Devon Community Foundation
Established in 1996, Devon Community Foundation is a unique organisation, privileged to be working alongside people who are motivated by wanting to make a difference across Devon. We use our knowledge of local needs and the voluntary sector to manage high impact distribution of funds designed to achieve sustainable outcomes, awarding financial support on behalf of our Fund holders and donors, which enable local people to achieve inspiring change in their communities. The Foundation provides a flexible and personal way for individuals and organisations to invest in local projects, helping to ensure Devon’s communities thrive. The Foundation’s philanthropy advice and grant making services are quality assured through UK Community Foundations and endorsed by the Charity Commission.
Overview
Total reviews: 13
Median 4.5 hours
Latest Reviews
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
Read all information before starting the application to make sure you meet their eligibility criteria and that you have all the supporting documents needed. If you have any questions, give them a call, they are happy to help.
Pros
Gives more than money
Culturally sensitive
Friendly
Builds relationships
Likes site visits
Understands nonprofits and issues
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
Responded to questions asked, providing advice. The application form was straightforward, although limited word counts on some questions restricted being able to include detailed responses.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
We are a small, rural community, and appreciated the opportunity to apply for funding to support our Village Hall and community events
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Supporting small, rural groups and communities
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Quicker decisions for smaller grants
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate the value that small, rural organisations can play in supporting their local communities, helping to encourage thriving ones and are pleased to have been able to support your application.
Meeting eligibility criteria and providing supporting documents are essential as the first step in ensuring that funding applications are not rejected so thank you for pointing this out as a piece of advice for others.
We have chosen to restrict the word count on some of the application questions in order to encourage applicants to provide succinct and focussed responses to the question. We do appreciate that organisation and project sizes differ, which may restrict responses but please be assured that if we think additional information will benefit the application our assessors will be in touch with the applicant to ask specific questions or have a general chat about the application.
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
I would suggest that they review the funder's guidelines, first, and if they fit, to apply. I would also mention that the funder is really good at responding to queries, and as a current grantee, this makes it so much easier for us to share information with the funder. I would fully recommend them as a funder.
Pros
Culturally sensitive
Friendly
Builds relationships
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
They are really good at responding to queries.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Responding to any queries we have had, and also showing a genuine interest in what is happening within our charity.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I think you are doing a really good job of communicating with grantees and also when we were applicants. Please keep doing this as it makes it so much easier for us as a charity.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Is there anything else that's be useful for others to know to understand this funder?
I think others need to be sure to follow the guidelines, and to read through the application process carefully. The application form is very detailed and although it takes some time to complete, the end result gives the funder a much greater understanding of the charity's needs.
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased to hear that we are communicating well with our grantees. Building relationships is very important in helping us to understand the challenges facing organisations and communities across Devon and providing opportunities for us to learn through our grant making. We like to think that grantees, and potential grantees, will contact us with any questions they may have and are always happy to respond to email or telephone communications. We appreciate that for smaller organisations, who are less likely to have experienced bid writers, the application process may be a daunting one, but we are here to help.
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
I am really grateful to be given a grant which 100% helped my child. However the application process was the worst I’ve ever had to do. It took days of backwards and forwards with information, I needed two professionals who also kept receiving emails asking for more details. Sometimes we all received the same email when only one of us needed to fill it in. In the end the two professionals said never again!!
Pros
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
I was told I could apply for a2nd time! Which was nice!
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Make the application process much more easier!
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. It is good to hear that the funding received has made a difference to your child. We are sorry to hear that your experience of applying for an individual grant proved time consuming for you and was not as straightforward as you would have liked. For all eligible applications we receive we have to ensure that we undertake due diligence checks and have an audit trail of required documents and information to satisfy our obligations as a charitable organisation and a grant funder. For individual funding applications this does mean that appropriate information is required from an independent referee, together with quotes for payment of the grant where necessary. Funding decisions are made by an independent community panel, not by DCF, so we work with our applicants in order to present as strong an application as possible to our panels for consideration. As a result, this may mean that we contact applicants for further information but the reason for doing so is to try and eliminate the possibility of the application being rejected by the panel. We do now provide Guidance Notes, issued with an invitation to submit a Stage 2 application, in which we do advise that as much information is provided within the application as possible, but we will still contact an applicant if we feel additional information would make for a stronger application.
