Closed for applications
Investing in community projects
We offer funding calls for:
- Community-led projects: Open to all community organisations, regardless of research experience. You can propose projects you want to study, review, or trial, based on what matters most to your community.
- Priority topics: Sometimes, calls focus on specific themes identified by our funders.
Grant funding call
The recent call for second-round funding opened in late March 2026 and closed in late April 2026. Grants of up to £2,500 were available to support local, community-led projects that explore or improve the building blocks of health; or projects based in Somerset that align with one of our priority themes: housing and place, economic inactivity, or children and young people.
1. Community-led projects
Everything around us shapes our health and how long we live. From our jobs and homes to public transport and access to healthy food, our surroundings play a big role. Factors like poverty, loneliness, or discrimination can make it harder to stay healthy. These influences are known as the Building Blocks of Health.
The illustration above is a visual representation of the Building Blocks of Health, showing key factors that influence wellbeing in Somerset. Each block symbolises a foundational element contributing to overall health.
2. Somerset HDRC priority themes
Somerset HDRC priority themes will be announced in the next call. The most recent priority themes include:
- Housing and Place (including the Environment)
- Economic Inactivity for working-age adults
- Children and Young People (focusing on early attachment from 0-2 years old and educational attainment and belonging for 12+ years)
- New and emerging theme: community-identified research
Online drop-in sessions
Future online drop-in sessions will be announced later this year prior to a new grants call.
Somerset council grants privacy notice
Learn how Somerset Council collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you apply for, receive, or manage grant funding, and understand your privacy rights.