Dorset Community Action

Registered charity 1060910 · since 1997dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk·Dorset·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£78,470

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

£450 to £19,500

Grant range

From the annual report's grant list

£8,000

Typical grant (median)

9 published grants

Key takeaways

Its stated priority is Dorset, and its work centres on community projects, training and third-sector development, so local groups doing that kind of work are the best fit.
Its typical grants fall between £450 and £19,500, with a median of £8,000, so a modest, well-costed request sits within the usual range.
No application process is published, so contact the charity first to ask whether a scheme is open and how it works.
Its grant schemes are partner-funded, with procedures agreed with funders whose representatives take an active part in decisions, so building a relationship with the charity may matter.
No exclusions are stated, so the information here does not rule any group out.

Overview

Dorset Community Action is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1060910).

Dorset Community Action is a charity that aims to encourage and support communities in Dorset to take action that improves people's lives, particularly those most disadvantaged. It works by bringing people together to develop community-based solutions, and it supports communities and voluntary organisations through advice, training and development work. In the year it reported, it paid out £78,470 in grants.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Dorset Community Action describes its role as bringing people together to develop community-based solutions that enhance services and strengthen Dorset. It highlights practical community projects, training and third-sector development, and provides guidance, resources and training for volunteers managing community spaces. Its reported grant schemes are partner-funded: procedures and limits are agreed with the funders, whose representatives take an active part in decisions. The grants listed went to a mixed range of recipients: a limited company, a parish church, a parent-teacher association, a football club, a community interest company, exercise and sewing classes, a yoga class and a youth club.

Geographic Focus

Priority: Dorset.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Partner representatives take an active role in grant decisions.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Dorset

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Dorset Community Action.

Dorset Community FoundationMixed deadlinesGave £1.7M Devon Communities TogetherMixed deadlinesGave £99,300 The Dorset Health TrustRollingGave £211k Action HampshireRollingGave £204k Talbot Village TrustMixed deadlinesGave £389k The Alice Ellen Cooper-Dean Charitable FoundationRollingGave £956k The Dorset Children's FoundationRolling The Valentine Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £1.1M Blandford Forum Parish ChurchNo public process Viscount Amory's Charitable TrustRollingGave £474k

Grants

9 published grants analysed · median £8,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 9 grants in year to 31 March 2025 by size

Under £1k11%

£1k–£2.5k0%

£2.5k–£5k22%

£5k–£10k22%

£10k–£25k44%

Median £8,000 (year to 31 March 2025)

The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:

Houseworks Dorset Ltd
£19,500year to 31 March 2025
St Francis of Assisi Littlemoor PCC
£17,470year to 31 March 2025
Bincombe Valley PTFA
£11,850year to 31 March 2025
Ridgeway Football Club
£10,250year to 31 March 2025
NEST Weymouth CIC
£8,000year to 31 March 2025
Nicola Derrick Exercise Class
£5,280year to 31 March 2025
Sasha Fancy Sewing Class
£3,070year to 31 March 2025
Yoga with Caroline
£2,600year to 31 March 2025

Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£623,051	£598,884	£2,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£719,209	£658,830	£38,232	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£580,778	£606,856	£18,230	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£561,167	£562,303	£40,861	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£665,640	£655,100	£78,470	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£2,000 grants

YE 2022

£38,232 grants

YE 2023

£18,230 grants

YE 2024

£40,861 grants

YE 2025

£78,470 paid

Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2021; year to 31 March 2022; year to 31 March 2023; year to 31 March 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants paid out in the year.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.