EDC Project Fund for Strength and Sustainability

The EDC Project Fund for Strength and Sustainability is part of a wider partnership project called the EDC Project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for three years from April 2024 to March 2027. The Fund supports community groups that represent and support ethnically diverse communities in the BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) area. The project is delivered by a partnership of local agencies including Community Action Network (CAN), Dorset Community Foundation, Dorset Race Equality Council (DREC), and BCP Council. The fund awards grants of up to £3,000 for training, consultation, technology, or projects that will strengthen governance, sustainability, and skills. The funding programme has been co-designed with groups already engaged with the EDC Project and aims to distribute £40,000 per year for each of the three years. This is an invitation-only funding programme available exclusively to groups that are actively engaging with a Capacity Building Officer at CAN. The EDC Project aims to provide support for local groups led by people from ethnically diverse communities to maximize the success of long-term delivery of their activities, helping groups become more sustainable, have strong governance, be better able to apply for grants, and run as efficiently as possible.