29 July 2026

Ten years of open data: over £30 million awarded to Somerset's communities

Blog post by Emily Berridge, our Research and Insights Manager

We’ve published our grants data openly since 2016. Now, a decade of that data sits in one place, and it tells a clear story: funding for Somerset’s communities has grown fast. 

Between 2016 and 2026, we awarded £30.6 million through 4,296 grants to 1,673 community groups and organisations across the county. You can see the figures on 360Giving’s GrantNav.  

Every number represents a group doing something tangible for the community around them: tackling loneliness in areas of rural isolation, keeping a vital community space open for those that need it, or giving a young person the support to build a better future. 

Funding has grown fast 

In 2016-17, we awarded £426,000 across 220 grants. By 2025-26, that had grown to £6.22 million across 515 grants – nearly 15 times more in a decade. Grant sizes have grown too, from under £2,000 typically to over £12,000, as we’ve taken on bigger, more complex funding programmes. 

Who benefits 

Children and young people, older people, and families are consistently among those we support most. So are people facing mental health difficulties, poverty and disadvantage. That hasn’t changed, even as the numbers have grown: our funding still goes to the people who need it most. 

80% of our funding goes to small charities and community groups. These are for groups like OpenStoryTellers – a charity that empowers people with learning disabilities and autism to find their voice.   A parent whose child takes part in one of the groups we fund, said: “I honestly don’t know what we’d have done without this support. It helped me see a future for my child again.”  

Where the need is greatest 

Over the decade, our team’s local knowledge of the need in our communities has grown alongside the funding – so we can keep directing all funding thoughtfully, delivering the greatest impact.  

In Sedgemoor, for example, that’s meant more than £10 million of funding, largely through our HPC Community Fund. This area is home to 13 of Somerset’s 32 most deprived neighbourhoods – more than anywhere else in the county – according to the 2025 Indices of Deprivation. 

Open by design 

We publish this data because we believe better information helps everyone make better decisions – donors, funders and the groups we support. 

It’s also part of our promise to be open and trusting with the people we work with – sharing more, explaining our decisions, and making it easier for groups to access funding. We’re proud to back IVAR’s Open and Trusting Grant-making movement, and the 8 commitments behind it. 

Explore the organisations we’ve supported and see how targeted funding is making a real difference across Somerset: – Impact – Somerset Community Foundation 

Want to make a difference on your doorstep? Explore our ways to give.