The 2025 Community Grant funding round has again attracted a high number of requests from a range of community groups, leaving Councillors with difficult decisions to make on allocating the budget available. In the current round of grant applications, 24 organisations applied for funding totalling over £129,500. At the Full Council meeting on 2nd June 2025, town councillors allocated £31,000 of funding to 15 local organisations including Totnes Caring, Citizens’ Advice, Stepping Stones, Sasha, Jamming Station, the Bowls Club and the 3rd Totnes Sea Scouts as well as support for the three festivals taking place in the town this summer. In addition, the Town Council agreed to allocate £30,000 from earmarked reserves to ensure that the Totnes Skatepark can be delivered. Priority was given to projects that help to address core town needs as identified in the Town Council’s current strategic plan, supporting the community, the economy, and the local environment.
Totnes Town Council Clerk, Catherine Marlton, said: “Once again, the number of applications received exceed the amount of grant funding available, demonstrating how much work is done and being planned by our community groups in the town. The agreed budget this year was £30,000 which was slightly increased to £31,000, plus the allocation of £30,000 from earmarked reserve to help deliver the Totnes Skatepark. Of the grants awarded, we were able to provide just under a third of the funding requested. Very few applicants received 100 percent of the funding that they were looking for and we’re conscious that a number of groups received no funding at all. We know that this is disappointing and we try to offer year-round support to a range of different groups by highlighting the wider grant opportunities available on the Town Council website. This information is updated each week and also has links to funding opportunities on the South Hams District Council and Devon County Council websites so is well worth checking.”
The following projects have been awarded a 2025 Totnes Town Council Community Grant:
- Bridgetown Alive – Sky Rise Festival 2025 – awarded £1,500 (37.5% of amount requested)
- Totnes Heritage Trust – Totnes Heritage Festival – awarded £600 (100% of amount requested)
- Stepping Stones – Food and Wellbeing – awarded £5,000 (25.25% of amount requested)
- Totnes Caring – Volunteer transport service – awarded £5,000 (75% of amount requested)
- Fusion – Warm Spaces Bouncy Fun (Oct 25-Feb 26) – awarded £1,500 (67.2% of amount requested)
- 3rd Totnes Sea Scouts – Updating equipment and facilities – awarded £2,000 (66.6% of amount requested)
- SASHA – Running costs – awarded £1,000 (100% of amount requested)
- Totnes Bowls Club – clubhouse refurbishment & provision of equipment for new bowlers – awarded £1,000 (50% of amount requested subject to further information)
- Bike Hub – Tea and Tinkering Sep 25 – Feb 26 – awarded £1,600 (100% of amount requested)
- Fringe Festival – Totnes Fringe Festival 2025 – awarded £1,500 (50% of the amount requested
- Resilient Lives – Pizza Pirates – awarded £1,500 (100% of amount requested)
- Citizens Advice South Hams – community outreach in Totnes – awarded £5,000 (52.5% of amount requested)
- Jamming Station – Next Wave Music and mentorship for young adults – awarded £3,800 (38% of amount requested)
- Totnes Skatepark Community – Totnes Skatepark – awarded £30,000 (100% of amount requested, taken from earmarked reserve)
Community groups were invited to apply for a grant during April 2025. Unfortunately, not all applications received the funding requested because the Community Grants were so oversubscribed. In 2024, 15 local community groups received a total of £42,547 in Town Council grant support.
If you’d like to find out more, go to www.totnestowncouncil.gov.uk email: reception@totnestowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01803 862147.