Doncaster businesses invited to help sustain and grow the Together We CAN Fund

Doncaster businesses are being invited to help secure the future of a new community fund established through the Community Advice Network (CAN) to invest directly in grassroots organisations across the city.

The Together We CAN Fund has been established by the Community Advice Network (CAN), with support from Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, and is administered independently by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation.

Its first funding round is already open, offering grants of up to £3,500 to local not-for-profit organisations for community-led projects that strengthen neighbourhoods and improve opportunities for local people.

But the ambition is for the Together We CAN grow to continue beyond its first round.

CAN and Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough are now inviting businesses and other partners across Doncaster to help sustain and grow the fund for future rounds, enabling more money to be reinvested directly into local community organisations.

For Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, supporting the fund reflects a wider belief that tackling the challenges facing Doncaster cannot be achieved by any single organisation.

Every day, Citizens Advice sees how financial difficulties can connect with housing, health, employment, family life and wellbeing. Grassroots organisations are often able to reach people earlier, build trusted relationships and provide support within communities that larger organisations cannot replicate.

Strengthening those organisations therefore strengthens the wider network of support available to people across Doncaster.

James Woods, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough, said:

“CAN is about organisations working together and recognising that our collective strength is far greater than anything one organisation can achieve alone.

“That is why we wanted CAN to establish the Together We CAN Fund. Rather than simply talking about collaboration, we wanted to create something practical that puts resources directly back into the organisations and communities that make up the network.

“The first round is funded and open now. Our next challenge is making sure this isn't a one-off and we can grow the fund to support more organisations locally" 

“We want to work with Doncaster's business community and other partners to build a sustainable fund that can continue supporting grassroots projects year after year.

“For Citizens Advice, this is also part of what being an anchor organisation means. It isn't just about growing our own organisation. It is about using our reach, partnerships and infrastructure to create opportunities for others and strengthen the wider system around the people we all serve.”

The Together We CAN Fund can support projects that bring people together, reduce loneliness and isolation, create opportunities for young people, strengthen neighbourhoods and help build more connected and resilient communities.

The fund sits within the wider work of Community Advice Network (CAN), which brings organisations together across Doncaster to share knowledge, opportunities, training, resources and partnerships.

The first round closes at 9am on Monday 12 October 2026, with a minimum of four projects expected to receive funding.

Businesses interested in helping sustain and grow future rounds of the Together We CAN Fund – whether through financial contributions, corporate partnerships or other forms of support – are encouraged to get in touch with Citizens Advice Doncaster Borough

The ambition is simple: a fund created through Doncaster's community sector, supported by Doncaster's wider partners and businesses, and reinvested back into Doncaster's communities.
 
LINK: https://www.sycf.org.uk/apply/search-our-grants/together-we-can-fund