustee meetings. The Trustees’ decision is final.
• Notifying applicants of the Trustee decisions

  All applicants are notified of the Trustees’ decision within three weeks of the Trustee meeting through a grant Offer Letter which issues Terms and Conditions of the award.

  Dependent on the level of funding, formal Grant Agreements may also be issued to successful applicants.

• Drawing down funds

  Successful applicants have to evidence that they have met the 25% match funding requirement prior to drawing down the Trust award.

  Payments are made to the organisation’s bank account only.

  Awardees are allowed a two year period from the date of award in which to draw down funds. We would strongly encourage successful applicants to inform us at the earliest opportunity if they are unlikely to be able to access the funding within that time period. We are able to review revised timelines where appropriate.

• Project monitoring and evaluation

  Requests to amend or change the terms of a grant will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

  We require awardees to submit monitoring reports, as requested, and an impact report at the end of the grant period.

  It is a requirement that successful applicants follow our PR and logo guidelines when promoting their projects. Contact  info@talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.

  The Trust is keen to give active support to organisations where possible.

• Feedback from applicants

  We welcome feedback from all applicants on our application process and we are continually looking at ways to improve our processes and to support applicants and awardees.

  We aim to listen to and work in partnership with grantees, prospective grantees and other stakeholders in an open and transparent manner in order to make a difference to east Dorset.

  We welcome applications that can apply ideas, initiatives and learning to emerging and unmet needs.