Waterside Community Fund

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £367,971 (expenditure FY 2023-24)
• Total Income: £445,424 (FY 2023-24)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly specified
• Grant Range: Not publicly specified for organisations
• Geographic Focus: Hythe, Dibden, Fawley, and Marchwood (Hampshire)

Contact Details

Address: 7 Drummond Court, Prospect Place, Hythe, Southampton SO45 6HD

Phone: 023 8084 1305

Email: enquiries@watersidecommunityfund.org.uk (or adminoffice@watersidecommunityfund.org.uk)

Website: www.watersidecommunityfund.org.uk

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 9:30am - 12:30pm (open to public)

Pre-Application Contact: Organisations are encouraged to discuss their application with the Clerk to avoid duplication of services and to ensure that the information being presented to the Trustees is both appropriate and complete.

Overview

The Waterside Community Fund (also known as Dibden Allotments Fund) is a long-established local charity registered on 10 May 1968 (Charity Number 255778). The charity serves the communities of Hythe, Dibden, Fawley, and Marchwood in Hampshire. With an annual income of £445,424 and expenditure of £367,971 in the 2023-24 financial year, the charity provides grants to both individuals and organisations. The fund's mission is to relieve hardship and distress among residents of the Waterside area through grant-making, providing services, and facilitating access to essential support. The charity operates four distinct grant programmes and collaborates with local organisations that share their commitment to improving community members' lives.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Grants to Individuals:

• General hardship grants (vouchers for food, clothes, household items, or white goods/furniture delivered via local suppliers)
• Shoe Vouchers Scheme (for children and elderly, distributed through schools and elderly organisations)
• Garden Support Scheme (March-November, assisting elderly and disabled with essential garden maintenance)
• £1 individual grants typically limited to one per year per applicant

Grants to Organisations:

• Must support individuals living within the Hythe, Dibden, Fawley & Marchwood parishes
• “Pump prime” funding approach - typically does not provide ongoing support for periods longer than three years
• Specific grant amounts not publicly specified

Priority Areas

The charity supports:

• Relief of need, hardship, and distress
• General charitable purposes
• Education and training
• Health and saving of lives
• Disability support
• Prevention or relief of poverty
• Amateur sport
• Children, young people, and elderly
• People with disabilities
• Other charitable purposes

What They Don't Fund

• Grants will not be awarded to a church or other religious group to promote religion, fund religious activities, or support activities only available to members of the church or religious group
• Ongoing organisational support beyond three years (in most cases)
• Organisations operating outside the Waterside area
• Organisations not supporting individuals within the specified parishes

Ready to write a winning application for Waterside Community Fund?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

The charity has 9 trustees (as of 2024), including:

• Ian Anthony Wheeler
• Suzanne Elizabeth Kellett
• Christopher Harrison
• Daniel Poole (also trustee of Six Villages Together)

The charity has no employees with total benefits over £60,000, and no trustees receive remuneration.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For Organisations:

Organisations wishing to apply must be operating within the Waterside area and supporting individuals living within the Parishes of Hythe, Dibden, Fawley & Marchwood. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the Clerk prior to submission to avoid duplication of services and to ensure the information presented to Trustees is appropriate and complete.

Contact Method: Email enquiries@watersidecommunityfund.org.uk or call 023 8084 1305 to discuss your application and obtain the application form.

For Individuals:

Complete an application form (available online or as PDF download) with details about yourself, your family, current income and expenditure, and what you need the grant for and why. Supporting statements from professionals (health or social worker, midwife, teacher) are helpful but not mandatory.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly specified. Contact the office for information about current processing times.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

For individuals: It would be unusual to receive more than a single grant in any one year.

For organisations: The fund aims to “pump prime” rather than commit to ongoing support, and would not normally provide ongoing support for periods longer than three years.

Application Success Factors

Based on the charity's stated approach, successful applications will likely demonstrate:

1. Clear local benefit: Organisations must demonstrate they are operating within the Waterside area and supporting individuals living within the specified parishes

1. Avoiding duplication: Pre-application discussion with the Clerk is encouraged to ensure no duplication of services - this suggests the charity values coordination with existing provision

1. Short-term project focus: The “pump prime” approach indicates preference for time-limited projects or initiatives that will become self-sustaining, rather than requests for ongoing operational support

1. Alignment with relief of hardship: Applications should clearly demonstrate how the funding will relieve need, hardship, or distress among Waterside residents

1. Professional support (for individuals): While not mandatory, supporting statements from professionals strengthen individual applications

1. Complete information: The charity emphasizes ensuring information presented to Trustees is “appropriate and complete” - thoroughness matters

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Local focus is paramount: Your organisation must operate within Hythe, Dibden, Fawley, or Marchwood and serve residents of these parishes
• Pre-application discussion strongly recommended: Contact the Clerk before applying to ensure your project fits their criteria and doesn't duplicate existing services
• Think “pump priming” not ongoing support: Frame your application around time-limited projects or initiatives that create lasting impact rather than requesting multi-year operational funding
• Office accessibility: Take advantage of their Tuesday and Thursday morning office hours if you need to discuss your application in person
• Religious activities excluded: Ensure your project is not promoting religion or exclusively serving religious group members
• Small charity, local reach: With annual expenditure of £368k serving a specific geographic area, this is an accessible funder for grassroots community organisations
• Relationship-building opportunity: The emphasis on pre-application discussion suggests they value personal contact and understanding applicants' work

References

• Waterside Community Fund official website: https://www.watersidecommunityfund.org.uk/
• Charity Commission register entry for Waterside Community Fund (Charity Number 255778): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/255778
• Grants to Individuals page: https://www.watersidecommunityfund.org.uk/grants-to-individuals/
• Contact details and office hours from charity website and Charity Commission records