Grantmaking is a huge privilege and one we never take for granted. We know that we have a responsibility to ensure the grants we make benefit the many diverse communities across Devon. And we are aware that we could be doing this better. That is why we have been reaching out to minority-led groups, asking them about their experiences of applying for funding and where we could make improvements.  

We were pleased to hear plenty of positive feedback from groups who had applied to us. Eiling Wong, from the Devon and Cornwall Chinese Association (DCCA) said it was “probably the friendliest funding application” she’d seen while Maya Price from Proud2Be said: “I really like the fact that the application form is online and it’s only one or two pages, it’s not endless. I really appreciate that the questions are always very clear, I know what you’re trying to ask for and what information you want.”  

However, we also took on board some frustrations and criticisms, particularly around the pressure the application process can put on grassroots groups with limited resources. It seems our communication could sometimes be better too. And we need to make sure the language we use is more inclusive and our decision-making process more representative.  

Perhaps one of our biggest concerns was where minority-led groups we reached out to had never applied to us because either they hadn’t heard of us or hadn’t thought our funding was for them. So we need to be much more proactive in building relationships with underrepresented communities and listening to how we can support them.  

Clearly there is lots of work for us to do and we are taking steps to act on the suggestions and comments made to us so far. But we want this just to be the start of the conversation. We are asking groups who represent minority and diverse communities across Devon to tell us what we could and should be doing to help them thrive. If you have any thoughts to share please contact us at insights@devoncf.com.