How we help

With the help of our many fund holders, County Durham Community Foundation distributes on average £2 million each year to support community projects and individuals in County Durham and Darlington. Our grants are specifically targeted in ways that will enable people and communities to fulfil their potential.

In 2010, County Durham officially became the most deprived County in England, showing just how important our work is, now more than ever before.

The community projects we support are working at a grassroots level to improve the vitality of their neighbourhoods. Because of the complete knowledge these people have of their own village or town, they are able to undertake essential work for the development of their communities. These projects might include training and skills development for the unemployed, environmental improvements, activities for children and young people or reducing the isolation of rural communities and the elderly, and the list goes on!

We also make grants to individuals and families who are in need of some help. This may be to support a family in crisis, provide a respite break for a full-time carer, or the means for a talented individual to achieve their full potential. We have a number of funds that support individuals and each grant really can make a life-changing difference.