A project to help voluntary groups and charities from ethnically diverse communities in Dorset become more resilient and self-sufficient is gathering pace.

It’s being run by a partnership led by Community Action Network (CAN) with Dorset Race Equality Council, Dorset Community Foundation and BCP Council using a £500,000 grant over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund (NCLF).

The Ethnically Diverse Communities Project was inspired by the lottery seeing fewer, and less successful, funding applications from groups in ethnically diverse areas and aims to help them strengthen their setups and build their skills to become stronger and more sustainable.

Project manager Mayu Rouco‑Santos and her team have identified around 50 groups and are working closely with 20 in Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and farther afield from a wide range of communities including Afro-Caribbean, Eastern European, Middle Eastern and African.

Mayu said the project, which began last April, started by asking groups to help shape the way it works to help overcome any wariness about taking part and to make it a true collaboration.

“Because all of these communities have been involved in the development of the project, that’s key to the trust.”

The groups were invited to a meeting in June to talk about the challenges they face in applying for funding.

“Some of them had applied and been successful, but not always, some had never been successful, and some hadn’t even tried because they were very intimidated by the whole process,” said Mayu.

The project has launched a fund run by Dorset Community Foundation to award grants of up to £3,000 to help reinforce groups’ organisational structure, raise more money, promote their work and extend their reach.

Available by invitation only for groups involved in the project, the EDC Fund for Strength and Sustainability can be used for hiring consultants to advise on generating income, recruiting volunteers and trustees, training staff in skills like bid writing and website building, or investing in technology.

Ellie Maguire, grants manager for Dorset Community Foundation, said the groups have been involved every step of the way – even helping design the way they apply for grants.

“We want to make it as straightforward as possible while keeping the process open, transparent and fair,” she said.

Mayu added: “By the end of the project, we want groups to have the confidence and the expertise to apply for funding themselves.

“What I really like about the project is that you can see very clearly the seeds blooming from what we’re planting together.

“I love that it’s a collaborative project and the most rewarding thing is to see how communities that are starting from zero with us are flourishing and blooming so quickly.

“It’s like they don’t need us, but you can see how the support they’re getting is helping them to believe more in themselves.”

• dorsetcommunityfoundation.org