Devon Community Foundation

03/06/2026

Oooh interesting job. Home-based with regular trips to London.

🌟 New opportunity to become our Head of Children and Young People 🌟

This exciting new UKCF role will lead a big new national programme, working with community foundations across the UK.

We're seeking someone who knows the children and young people's world: the funding, the policy, the organisations doing the work on the ground.

If you have solid programme management experience - ideally in grant making but possibly in another context - understand the importance of place, can build relationships, and would enjoy shaping something new with a focus on learning and influence, we would love for you to apply.

Learn more and apply before 11.55pm Tuesday 16th June:
💡https://app.beapplied.com/apply/hurta3t7b0

If you know someone who would be great for this role, please share!

02/06/2026

What a great project - if any community organisations in Devon are looking for funding, check out our website and complete the 'Getting to Know You' form, and we'll be in touc.

02/06/2026

So pleased to be a supporter of this great literacy and reading for pleasure project in Tiverton

21/05/2026

Well done! We're very pleased to have paid a small part in this project.

20/05/2026

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) UK Local Giving Report 2026 is out today, sharing insights from a survey of more than 12,000 people across the UK and featuring the community foundation perspective from our Chief Executive Emma de Closset.

The findings reflect something community foundations see every day across the UK: local giving is closely connected to people feeling part of their community and seeing the impact of charities and voluntary groups around them.

The report provides a reminder that giving is about more than just money – it's about trust, belonging and pride in the places people call home.

Read the report: https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/insights/caf-uk-local-giving-report-2026

15/05/2026

Batsworthy Cross Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund is looking for new members of the community panel to help shape decisions on funding. We are particularly looking for community panel members from the parishes of Oakford, East Anstey and East Worlington.

13/05/2026

Plymouth Octopus - POP POPtastic: city charity generates half a million pounds worth of community cohesion

Since 2020, the charity Plymouth Octopus (POP), has invested £496,000 in grassroots projects across the city. From neurodiverse entrepreneurs; girls on the brink of puberty; veterans suffering trauma and everything in between, the innovative POP Collectives Fund has given away almost half a million pounds and, in doing so, has encouraged greater connections between people, place and projects. Designed by POP to increase collaboration across the voluntary and community sector in Plymouth, the initiative has encouraged nearly 200 organisations to work together launching more than a hundred distinct community initiatives and, in doing so, brought positive social change to thousands of people. POP team member, Simon Travers, who has been running the POP Collectives Fund for four years, says it’s been an extraordinary working experience:

“It’s been a privilege to get to see so many committed passionate people who are trying to do something to improve the city and make life better for ordinary people. The POP Collectives Fund is unique as it is determined by collaboration and by POP members who vote on which projects are selected”.

For more information email [email protected] or call 07920 741718.

12/05/2026

Did you hear that the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty was in Devon last week to understand rural poverty, deprivation and health challenges facing predominantly rural counties like Devon?
https://tinyurl.com/359cx88j

He visited many projects, including our friends at Better Places
Pam Barrett reports:

“I’m really pleased that Sir Chris is focussing the health issues facing people living in rural areas. People living in Buckfastleigh and other similar rural towns are too often overlooked because their needs are hidden in data analysed at regional and national level. There is a lot of wealth in rural counties and this masks pockets of nested rural deprivation often found in ex-industrialised towns like Buckfastleigh. Austerity has led many public sector organisations to centralise services in larger towns and cities sometimes leaving rural communities without access to even essential services. At Better Places we have been working to plug some of those gaps across a cluster of small south Devon towns and by championing the needs of our rural communities to regional and national policy makers. We welcome the work that Devon County Council is doing to address this issue and look forward to working with them on a new model for rural service delivery.”

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the government, Sir Chris Whitty, has visited Devon as part of a tour of the country's rural

11/05/2026

Have you heard about Friends of SAND......
Here at SAND we want to build a community of supporters. We believe that sexual violence should be talked about and we are really keen to get you all involved.
We are in the process of creating a newsletter as we do such amazing work and have so much to offer survivors we need your help.
Please follow this link https://www.survivingabuse.org.uk/ to our website at the bottom of the page there is an option to put in your email address so you can be kept updated with what we are doing. Together we can raise awareness and continue to offer vital support to survivors in North Devon.

07/05/2026

Still a few places remaining... and you get paid (ignore the deadline - well by next Friday please).

Become a Research Champion!

Do you work for a voluntary, community of social enterprise organisation in Devon?
Do you have a role that involves close connection with community members?
Are you curious about what participation in clinical or academic research involves?
You could be a Research Champion!

The VCSE Assembly is working with the NHS and the National Institute of Health Research to offer up to 10 funded places on this practical course. You do not need to be an expert in research but you do need to be curious about research, interested in sharing opportunities, and motivated to talk with others.

When? 14th and 21st May, 1-4pm
Where? Devon Community Foundation, Tiverton. You must be able to attend both sessions.
How much? well you get paid! £165 is available for your organisation, as a contribution towards your time.

What the Research Champion Role Involves:

Talking with people in the community
Having clear, friendly conversations with patients, carers, and members of the public about health and care research, particularly within local groups and communities who are less likely to take part.
Helping people understand research
Sharing information about research opportunities, including Be Part of Research and Join Dementia Research.
Explaining what research is and how people can get involved, in an accessible way.
Finding opportunities to start conversations
Identifying local events, groups, or settings where it would feel appropriate to talk about research, such as coffee mornings, health events, faith groups, or social groups.
Listening to people’s views
Listening to feedback, questions, and concerns about research, and sharing general themes to help improve how research is communicated and offered.
Being dependable and learning over time
Taking part in training and ongoing support sessions.
Following agreed ways of working and gradually building knowledge so research is talked about clearly and responsibly
UK Research and Innovation

If you are interested, please complete this short application form by 5pm, Friday 24th April.
https://tinyurl.com/4s6bk8cu