Wessex Water Foundation Community Fund

Closed. Expected to re-open: September 2025

Grant details

Grant size:Up to £4,000
Typical grant:£2,500

Who is it for?Local groups based in Somerset that meet our minimum standards.

What is it for?To support community-based activities or projects that meet a local need and seek to improve the lives of local people who are most in need of support

What can we use this money for?

This programme supports community-based activities or projects that meet a local need and seek to improve the lives of local people who are most in need of support.

These activities or projects should be informed by the people or community they serve and have considerable reach and wide community benefit.

Grants are available of up to £4,000 for work covering a period of up to 12 months.

You can apply for a grant towards core costs and/or a project with priority given to work that fulfils one of more of the following:

  • takes place in areas of multiple deprivation or rural isolation where people lack access to local services
  • helps build stronger communities - enabling people to work together and create solutions to local challenges
  • helps people take steps to manage or avoid debt and build their financial capability. This can include activities that raise awareness and take up of utility affordability support such as the Wessex Water schemes

Priorities for this programme are:

  • applicants whose annual income has been on average under £500,000 for the last three years.
  • groups and organisations where a small amount of money can make a significant difference, so we will consider your other sources of funding and level of reserves, and we’ll prioritise where a grant can make the biggest impact.

Applicants whose project is primarily focused on environmental outcomes are advised to apply to the Wessex Water Foundation Environment Fund, opening in May 2025.

There is further guidance on the Wessex Water’s website

Examples of grants the Wessex Water Community Fund has awarded:

  • Money Advice Caseworkers to provide financial advice to help alleviate poverty, support people to access food and fuel, and prevent homelessness.
  • To develop a digital inclusion programme, offering supported group and one-to-one sessions in a friendly and relaxed environment, to people who need help to engage online.
  • A contribution towards running costs to provide refugees and asylum seekers with essential living items, welfare support, signposting, and a welcoming community.
  • A social prescribing programme for marginalised and disadvantaged people experiencing poor mental health; improving lives and increasing wellbeing through access to the outdoors.
  • A social inclusion project for adults with a learning disability or neurodiversity.
  • Running a community fridge and community pantry for those experiencing food poverty.

What can’t we use this money for?

We can’t consider:

  • Applications from individuals
  • Onward grants to individuals
  • National organisations or those based outside the Wessex Water region
  • General appeals including for capital building projects
  • 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
  • Events
  • Schools. However, PTAs and ‘friends of’ groups are eligible to apply for activities which are not statutory provision
  • Medical research, equipment or treatment
  • Costs incurred before a grant can be awarded
  • Activities that raise funds for other organisations

Which groups can apply?

We can only consider your group for a grant from this funding programme 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 those groups to manage their finances
  • how those groups keep people safe.

All of our minimum standards are on our FAQs page, where you can also find lots of information about applying for funding.

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

In addition, for this funding programme, we can only support groups that:

  • are based and working in the area covered by Wessex Water and us
  • are not receiving Partners Programme funding from Wessex Water. If you’re a debt advice agency in receipt of Wessex Water core funding, please contact us before you apply (e.g. Christians Against Poverty projects or Citizens Advice)
  • haven’t had a Wessex Water Environment Fund grant in the last year
  • are not applying to multiple Community Foundations at the same time for this funding.

 

When do we have to apply?

This fund will open to applications on Monday 23 September, 2024, with a closing date of Friday 18 October, 2024.

How likely am I to get a grant?

Sadly, we can’t provide funding to every group that applies to us.

We have around £40,000 to give out from this Fund this year. We’re typically able to support around half of the applications we receive.

How are decisions made?

Your application will be assessed by one of our team. They’ll read through what you’ve written, look at your supporting documents, and check places like the Charity Commission and your website. We may contact you if we have any questions.

A recommendation will usually then be made, and a panel will make the final decision. The panel for this programme will include people from Wessex Water and from us, SCF.

How do we apply to this programme?

You can apply for a grant by clicking on the button. 

You’ll need to provide an email address and then we’ll email you a link to an online form. If you don’t see an email from us after a few minutes, then please check your spam folder.

You don’t have to complete the form in one go. Instead, you can complete some sections then click ‘save draft’ at the bottom of the page. Use the link in your email to return to the form at another time.

The form asks you to provide some information to different questions and to attach some supporting documents.

Finally, you must read the terms and conditions and click ‘submit’.

Please contact the funding programme manager, below, if you can’t use the online form, or attach any of these documents. They’ll support you to make your application in another way.

Get help with this funding programme

This funding programme is managed by Kirsty, our Senior Programmes Manager. Kirsty can help if you:

  • aren’t sure if you meet our standards
  • aren’t sure if this is the best Fund to apply for
  • can’t use our online form, need extra support with your application or if English isn’t your first language
  • can’t attach the documents we’ve asked for.
Kirsty Campbell (She/Her)
Senior Programmes Manager
Working days: Mon - Fri, 8am - 1pm
Closed. Expected to re-open: September 2025

Grant details

Grant size:Up to £4,000
Typical grant:£2,500

Who is it for?Local groups based in Somerset that meet our minimum standards.

What is it for?To support community-based activities or projects that meet a local need and seek to improve the lives of local people who are most in need of support

Eligibility quiz

Check if you’re eligible to apply for our grants & funding.

Take our quiz

FAQs

You can find our minimum standards and everything else you need to know about applying on our FAQs page.

Browse our FAQs