Dartmoor National Park Authority

Dartmoor Grant – General Guidelines for Applicants

What’s it for?

The Dartmoor Grant is a one-off grant intended to help local people, communities and organisations to deliver National Park purposes - to enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of Dartmoor; to promote the understanding and enjoyment of Dartmoor’s special qualities and to support the well-being of its local communities. Any project which benefits Dartmoor’s natural or historic environment and/or the people who live in or who visit Dartmoor will be considered. The Dartmoor Grant is particularly focussed on helping people to work towards the goals in the Dartmoor National Park Management Plan

Grants are available under four headings:

• Natural environment – e.g. tree planting, tree surgery, and wildlife enhancement
• Cultural heritage – e.g. repair of historic buildings, enhancement of historic features, research and survey work
• Community projects – e.g. village enhancement schemes,
• Promoting understanding and enjoyment e.g. one-off events, education and arts projects

Examples of successful grant applications include a school bus shelter at Christow, tree surgery for veteran trees at Buckfastleigh, historic building repair at Ilsington, and the Dartmoor Literature Festival.

What are the criteria?
Projects must fulfil one or more of the criteria below. They must -
1.Conserve or enhance Dartmoor’s landscape, wildlife or cultural heritage
2.Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of Dartmoor’s special qualities by the public
3.Foster the social and/or economic well-being of Dartmoor’s local communities
4.Contribute to the delivery of the Dartmoor National Park Management Plan.

How much can you apply for?
Amounts available for each project will vary but can be as much as £10,000 (you are unlikely to get this amount!) or as little as £100, depending on the overall costs and expected benefits You will normally be expected to make some contribution to the project yourself and/or find other funding (and you will be asked to tell us this).

The total amount available for 2009/2010 is £36,000. Currently this is £9,545 (updated monthly).
While this figure is updated monthly, you may wish to contact us to find out the latest update and discuss your project's eligibility before completing and submitting the application form.

Who can apply?
Any person, organisation or community group. You would normally be based on Dartmoor, but not necessarily. You do need to show that your project will benefit Dartmoor in some way based on the criteria above. You will also need to make sure you have all the relevant permissions in place, including from landowners and statutory agencies where necessary.

What are the terms and conditions?
There are terms and conditions that are common to all grant applications, but because of the specialist nature of the work required, grants involving repair to historic buildings and structures have additional terms and conditions  Other conditions may be identified e.g. information material may need to be agreed in draft before publication. These will be discussed with you before a decision is made on your grant application.

How do I apply for a Dartmoor Grant?
Fill out the on-line application form

What will happen next?
You submit the application online.
Your application will be acknowledged within 7 working days and given a unique application number.
You will be given the name of a Responsible Officer and a timeframe for a decision.
You will be contacted by the Responsible Officer, who will check for more details where necessary and explain any additional terms and conditions.
You will be told immediately within 7 working days if there are no funds available or you are not eligible.

We will make a decision on your grant application as follows:

• up to £2000 by the Responsible Officer, normally within 4 weeks

• between £2000 and £5000 by the relevant Director or Chief Executive normally within 4 weeks

• over £5000 by the National Park Authority, normally within 8 weeks

You will be informed of the decision within the agreed timeframe and any terms and conditions.
All successful Dartmoor Grants will be reported to the National Park Authority in a public document at 6 monthly intervals and made available on line on the Authority’s web page
You will be asked to confirm that the work has taken place, and to let us know the outcomes and any publicity specified in your grant acceptance letter.
We will approve the work before the grant is paid. We may ask for pictures or reports or need to inspect it and if so, we will do this within 4 weeks of being notified of completion.

The grant is paid to you.

back to Grants page

Page updated 18 November 2009