Eligibility

Organisations must work in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and priority will be given to those based in the area. We do not fund national charities but can fund local branches if they are managed separately and financially independent.

Applications made by organisations with annual expenditure over £750,000 will not usually be considered.

Organisations that can apply:

• Registered Charities
• Constituted Community and Voluntary Organisations
• Community Interest Companies (please see additional guidance for CICs in appendix 1 of our full grant-making policy HERE
• Social Enterprises (companies limited by guarantee that have a clear not-for-profit clause in their governing document and clear charitable or social objectives)

To be eligible the organisation must have:

• A management committee or board of Trustees/Directors with at least 3 unrelated people
• A written constitution or set of rules that sets out the purpose and management of the organisation
• A bank account in the name of the organisation with at least two unrelated cheque signatories required for payments
• An appropriate Safeguarding Policy

Exclusions

• Schools are not eligible but we can fund PTA groups if they meet our eligibility guidelines
• We cannot fund the promotion of religion or political causes
• We cannot fund public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations
• We cannot fund animal welfare organisations
• We cannot offer retrospective funding for items already purchased or work completed
• Organisations with more than 12 months’ unrestricted reserves are usually not funded

Priorities

The Living Legacy Fund will support services and activities that help to achieve outcomes contained within the BCP Corporate Plan: Sustainable Environment, Connected Communities, Brighter Futures, Fulfilled Lives. The BCP Corporate Plan summary can be found HERE

This year (grants made in 2021) we will prioritise applications supporting the recovery and strengthening of local communities following the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on :isolation & loneliness, poverty health & wellbeing.

To address these issues, we are looking to fund services and activities that bring people together to support one another, provide healthy social activities addressing identified needs, support personal aspirations and skills, and promote volunteering opportunities where possible.

Services/activities may be targeted within a particular place and open to all, or targeted support for particular groups with identified needs.

Priority may be given to groups that work in partnership with other providers, involve service users in the design of services and invite feedback, and where the service/activities are easy to access with clear referral routes. We are looking to support services that bring tangible improvements to quality of life for BCP residents.

What can I apply for?

Grants of up to £5,000 are available. We can fund core costs, staff/volunteer costs, reasonable capital costs (e.g. IT equipment, sports equipment, tools), venue hire, consumables and other costs relating to the service/activities. Contributions towards large capital appeals are a low priority for funding.

The funded service/activities must start within 2 months of the award and groups have up to 12 months to spend the grant. Applications do not need to be for new services. We can fund the continuation of existing services that are delivering evidenced outcomes, the expansion or adaption of these services in line with local needs or increased demand, piloting new ways of working or launch of new services.

Monitoring and reporting

You should have tools in place to measure and record the intended outcomes of the grant such as feedback forms/questionnaires, interviews or discussion groups, recording observations, clinical assessment tools, attendance logs or other relevant data.

Completion of an online End of Grant report is a requirement of funding, including how funds were spent, the outcomes (for beneficiaries and/or your organisation) and individual case studies where relevant.

How to Apply?

This fund is now CLOSED.

• Your constitution, articles or governing document
• A copy of a recent bank statement no more than 3 months old
• A copy of your latest annual accounts, or in the case of new groups, please send a financial forecast or budget for your first year if you have one
• Your Safeguarding policy and Equality & Diversity policy *our guidance notes below may be helpful

If you are unsure about any of the above criteria, pre-application advice is available from the Grants Manager Ellie Maguire on 07592 032666 or at grants@dorsetcf.org

Apart from the bank statement, you do not have to send these if you have already sent these documents in the last six months.

* For support with policy development or reviews, we recommend you contact one of the local support agencies for voluntary sector groups – Community Action Network offers free support to groups across the county of Dorset, and low cost training & events. Dorset Community Action  provides support to groups in the Dorset Council area.

Safeguarding policy – there are helpful online resources such as the Charity Commission’s guidance on Safeguarding and the NSPCC website .New groups or those without any current policy may find it helpful to watch this short video ‘Safeguarding adults in the voluntary sector’  introducing what Safeguarding is and why it is relevant for all voluntary sector groups, no matter how small or who you are working with.

Equality & Diversity policy – we recommend this should include as a minimum: reference to the Equality Act 2010 and explicitly covering all protected characteristics, equal access to services and employment and ways you achieve this, preventing harassment or discrimination and how complaints are dealt with fairly

In order for us to follow our decision-making process, the information given in your application will be shared with our independent panel members and/or donors as appropriate. Panel members are subject to a confidentiality agreement. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information on data sharing and storage.