How to apply for the Community and Culture Project Fund Round 8

Follow the steps on this page to complete the application form.

Part 1 includes:

• short introduction
• eligibility checklist: you will be asked some questions to determine your eligibility to apply
• about your organisation
• about you
• project details
• beneficiaries
• finance
• evaluation

You will get an email and a link once you have completed part 1. You must click on the link and start part 2 of the form.

In part 2, you will upload your supporting documents and sign the declaration. You must then submit the form. Only then will your application be complete.

You need to create an account with us before you can apply.

To create an account:

1. Open the application form
2. Click the ‘Create an account’ button and provide an email, a password, and your name

After you've created an account, you can start part 1 of the form. 

We have summarised the questions in part 1 to help you prepare your answers.

Eligibility checklist

We will ask you some questions before you start to make sure that you are eligible to apply. If you are ineligible you will not be able to proceed and will be asked to contact us.

Organisation details

We will ask for details of:

• your organisation e.g. name, address, and contact details 
• your website (if you have one)
• social media
• when your organisation first set up
• what type of organisation you are
• the aims and objectives of your organisation and the activities or services it provides
• if you are applying for a partnership

About you

We will ask for:

• your name
• position in organisation
• address
• email
• preferred contact number

Project details

We will ask you:

• what is the working title of your your project
• how much are you requesting from Dorset Council?
• what is the start and end dates of your project
• for a brief outline of your project
• what do you hope to achieve with your project
• what evidence can you provide to show that your project is needed
• which Dorset Council priorities your project meets
• which of the council’s cultural strategy outcomes does your project meet (cultural applicants) only
• what is the postcode of the main venue where activity will take place
• have you spoken to your local councillor regarding your project

Beneficiaries  

We will ask you: 

• to provide us with an estimate as to how many people will participate in your project/activities
• which areas of Dorset council will benefit from your project
• which age groups will your project/activities focus on

Finance

We want to know some financial information about your organisation, the project you are seeking to deliver and a project budget.

We want to know: 

• does your organisation have a contract to deliver services on behalf of Dorset Council
• are you currently in receipt of a grant from Dorset Council
• how much will your project cost (expenditure)
• how much you have raised towards your project (income or grants) 
• what is your organisations annual income
• what level of “unrestricted” reserves does your organisation currently hold

Evaluation  

We will ask you:

• what methods will you use to evaluate how successful you’ve been in delivering the outcomes you selected earlier in your application

When you have completed part 1 of your application, click the 'submit' button. You will then receive a confirmation email with a link to return to the form and complete part 2.

You need to upload supporting documents once you’ve completed part 1 of the form. You also need to sign the declaration.

Make sure you have all documents ready to upload. Do not leave uploading documents until the last minute before the fund closes.

Documents must:

• be less than 3MB in size
• be uploaded into the form, not emailed to us

The documents you need to provide are:

• brief project plan
• copy of your organisations governing document; set of rules; or constitution
• copy of your Asset Lock statement (CIC’s only) or charitable objectives 
• copy of your Public Liability Insurance 
• copy of your Employers Liability Insurance (if appropriate) 
• copies of your organisations latest set of approved or verified accounts (last 12 months)  
• copies of your last 3 bank statements (within last 3 months) clearly showing name of your organisation, account number and sort code. 
• copy of your GDPR policy 
• copy of your Safeguarding policy 
• copy of your Equality & Diversity policy 
• copy of your Environmental policy or statement
• if you are a new organisation (less than 12 months old) we will only require copies of your last 3 bank statements, bank account, safeguarding policy, and insurance. We may require you to provide more information if you are successful

When you have all your documents and any supporting information ready, upload your files and click 'submit'.

We will email you with:

• confirmation that we’ve got your application
• an 8 digit reference number
• a PDF copy of your application
• details of what happens next

You will not be able to access the form, change or edit your application once submitted.

You can save your work on the form at any time.

Click 'save' and you’ll get an email with a link to access your saved application form. To return to your form you must click on the latest email you have received and this must be the email address you have used in the application form. 

If you take a break or leave the page, save your work first so you don't lose it.

If you press the ‘cancel’ button and opt to leave or navigate away from the form without saving, you will lose your work.

Once you start your application, you can stay in the form for up to 6 hours without saving, before it times out.

If you want to start and complete the form in a single session without saving, you have 6 hours to complete part 1, and another 6 hours when you start part 2.

If you forget your password, go to the login page and click the 'forgotten your password?' link underneath the 'sign in' button. Follow the instructions to reset your password. A new password will be emailed to you.

Now that you have read the guidance on how to apply, you can start your online application.

Start now

If you have a query about completing the application form, email communities@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and we'll get back to you.