Open Call: Festive Fund for Somerset (United Kingdom)

Somerset Community Foundation’s Festive Fund for Somerset provides grants of up to £500 to eligible charities, community groups, sports clubs, and social enterprises. The funding supports food and/or festive activities between December and January to help reduce loneliness and isolation. The application deadline is Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 5pm. Opportunity at a Glance

- Funding organisation: Somerset Community Foundation

- Opportunity name: Festive Fund for Somerset

- Grant size: Up to £500

- Total funding available: Around £20,000

- Eligible applicants: Charities, community groups, sports clubs, and social enterprises (with required governance and safeguarding standards)

- Eligible location: Somerset County (but not North Somerset or BANES)

- Purpose: Food and/or festive activities to reduce loneliness and isolation

- Project activity timeframe: Between December 2026 and January 2027

- Application opening date: Monday 29 September 2026

- Application deadline: Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 5pm

- Decision timeline: Applicants will be notified of outcomes by mid-November

- Expected payment timing (if successful): Late November / early December (bank transfer)

About the Opportunity

The Festive Fund for Somerset aims to support community groups that help people feel less alone during the festive season. It specifically seeks to reduce loneliness and isolation by funding the cost of food and/or festive activities carried out between December 2026 and January 2027. The fund is intended for groups that bring people together and spread warmth and cheer through planned community activities. Funding and Benefits

- Maximum grant: Up to £500 per successful applicant.

- Indicative total pot: Around £20,000 for this year.

- Estimated number of grants: Funding is available for up to 40 groups (approximately).

- What the grant can cover: Costs of food and/or festive activities for isolated people during the eligible period.

Payment and spending requirements (if successful): - Grants will be paid directly to the group by bank transfer in late November/early December (if possible). - Successful applicants must spend the grant and provide feedback on how the activity went and how it helped people by end of January 2027. - Further reporting details are said to be provided if you are successful. Who Is Eligible? Somerset Community Foundation states it can only consider groups that meet all of the following conditions: Geographic and organisational requirements - Your group must be based in the county of Somerset, but excluding North Somerset and BANES. - Your group must exist to support your community and must not make a profit for any directors, members, or shareholders.

- Your group must have:

- A governing document or set of rules - A committee of at least three unrelated people - A bank account in its name - A safeguarding policy that meets the fund’s requirements (see their FAQs for groups for more information) What the activity must do - The group must want to provide food and/or festive activities for isolated people between December 2026 and January 2027. Types of groups usually able to apply - Charities, community groups, sports clubs, and social enterprises can usually apply, provided they meet the requirements above. If you don’t meet the standards If you do not currently have the required governance and safeguarding arrangements, the source notes that Spark Somerset may be able to help you put them in place. It also notes that you could speak to another group or a local parish or town council that could manage the grant application for you. Eligible Activities or Priority Areas

The fund supports activities that:

- Bring people together during the festive season. - Use grant money for food and/or festive activities. - Target isolated people to reduce loneliness and isolation. In addition, when assessing likelihood of funding (not as formal eligibility criteria), the fund indicates it may be more likely to fund groups that: - Are based in more disadvantaged communities (using the Index of Multiple Deprivation). - Work with older people or other groups facing greater challenges (including people with disabilities or conditions like dementia). - Actively work with other groups locally to ensure wider community benefit. - Have not received money from the foundation in the last year. Why This Opportunity Matters Festive periods can increase social isolation for some people. This grant is designed to support community-led responses by funding practical, time-bound costs—specifically food and festive activities—during December 2026 and January 2027. It is also structured to reach underserved areas in Somerset through the funder’s stated considerations around disadvantage and community collaboration. How to Apply - Wait for the programme to open: The fund opens for applications on Monday 21 September 2026. - Apply online using the application form when it opens. The source indicates you can begin the application by clicking the online Apply Now button on the programme page.

- Use the form tools: You can save progress and resume later using the “Save my progress and resume later” option at the start of the form.

- Attach supporting documents at the end of the application form (the source notes attachments are possible at the end of the form).

- Submit the form: Click Submit at the bottom to send your completed application.

- If you cannot use the online form or attachments: Contact the funding programme manager to arrange another way of applying if needed.

Application deadline: Wednesday 28 October 2026 at 5pm.

Official application link: Use the “Apply Now” button on the Somerset Community Foundation opportunity page: Festive Fund for Somerset – Somerset Community Foundation Application Tips or Common Mistakes

- Plan timing: Ensure your activities run between December 2026 and January 2027 and that you can meet the end-of-January 2027 feedback requirement.

- Stay within allowed uses: The fund is for foo