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
Read all information before starting the application to make sure you meet their eligibility criteria and that you have all the supporting documents needed. If you have any questions, give them a call, they are happy to help.
Pros
Gives more than money
Culturally sensitive
Friendly
Builds relationships
Likes site visits
Understands nonprofits and issues
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
Responded to questions asked, providing advice. The application form was straightforward, although limited word counts on some questions restricted being able to include detailed responses.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
We are a small, rural community, and appreciated the opportunity to apply for funding to support our Village Hall and community events
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Supporting small, rural groups and communities
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Quicker decisions for smaller grants
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate the value that small, rural organisations can play in supporting their local communities, helping to encourage thriving ones and are pleased to have been able to support your application. Meeting eligibility criteria and providing supporting documents are essential as the first step in ensuring that funding applications are not rejected so thank you for pointing this out as a piece of advice for others. We have chosen to restrict the word count on some of the application questions in order to encourage applicants to provide succinct and focussed responses to the question. We do appreciate that organisation and project sizes differ, which may restrict responses but please be assured that if we think additional information will benefit the application our assessors will be in touch with the applicant to ask specific questions or have a general chat about the application.
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
I would suggest that they review the funder's guidelines, first, and if they fit, to apply. I would also mention that the funder is really good at responding to queries, and as a current grantee, this makes it so much easier for us to share information with the funder. I would fully recommend them as a funder.
Pros
Culturally sensitive
Friendly
Builds relationships
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
They are really good at responding to queries.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Responding to any queries we have had, and also showing a genuine interest in what is happening within our charity.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I think you are doing a really good job of communicating with grantees and also when we were applicants. Please keep doing this as it makes it so much easier for us as a charity.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Is there anything else that's be useful for others to know to understand this funder?
I think others need to be sure to follow the guidelines, and to read through the application process carefully. The application form is very detailed and although it takes some time to complete, the end result gives the funder a much greater understanding of the charity's needs.
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased to hear that we are communicating well with our grantees. Building relationships is very important in helping us to understand the challenges facing organisations and communities across Devon and providing opportunities for us to learn through our grant making. We like to think that grantees, and potential grantees, will contact us with any questions they may have and are always happy to respond to email or telephone communications. We appreciate that for smaller organisations, who are less likely to have experienced bid writers, the application process may be a daunting one, but we are here to help.
Aug 14, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2018
I am really grateful to be given a grant which 100% helped my child. However the application process was the worst I’ve ever had to do. It took days of backwards and forwards with information, I needed two professionals who also kept receiving emails asking for more details. Sometimes we all received the same email when only one of us needed to fill it in. In the end the two professionals said never again!!
Pros
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2018
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
I was told I could apply for a2nd time! Which was nice!
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Make the application process much more easier!
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Reply from Devon Community Foundation
Mar 22, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. It is good to hear that the funding received has made a difference to your child. We are sorry to hear that your experience of applying for an individual grant proved time consuming for you and was not as straightforward as you would have liked. For all eligible applications we receive we have to ensure that we undertake due diligence checks and have an audit trail of required documents and information to satisfy our obligations as a charitable organisation and a grant funder. For individual funding applications this does mean that appropriate information is required from an independent referee, together with quotes for payment of the grant where necessary. Funding decisions are made by an independent community panel, not by DCF, so we work with our applicants in order to present as strong an application as possible to our panels for consideration. As a result, this may mean that we contact applicants for further information but the reason for doing so is to try and eliminate the possibility of the application being rejected by the panel. We do now provide Guidance Notes, issued with an invitation to submit a Stage 2 application, in which we do advise that as much information is provided within the application as possible, but we will still contact an applicant if we feel additional information would make for a stronger application.