A total of 17 voluntary organisations including Prama Life and Wimborne and District Community Association are to receive funding from Dorset Council from 1 April this year to 31 March 2024.

Arts and cultural organisations that are set to benefit from the new fund were announced earlier this year.

Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council portfolio holder for Customer and Community Services said, “I’m delighted Dorset Council is able to offer this support to some of the county’s cultural, voluntary and community organisations, despite pressure on our budgets, as we know they play such a key part in the health, wellbeing and learning of so many people.”

The Organisational Revenue Support Fund is the first of three new rounds of discretionary and small project funds being launched as the council streamlines its approach to funding following local government reorganisation in Dorset.

The grant budget for social, voluntary and community organisations this financial year is £100,000 and a substantial number of applications were submitted totalling £482,000.

The grant panel assessed the applications and recipients were informed of the outcome before Christmas.

Applications were assessed against how organisations supported marginalised and under-served communities along with social outcomes aligned to the council’s priorities listed in the Dorset Council Plan.