The first round of the University of Glasgow Dumfries Civic Grant Fund is now open for applications and closes at midnight on Sunday 14 June 2026.
Community groups, charities and projects working in Dumfries can apply for grants of up to £5,000.
The support is being provided by the University of Glasgow as the anchor academic institution through our Dumfries Campus.
We are looking for project proposals from a broad range of ideas that can lead to tangible social, civic, sustainable skill development or community benefit to those in Dumfries. Examples of projects eligible for funding may cover:
- Equality, diversity and inclusion focused initiatives
- Health, wellbeing and fitness/sport
- Sustainability and climate change
- Food poverty
- Arts, heritage, and culture
- Education, and outreach
- Finance/debt advice
- Any group set up to represent underrepresented groups in society or special interest groups
- Community spaces
How to apply
If you have a project idea or initiative which you think meets the purpose and eligibility criteria, please complete an online application form for the University of Glasgow Dumfries Civic Grant Fund.
If you require assistance with your application or would like to discuss what support we may be able to offer to help you in writing your proposal, please contact the team at DumfriesCivicFund@Glasgow.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1387 702001.
We will aim to turn applications around within six weeks of submission.
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Eligibility criteria
Applicant organisations should have an annual revenue below £250,000 (can be calculated as an average across financial years 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-25). Applicants may be asked to provide evidence of their financial revenues during the application and due diligence process.
Applications will be accepted from organisations and groups (based in and running projects within) the Dumfries town boundary. Organisations not based in the town boundary but whose project activities spill into the town will also be accepted.
It is our expectation, outwith exceptional circumstances with good reason (and with agreement from the University’s Economic Development Team), that projects are capable of completion within 6 months from when the grant award decision has been communicated to the applicant.
Projects must be capable of aligning with, or contributing to, one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) listed in the online application form. If you are unsure of how your project might meet this requirement, please contact the team at DumfriesCivicFund@Glasgow.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1387 702001.
These projects may be new ideas, or opportunities to expand existing community projects – in this case funds may be sought to increase the scope, coverage, duration, and impact of already existing initiatives.
We will consider being a part-funder alongside other organisations. However, the University of Glasgow will require to see evidence of other parties’ funding being in place before issuing our own funding award and may withdraw a funding offer should this evidence not be provided. Whilst such collaborations are welcomed, the University would only transfer a grant to one organisation. The organisation receiving the grant would then be responsible for passing on money to any project partner organisation.
Applicants can only apply for (and be in receipt of) one Civic Fund award at a time. However, organisations or individuals (only if they are applying on behalf of a wider community group or organisation) are welcome to apply more than once. That is, you can reapply if you have an unsuccessful application or when a Civic Fund funded project is complete.
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Application decision process
Each application will be screened by the University’s Economic Development team to confirm all mandatory information is included and to ensure applications meet each of the required eligibility criteria.
Eligible applications will then be assessed by a panel including representatives from University of Glasgow, local partners, community and business organisations within Dumfries. The panel led by the Economic Development team, reports to the Community Engagement & Skills Working Group and University’s Economic Development Board.
Application forms that fail to meet the eligibility criteria will not be assessed further. It is therefore essential to ensure that your project or proposal meets the eligibility criteria before submitting your application.
Following the evaluation process and decision, the University will notify applicants of the outcome. For successful applications, a Grant Award Letter will be provided and the value of grant funding will be agreed through the applicant’s signing of this Grant Award Letter, which should be signed and returned to us within 30 days. The applicant will need to ensure compliance with conditions contained in the Grant Award Letter:
In the event an applicant refuses to agree to the terms of the Grant Award Letter or unduly delays the process of signing and returning these documents, the University of Glasgow reserves the right to withdraw the Grant Award Letter. The application will then be rejected or disqualified from the process. The University of Glasgow will not be responsible for, nor will we make any commitment in respect of, costs that you may incur prior to the signature of any Grant Award Letter.
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Project Review meetings
Successful applicants to the University of Glasgow Dumfries Civic Grant Fund will be expected to attend three meetings throughout the project duration:
- Inception: An introductory meeting and information session.
- Midpoint: The meeting will assess the stage the project is at and gain insight if it is on track for completion.
- Close: Gather feedback on the processes and expectations of the University of Glasgow Dumfries Civic Grant Fund and assess how successful the projects were. Organisations will be expected to provide evidence of their projects in the form of photographs/and or videos and complete a short End of Project Report form.
Payment schedules will be discussed and agreed between both parties at the inception meeting. As a rule, the payment schedule for the University of Glasgow Dumfries Civic Grant Fund will be in full after completion of the inception meeting. On a case-by-case basis, we can also agree in exceptional circumstances where an alternative payment schedule may be more suitable.
Meetings will be held in a mutually agreed, suitable physical location or online. It is our intention that our grant programme, including the review process, is as accommodating and as accessible as reasonably possible.
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Monitoring and evaluation
All successful applicants will be required to complete a short report by returning a project evaluation form at the end of their projects:
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If you require application materials in an alternative format, please email DumfriesCivicFund@Glasgow.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1387 702001 or ask a friend or family member to do so for you. We can send you a printed copy of the form by post on request. If you need any help completing the form, we are happy to help. We can talk with you online, over the phone or in person (at a mutually suitable venue).