Dorset Council Grants of up to £25,000: Apply by 10 January

Community groups in Dorset have two months left to bid for building grants of between £1,000 and £25,000. Dorset Council’s Capital Leverage Fund closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 10 January 2027.

The council reminded groups about the deadline on 10 November. The pot is small: £155,000 for the whole of 2026/27. That is enough for six grants at the full £25,000, and the council says it expects demand to be “very high” and may award less than groups ask for.

What the money pays for

The fund is for buildings and spaces, not running costs. The council’s fund page lists:

• renovating, maintaining or building village halls and community buildings
• car parks, play areas, multi-use games areas, pitches and landscaping
• new public art
• work that improves access and inclusion, or cuts a building’s environmental impact
• feasibility studies or early design work, up to £15,000
• project management, up to 10% of the grant and no more than £2,500

The 80% catch

A grant covers no more than 20% of a project’s total cost. The other 80% has to be in place before the council releases any money, and it must come from outside the organisation. A group cannot match the grant with its own reserves alone, or with other Dorset Council money.

So a hall that wants the full £25,000 needs a project of at least £125,000 and £100,000 raised from elsewhere.

Who can apply

Not-for-profit groups in the Dorset Council area with a turnover under £1 million can bid. That includes:

• charities and charitable incorporated organisations
• parish councils (town councils only as part of a partnership)
• community amateur sports clubs and community sports facilities
• churches and faith groups, for community use of a building and not to promote religious beliefs
• accredited museums, heritage and arts organisations
• community interest companies limited by guarantee

Groups that lease their building need at least ten years left on the lease.

Some cannot apply at all:

• organisations less than 12 months old
• schools, colleges and most nurseries
• hospitals and hospices
• private businesses and individuals
• anyone in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, which have their own council

The fund also will not pay for vehicles, speed indicator signs, lawnmowers, computers or the restoration of memorials.

What it did in Worth Matravers

Worth Matravers Village Hall, in the Purbeck village about four miles west of Swanage, is the council’s example of a past award. The hall combined the grant with other grants, donations and its own fundraising. The council says the work covered damp proofing, new windows, new electrics, better facilities, redecoration and new curtains.

Cllr Matt Bell, the council’s cabinet member for public health, prevention and communities, said: “Community buildings and spaces play a vital role in bringing people together, supporting wellbeing and helping communities thrive.”

He added: “If you’re thinking about applying, don’t leave it until the last minute.”

What it means for you

If you run a hall, a club or a community building with a project in mind, the timetable is:

Bids go through the council’s online form only. Read the application guidance first, because the questions and the documents you need are listed there.

One unusual line in the guidance: the council asks that answers are written in the group’s own voice and are not AI-generated.

Help is available:

• the Digital Dorset Hotline, 01305 221048, 10am to midday on weekdays, for help with the online form
• Volunteer Centre Dorset, 01305 269214, for help with a group’s governance and policies

Decisions by the grants panel are final and there is no appeal. A group that is turned down can ask for its bid to be held over to a later round.

Arts and heritage groups may also want our report on Dorset Council’s revenue culture fund, which runs separately.