Discover Brightwater Partnership Community Grants Programme
County Durham Community Foundation
County Durham Community Foundation is an independent grant-making foundation. We work with individuals, families and local businesses who want to put something back into their community, either in their lifetime, or through leaving a legacy.
The Brightwater Landscape Project is a National Heritage Lottery Fund supported project that aims to reveal, restore and celebrate the heritage of the Bright Water area. This includes its built, natural and cultural heritage. Bright Water refers to the land that surrounds the River Skerne and its tributary burns: Fishburn, Bishop Middleham, Sedgefield, Mordon, Newton Aycliffe, Heighington, Aycliffe Village, Houghton-le-Side, Walworth, Barmpton and surrounding areas, as well as parts of Darlington.
The Discover Brightwater Partnership community grants programme aims to support local organisations and projects to achieve lasting impact in their community, continue and expand their work and run projects that help people enjoy all the Brightwater area has to offer.
Community Grants will be available for groups and organisations to:
- Strengthen their organisation; this could be through training or support your organisation needs to grow or become more sustainable, equipment that would make a lasting difference to the work your group undertakes.
- Run additional activities; these could be activities that help attract new members to your group or special events that encourage visitors or local residents to explore the Brightwater area.
- Celebrate the Brightwater; your group may have ideas for activities that help more people connect with the Brightwater area’s culture or natural environment.
What type of funding can you apply for? • Purchase of capital items, materials, equipment • coaching or training activity sessional costs (we would expect reasonable hourly rates), • capacity building activity, • transport costs, • publicity costs, • overhead/core costs related to a specific project.
Groups must:
- be based within the Brightwater area
- be rooted in, and engaging with, the community (for example through being led by a volunteer committee, providing volunteering opportunities, having open membership, proactively trying to engage new members)
When to apply? The second and final round of community Grants will be available from October 2021. There is no closing date, we will aim to have a decision for you within six weeks of receiving your application. The Grants will be open until all of the funds have been given out.
The following groups can apply to the Community Grants Programme: • Charities or trusts • Community or voluntary groups • Community / parish councils • Community Interest Companies • Social enterprises • Other not for profit organisations or partnerships led by not for profit organisations.
The programme will not directly support the following activities: • Retail, food and drink projects • Renewable energy schemes • Activities delivered outside the Brightwater area.
Grants of £750 to £5,000 are available.
What we cannot fund: • unspecified contributions to general fund-raising appeals or large projects, • for profit or commercial elements of charitable organisations, • capital items for general office or company resourcing (non-project), • public bodies to carry out their statutory obligations, • direct replacement of statutory or public funding, • party political activity and campaigning, • contingency funding, • refreshments or food, • building or buying premises or land rights, • projects that solely support animal welfare, • purchase of vehicles (running costs will be considered), • feasibility studies or initial community consultations, • fundraising activities, • deficit or retrospective funding, • sponsored events, multiple trophies or prizes, • general running or core costs, except as a proportionate contribution to a project, • CIC start-ups • wholly grant-maintained CICs • profit making or business ventures, including start-up costs • activities that are primarily about proselytization or supporting worship activities (faith organisations may apply for funding towards a project/activity that is open to the whole community and has wider social benefits)
We do not normally fund: • national or regional charities, although we can support local branches of national charities if they are financially independent and locally managed. • salaries through Community Grants but it may be considered by some of our other programmes (please check the specific programme criteria), • organisations whose free reserves include more than 12 months of running costs, • medical research and equipment, • organisations that do not have their own bank account (in exceptional circumstances and through prior agreement with CDCF a group may nominate an organisation to hold the funding on their behalf).