Frome groups and organisations can now apply for one community grant round per year as part of a new change by Frome Town Council.
There will now be one grants round per year, in the autumn, with a new ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) phase before the application process. The EOI phase is open now until 31st July.
Following the EOI phase, Frome Town Council will invite full applications from organisations whose projects best meet the grants criteria and the council’s five priorities for 2025-27: grow community wellbeing; support a thriving town; cultivate environmental sustainability; improve assets and infrastructure and be a bold and effective town council.
In addition, each year Frome Town Council will set preferred themes for the grants round in that year. For 2026, the themes are: engaging young people not in employment, education or training (NEETS); intergenerational projects or projects for older people; and community cohesion or bridging divides.
Projects that do not address these themes are still eligible to send an EOI but may not be prioritised in the event of oversubscription.
Chair of Frome Town Council’s grants committee, Cllr Philip Campagna, said, “Every year the grants committee is inspired by the fantastic organisations who apply for funding. And every year we have to say no to some of them, not because their projects aren’t worth funding but simply because the money runs out, or there are similar projects competing for the same funds. This is frustrating for applicants and (less importantly) for the committee. There will always be more great projects than there is money, but this new process is designed to streamline and improve the experience and provide organisations with tailored support to develop their applications. We think this will offer greater transparency and ensure the admin time spent by hard-working voluntary organisations is well spent.”
Grants process dates 2026
Wednesday 1st July, Expression of Interest stage opens; Friday 31st July 9am, deadline to submit an EOI; Monday 10th August, invitations to make a full application’ Opportunities for support throughout August/early September; Wednesday 16th September 9am, deadline to submit a full application; Wednesday 4th November 7pm, Grants Committee meeting.
The Young Opinions Unite (YOU) panel will operate again in 2026, via a separate process designed by Year 8 students, to be recruited later in 2026. The YOU panel will fund projects supporting children and young people in Frome.
The Community Grants programme runs alongside a wider offer of support from the town council, such as training, fundraising advice and regular networking events. Find out more at https://tinyurl.com/ftc-organisation-support.
Pictured: The Pod’s pop-up cafe, recipients of a grant in February
