“In These Strange Times”
“The New Normal”
“Let’s zoom”
These are all phrases that until five months ago I had never used, and now in these strange times they have become part of the new normal.
Little did I imagine in March 2020 when the world began to close, that a few months later I would be starting a new job for Barnet Together as Fundraising and Organisational Development Advisor. In this new role I will be offering a free and confidential advice service for all voluntary community organisations in the Borough of Barnet.
This is the first of many blogs my colleagues and I will be writing to support voluntary community organisations navigate their way through fundraising, management issues, financial concerns and more.
With staff on furlough, competing deadlines, and worries about the current situation and the future, for many the thought of fundraising during Covid-19 may seem just one thing too much. But now more than ever you will need funding support, and there are organisations and people keen to help.
Two key ways of raising funds at this time are:
- Applying for Grants via Government Initiatives or private Trusts and Foundations
- Individual Giving
Charities, CICs, voluntary organisations can apply for grants to support its activities. Although there may be some Trusts and Foundations who would consider funding core costs, most prefer to fund specific projects. Very few will support individuals.
Government Funded Initiatives are those operated by organisations who are distributing funds in line with government priorities. These include funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council of England and the National Lottery Community Fund.
Trusts and Foundations are private organisations, usually distributing funding on behalf of individuals or an organisation. Some of the more well-known Trusts and Foundations include the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts and the Tudor Trust. It is worth checking how the Trust or Foundation is funded, as there may be ethical considerations. For instance your organisation may not want to accept funding from a foundation whose money has come from gambling, alcohol or pharmaceuticals.
The Benefits
- Potential for large scale year on year funding
- Funding for specific projects within your plans
- Discovering pots of money that can help you develop your work and devising a project to pilot a new service
The 5 Next Steps
- Ensure that your organisation has clear guidelines as to who is applying for funding and how you decide what to apply for, and that you have systems in place to meet the demands of the funder.
- Look to see what Trust funding you have now or in the past. Get in touch with your funders and see what support they are offering currently. It is important to build relationships with the funders before, during and after applying.
- Research funding opportunities in you geographic and operating area. Need help with this? Book a 1-2-1 with Ellen@inclusionbarnet.org to help find suitable funding sources.
- Apply to funders most likely to support an organisation such as yours, make sure you are eligible (some have criteria about types of organisation, annual turnover etc). Look to see what they have already funded and how much they usually give.
- Once you have identified suitable grants, make a note of deadlines and ensure that you have plenty of time to complete the application. Then get it checked by a colleague or us, to ensure that it makes sense to someone not so involved in the project.
Download this guide to some of the funding available for those impacted by or running projects linked to Covid-19. Some have deadlines ending the week of 17 August, so need to act quickly for these.
Where to find about grants
All send weekly funding alerts based on your criteria
https://www.fundingcentral.org.uk/default.aspx – free up to a turnover of £100k.
https://www.grantsonline.org.uk/
Any questions? Give me a call or drop me an email with any funding or organisation development queries. And then, “Let’s zoom!”
I look forward to working with you.
07719 105090
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