East Durham Community Development Trust Ltd

East Durham Community Development Trust Ltd, established in 2006, is a locally rooted charity dedicated to urban and rural regeneration in East Durham's former mining communities within the ex-Easington District of County Durham. Born from the decline of traditional industries, its mission centers on empowering residents, tackling poverty and exclusion, and fostering community cohesion through capacity building and direct services. Core values of community empowerment, partnership, inclusivity, and support for marginalized groups drive a distinctive "hub and spoke" model that co-produces solutions with locals, blending frontline delivery (like food parcels and befriending) with enabling grassroots initiatives for sustained wellbeing, resilience, and civic participation.

It funds thematic priorities aligned with local needs, including poverty alleviation, mental/physical health, educational attainment, food insecurity, debt advice, social inclusion, community arts, volunteering, youth engagement, and crisis support. Key beneficiaries are families in hardship, older people, young people, those with poor mental health, and financially strained individuals. Supported activities encompass FEED emergency food parcels, Men's Groups, befriending phone lines, volunteer training, and capacity building for third-sector groups, emphasizing both immediate relief and preventive measures like financial literacy and employability skills.

Eligible applicants are East Durham-based community groups and grassroots organizations demonstrating local impact on deprivation; no strict income limits, but preference for small/medium embedded entities. It does not accept unsolicited applications—initial phone enquiries are required for partnership discussions—with rolling, flexible support and no fixed deadlines. Grant sizes vary by need and are unpublished. Exclusions include anything outside East Durham; it uniquely stands out as a convener of local voluntary collaboration, balancing funder and service provider roles for place-based regeneration.