About our grants for groups
There are a few things you need to know about the grants we give to groups. We:
- Give most of our money to smaller groups based here in Somerset
- Manage lots of different pots of money. You need to use the list below to decide which one you should apply to.
- Cannot support everyone who applies to us. We’re usually able to support 2 out of every 3 applications we receive.
- Will talk to you if you don’t know where to start.
The last point is an important one, as we don’t want you to waste your time applying for a grant if you are unlikely to be successful in getting it.
Our Grants Team really is here to help, so pick up the phone or send us an email. The contact details of a member of our Grants Team are at the bottom of each page. Please contact us for guidance or if you have any questions regarding our grants.
What if my group has never had a grant before?
A grant is money you do not have to pay back. If your group is just starting out and you don’t know how grants work, then talk to our Grants Team and they will talk you through it.
If you’re still setting up your group and have questions about how to register it, what policies you need, how to find volunteers and so on, then Spark Somerset may also be able to help you.
What we really want to do is give more money to groups led by and for people who’ve not benefited from our grants before. This includes groups led by and for people who are:
- from minority ethnic communities
- deaf and disabled
- LGBTQ+
- women.
Our grants for groups
Main Grants
Our Main Grants are for local groups so they can provide the extra support that some people need in our community. You can ask us for up to £5,000 if you work or volunteer for a Somerset-based group that offers targeted support to:
- children and young people
- older people
- adults with mental health problems.
Apply now until Friday 2 September and we'll let you know if we can help you in October 2022.
Discovery Community Fund
The Discovery Community Fund has been created to make Somerset the best possible place for adults with learning disabilities and autism. It provides grants to individual people and organisations to make this happen. There are 3 different types of grant:
- Small Sparks - up to £500 for individuals (open now)
- Inclusion Grants - up to £10,000 for groups (open now)
- Big Changes - up to £100,000 for groups (opening soon)
Click here for more information.
The Somerset Fund
The Somerset Fund is here to bring your whole community together. You can ask us for up to £2,500 if you work or volunteer for a Somerset-based group that runs a:
- village hall or community centre
- park, play area or green space
- sports club
- community shop
- art, culture, or heritage group
- community transport scheme
Hinkley Point C Community Fund Small Grants
You can ask for a grant between £250 and £5,000 over 1 year or £10,000 over 3 years if your group:
- normally has an annual income of less than £100,000
- is based in the county of Somerset (but not North Somerset or BANES)
- works in one or more communities that have been impacted by the construction of Hinkley Point C, or you wish to support people in your community to take advantage of its opportunities.
- will improve your community wellbeing and quality of life through your work
Click here to apply by Wednesday 31 August and we’ll let you know if we can help you by mid September. The next deadline following this will be Wednesday 12 October.
Hinkley Point C Community Fund Open Grants
You can ask for a grant of over £5,000 if your group:
- is based in the county of Somerset (but not North Somerset or BANES)
- works in one or more communities that have been impacted by the construction of Hinkley Point C, or you wish to support people in your community to take advantage of its opportunities.
- will improve your community wellbeing and quality of life through your work
Commissioner's Crime Prevention Fund
This fund is about creating safer communities. You can ask us for up to £5,000 if you work or volunteer for a Somerset-based group that wants to run a project:
- in a particular neighbourhood so that everyone benefits from reduced crime and antisocial behaviour, or
- for a specific group of people who are at higher risk of being the victims or perpetrators of crime and antisocial behaviour.
Apply now until Friday 30 September and we'll let you know if we can help you in November 2022.
High Sheriff of Somerset Charitable Trust
- is based in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary policing areas of Bristol, Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- gives young people (up to the age of 25) the opportunity to help combat crime and the cause of crime in their communities.
High Sheriff of Somerset Charitable Trust - Neighbourhood & PCSO Policing Fund
- is based in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary policing areas of Bristol, Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- can complement the work of Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) and Neighbourhood Constables within Neighbourhood Policing Teams
Oake Sunshine Fund
You can ask for a grant averaging £1,000 from here if your group:
- benefits the residents of Oake Parish in Somerset West and Taunton
What if you don't give me any money?
Our money is given out at the discretion of our trustees. That means there is no ‘entitlement’ to our grants in the same way there might be to some money that is given out by the Government.
We may not give you any money because you don’t meet the criteria of the fund, or because we don’t have enough money to award everyone a grant.
We’ll tell you why we’re not giving you any money, but there is no right of appeal.
A complaints process is available if you disagree with the way we run our grants service.
