Stronger Communities Fund

We’ll award grants to 3 main types of community groups:

1. Groups that build stronger relationships between everyone in a community

 This might include:

• Organising events or activities to connect people.
• Projects that actively engage people who feel left out of community life.
• Community transport solutions, particularly in more rural areas.
• Community organising and decision-making initiatives.

2. Groups that run places and spaces that matter to communities

This might include:

• Village halls in places with no other community buildings.
• Community centres where lots of clubs take place.
• Sports clubs for children and adults.
• Community-run cafés and libraries.
• Parks and other green spaces.
• Performing arts venues.

3. Groups that provide targeted services to members of a community who may need extra help

This might include:

• Projects that improve access to counselling for young people.
• Peer support groups for adults.
• Projects that reduce isolation and loneliness among older people.

This list doesn’t cover everything we’ll fund. If there’s something important to your community and you’re unsure whether to apply, please talk to us.

We can only consider your group for a grant if you meet our minimum standards.

Our minimum standards cover things like:

• the types of groups we can give a grant to and how we expect them to be run
• how we expect groups to manage their finances
• how groups keep people safe.

You can find all our minimum standards on our FAQ page, along with lots of information about applying for our funding.

You can also use our eligibility checker which will help you understand if you can apply for a grant from us.

You’re unable to use this money for:

• applications from individuals
• onward grants to individuals
• activities the government and other public bodies currently have a statutory responsibility to provide
• groups or activities that are giving support to a political party
• activities intending to influence people’s religious choices
• activities that solely support animal welfare
• arts or sports projects with no significant community or charitable element
• medical research, equipment or treatment
• costs incurred before a grant can be awarded
• activities that raise funds for other organisations.

Please submit your application by 5pm on Monday 27 October 2025.

This programme will then close while we implement a new database system. We expect it to reopen in early January 2026.

Have a time-sensitive request?

Speak to us before applying to ensure we can make a decision before you need the grant. We cannot award grants for things that have already been paid or committed to before a grant is awarded.

We have up to £350,000 to give out from the Fund this year, and we’re usually able to support 2 out of every 3 applications we get.

We focus on smaller groups based here in Somerset (excluding BANES and North Somerset) that run on under £250,000 a year. If this doesn’t sound like your group then you can still apply, but we’ll prioritise others if this Fund is oversubscribed.

We’re more likely to give you a grant if:

• your group is clearly run by people from the community it serves
• your community has received little or no grant funding from us or other charitable funders in the past
• your group’s activities either complement or connect to other work designed to serve your community
• your group has provided reliable reporting on any previous grants we’ve given.

Please be aware that you don’t have to create a new project or make something sound ‘innovative’ to be considered for a grant. We’re happy to consider funding the work you already do, so long as it clearly focuses on what’s important to the community your group represents.

The money for these grants comes from many different places, including:

• income from our own investments, which in turn come from many different people, businesses and other charities
• the Somerset NHS Integrated Care Board and Somerset Council.

Part of our job is to match grant applications to these different pots of money which sometimes have their own priorities.

One of our team will assess your application and supporting documents.

They’ll read through what you’ve written, look at your supporting documents and check places like the Charity Commission and your website. We’ll contact you if we have any questions.

A recommendation will usually then be made, and our Programmes Team panel will make the final decision.

The next step is to fill in our online application form.  

Click on ‘Apply Now’ below and you’ll be asked to register your email address. You’ll then be sent an email with a link to our online form. You can save your progress by clicking ‘Save As Draft’ at the end. The link in the email allows you to return to the form. You can attach supporting documents at the end of it.

You need to click ‘Submit’ at the bottom of the form to send your completed application to us.