DWM – aims

Doing What Matters logo

Strategic aim

In line with DCC’s strategic priorities and challenges, the focus of the 2019/20 Doing What Matters Community Grant Fund is connecting people in a positive, fulfilling and inclusive way; tackling and reducing loneliness and undesired isolation in all their forms and across all age groups.

The Council intends the fund to be utilised for bids which help:

  • to build relationships and connections locally, across all age groups
  • people become more physically active
  • people take notice of their local environment
  • to develop opportunities for culture, creativity or learning
  • to support giving across local people and communities, including volunteering
  • to make people feel safer locally

Who can apply?

This grant is open to legally constituted and registered as a not-for-private-profit organisations who are seeking funds for a new project over and above their existing business as usual activity. This includes voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE), town and parish councils, charities and businesses. Applications can be made by a combination of these groups working together.

To be eligible to apply the organisation or business must:

  • propose a new project which actively supports the strategic aim as outlined above
  • operate predominantly in Devon which means that the majority of the organisation’s current and future service delivery is undertaken in Devon
  • be a medium (50 – 250 employees), small (10 – 49 employees) or micro (under 10 employees) enterprise (exemptions include local authorities health/police authority who can apply on behalf of a community group)
  • be able to produce audited accounts for the last 2 years
  • propose a new project running for a maximum of 12 months
  • have match funding (the total cost of the new project excluding the grant) in place at full application
  • have new project beneficiaries (minimum 75%)  inside the DCC administrative area
  • comply with all publicity requirements as outlined in their grant fund agreement

How long does the grants fund run for?

There is no deadline set by which projects must be delivered, however, all project costs must be incurred within 12 months.

To measure the success of the projects that arise from Doing What Matters, the programme intends to use the Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale.

All of the projects which are part-funded by this grant scheme and provide openly accessible services to the public will be required to sign up to Pinpoint Devon.