Eleven local community groups and organisations have been awarded a share of £16,730 in the latest round of funding for community grants from Exeter City Council.
This comes after a panel of elected councillors and community advisors met to review a total of 16 applications and decide on final grants.
The City Grants Fund aims to support local groups and organisations to run events, festivals and projects that aim to encourage community participation.
One-off grants of up to £2,500 are available for each successful applicant, taken from an overall budget of £60,000.
Those who were successfully awarded funding this time include:
- Alright Mate? CIC - £1,450 for a men’s mental health festival, including workshops, skills courses, and entertainment for 20–60-year-olds.
- Burn the Curtain - £1,100 towards the Exeter Street Parade, a community-led outdoors arts project, bringing people together to celebrate creativity.
- Exeter Food Action – £2,000 for first ever Exeter Food Action Festival, to raise awareness of food waste and to encourage more volunteers.
- Inclusive Exeter: Baul - £1,000 to support Bangla Cultural Night, celebrating Bengal heritage and bringing together people of all backgrounds across Exeter.
- Isca Community Enterprises - £2,050 supporting The Beacon Centre and their Friday community open mornings for anyone to join in with.
- Margins - £1,900 towards Queer Lit Salon, a new quarterly literary salon for Exeter’s LGBTQ+ readers and writers, designed and developed by local people.
- Mindfully Wild CIC - £790 to restore the Alphin Brook, part of a community project to help connect people with nature and support local wildlife.
- Theatre Alibi – £1,690 to create an interactive pop-up space for children and families during October half term.
- Whipton Community Association - £2,020 to support community events tackling the cost-of-living crisis and isolation issues in the Whipton area.
- St Lawrence Church and Community Hall – £1,700 to help restore broken heating on the premises for all the community groups that use the building.
- Health Opportunities Devon CIC - £1,030 for a wellbeing festival using art, physical activity, and community to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people, families and vulnerable adults across Devon.
Cllr Liz Pole, Lead Councillor with responsibilities for Communities, said: “This latest round of community grants demonstrates the incredible range of organisations and groups working to make Exeter a more connected, inclusive and vibrant place to live.
“From supporting mental health and wellbeing, tackling food waste and isolation, and celebrating Exeter’s diverse communities, to creating opportunities for people to come together through arts, culture and nature, these projects will make a real difference to people across the city.
“I’m delighted that we can provide this funding to help local organisations turn their ideas into action and create opportunities for people to participate, connect and feel part of their community. I look forward to seeing these projects come to life over the coming months.”
This was the first of three rounds of funding for Exeter City Grants in 2026-2027, with a total of £60,000 available for community projects this year.
The second round of funding will open for applications on Monday 14 September and close on Tuesday 13 October.
For more information on the Exeter Grants programme please visit Exeter grants programme - Exeter City Council
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