House Project Centre

Quick Stats

• Annual Income: £153,517 (year ending March 2025)
• Annual Expenditure: £103,466
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Specific amounts not disclosed (example grant: £1,000)
• Geographic Focus: East Sussex coastal communities (Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven, Newhaven, and Denton)
• Projects Supported: 46 active community projects

Contact Details

Address: 9 Seaview Road, Peacehaven, BN10 8PX

Phone: 01273 589647

Email: jean.farmiloe@gmail.com

Alternative Locations:

• 168 South Coast Road, Peacehaven, East Sussex, BN10 8JH
• Charity shops in Saltdean and Peacehaven

Overview

The House Project Centre (registered charity 1100276) was established on 23 October 2003 and taken over by Joy and Harold De Souza in the same year. Operating as a charitable company in East Sussex, the organisation has evolved into a multi-faceted community resource centre. The charity currently supports 46 sustainable community projects across the East Sussex coastal corridor from Rottingdean to Denton, funded primarily through income generated from two successful charity shops in Saltdean and Peacehaven. With an annual income of approximately £153,000 and supported by 45 volunteers and 8 trustees, the House Project Centre combines direct service provision (including a food bank and community activities) with grant-making to local organisations. All services provided by the centre are free to beneficiaries, reflecting their commitment to accessible community support.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The House Project Centre does not operate formal grant programmes with published criteria or amounts. Funding is distributed to community projects at the discretion of the trustees, supported by income from their charity retail operations.

Known Grant Examples:

• £1,000 to Seaford Down's Syndrome and Special Needs Support Group (2018) - towards running costs

Priority Areas

The House Project Centre's charitable purposes and supported activities include:

• Community Development: Sustainable projects benefiting local East Sussex coastal communities
• Education and Training: Activities and courses for local residents
• Health Advancement: Supporting people with disabilities and elderly residents
• Poverty Relief: Operating a food bank serving the entire catchment area
• Social Groups and Activities: Tea dances, community events, volunteer opportunities
• Support for Local Organizations: Nursery groups, nursing homes, and other community organisations
• Arts, Culture and Recreation
• Human Rights

Beneficiary Groups:

• Children and young people
• Elderly people
• People with disabilities
• General public in the local area
• Families and individuals in need

What They Don't Fund

No explicit exclusions are publicly documented, though the charity's geographic focus is clearly limited to the East Sussex coastal communities from Rottingdean to Denton.

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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (8 total):

• Harold De Souza - Chair (took over the charity with his wife Joy in 2003)
• Reginald George Farmiloe - Trustee
• Faye Mason - Trustee
• Additional trustees not publicly named

The charity operates with robust governance policies including safeguarding, complaints handling, risk management, and volunteer management.

The House Project Centre operates two charity shops staffed by dedicated volunteer teams headed by volunteer managers, demonstrating a volunteer-driven operational model alongside trustee governance.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The House Project Centre does not have a public application process. Grants appear to be awarded at the discretion of the trustees, likely based on their knowledge of community needs and relationships within their operational area.

The charity makes grants to organisations and currently supports 46 community projects, but there is no advertised application portal, deadline schedule, or published criteria for funding requests.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the charity's local focus and hands-on approach to community support, organisations seeking funding from the House Project Centre should consider:

• Visit their charity shops: The House Project Centre operates charity shops in Saltdean and Peacehaven, staffed by volunteers. These locations may provide opportunities to learn more about the charity and make initial contact.

• Demonstrate local community benefit: The charity explicitly supports “sustainable projects that are beneficial to the local community” in their specific geographic area. Projects should clearly serve residents of Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven, Newhaven, or Denton.

• Contact via established channels: Direct contact through the provided email (jean.farmiloe@gmail.com) or phone number (01273 589647) may be the most appropriate way to make initial enquiries about potential support.

• Align with their existing supported areas: The charity supports nursery groups, nursing homes, activities for children/young people, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Projects in these areas may be more likely to receive consideration.

Decision Timeline

No information is publicly available about decision timelines. As grants appear to be awarded at trustee discretion rather than through formal application cycles, timing may vary significantly.

Success Rates

No public information available on application success rates or the volume of funding requests received.

Reapplication Policy

No information available on reapplication policies.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information about the House Project Centre's grant-making criteria and process, the following factors appear relevant based on their documented activities:

• Geographic alignment: Projects must clearly benefit residents in the East Sussex coastal communities of Rottingdean, Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven, Newhaven, and Denton.

• Sustainability: The charity describes the 46 projects they support as “sustainable,” suggesting they favour initiatives with long-term community benefit rather than one-off activities.

• Free service provision: The House Project Centre emphasises that “all services are provided free,” which may indicate preference for supporting organisations that make services accessible to those in need regardless of ability to pay.

• Support for vulnerable groups: Evidence shows support for organisations serving people with disabilities (such as the Seaford Down's Syndrome and Special Needs Support Group), suggesting alignment with serving vulnerable populations may be beneficial.

• Community infrastructure: The charity supports nursery groups, nursing homes, and other established community organisations, suggesting they may favour grants towards running costs of established services rather than new/experimental projects.

• Relationship-based decision-making: Without a formal application process, trustees likely fund organisations they know through their community involvement and charity shop operations. Building awareness of your work within the local community may be important.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This is not a funder you can apply to through a standard grant application. Grants are awarded at trustee discretion.

• Local focus is paramount: Geographic eligibility is tightly defined to six East Sussex coastal communities. Projects outside this area will not be supported.

• Small-scale, community-embedded funder: With annual expenditure around £103,000 and 46 projects supported, individual grant amounts are likely modest (the documented example was £1,000).

• Relationship-driven: Trustees Harold De Souza and colleagues appear to fund based on their direct knowledge of community needs. Visibility within the local community is likely more important than a compelling written application.

• Retail-funded grant-making: The charity's grant-making capacity depends on income from their two charity shops, meaning funding availability may fluctuate with retail performance.

• Hands-on community support model: The charity combines direct service delivery (food bank, community activities) with grant-making, suggesting trustees favour organisations with practical, direct community impact.

• Contact directly: If your organisation serves the target communities and aligns with their priorities, direct contact via phone or email is the appropriate first step rather than waiting for an application round.

References

1. Charity Commission - House Project Centre Full Print Record. Register of Charities. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4003387/full-print (Accessed: 29 December 2025)

1. East Sussex Community Information Service (ESCIS) - House Project Centre (HPC). https://www.escis.org.uk/advice-and-support/house-project-centre-hpc/ (Accessed: 29 December 2025)

1. East Sussex 1Space - House Project Centre. https://1space.eastsussex.gov.uk/Services/1956/House-Project-Centre (Accessed: 29 December 2025)

1. Seaford Down's Syndrome and Special Needs Support Group - “House Project Centre Donates £1,000” (27 November 2018). https://www.seaford-dssnsg.co.uk/2018/11/27/house-project-centre-donates-1000/ (Accessed: 29 December 2025)

1. OpenCharities - House Project Centre. http://opencharities.org/charities/1100276 (Accessed: 29 December 2025)