Project Development

Exeter Community Initiative strives to develop and implement new projects and initiatives in Exeter and its surrounding areas by:

• Carrying out research into ideas for new projects and initiatives in response to local need
• Liaison and networking with partner organisations from the voluntary, community, statutory and private sectors, to test out ideas for meeting need in the city
• Effective consultation with local people to seek their views on these ideas
• Formulating realistic proposals and producing detailed business plans
• Raising funds from a wide variety of sources to run projects
• Projects are either developed and implemented within ECI and supported to become independent at a later date, or established within an appropriate organisation. 
• If housed within ECI, a Co-ordinator or Manager would be employed to run the project, while the Project Development Team moves on to develop other initiatives.

To contribute to the development of other initiatives for whom ECI does not have direct responsibility by:

• Providing appropriate support and advice to organisations and individuals
• Contributing to inter-agency networks and forums
• Sharing information with others and encouraging collaboration between parties
• Facilitating the development process on behalf of other organizations
• Some examples of partnerships and initiatives established with our support include: Exeter Credit Union; Diverted Giving Scheme; Meaningful Occupation Project; Devon Furniture Forum.

To promote an understanding of social exclusion in Exeter by:

• Working with other people and organisations who are committed to social inclusion to ensure that it is a central part of all community and project development work in Exeter
• Sharing the learning gained from ECI's experience of working with excluded groups

To find out more about ECI's Project Development work contact:

Project Development Manager - Matt Bell (01392) 205800 or matt@eci.org.uk