A guide to fundraising for voluntary sector arts organisations

A guide to fundraising

for voluntary sector arts

organisations

March 2014

Introduction

Since 2008, economic and political factors have brought about significant changes in the

funding available to charities, community organisations and other not-for-profit

organisations. The effect of these changes has been to make fundraising more

competitive, more time-consuming and much more challenging.

Fundraising remains a wide field, involving anything from a car boot sale to the major sums

and complex applications of the BIG Lottery Fund and the competitive tendering

processes of the public sector.

There are many sources of funds that can be developed, each with its own particular

characteristics. In the first part of this guide we look at these various sources, where to find

information on them, how to choose which to develop and what is needed to gain funds

from them.

The second part looks in more detail at the processes and requirements of voluntary sector

funders, including the BIG Lottery; public sector tendering and some practical ideas on

fundraising in the community and from individuals.

Peter See

Senior Consultant

A guide to fundraising for voluntary sector arts organisations | March 2014 | page 2

Part One

Sources of funding and how to find more

information…

The sources that will be considered are:

Voluntary sector grants

o Trusts and Foundations o National Lottery

o Children in Need

o Comic Relief

Public sector

o Local Authorities

o Central Government

Business sponsorship and donations

Events and community fundraising

Income generation

Individual donations

Social Investment


Voluntary sector grants

Grants are typically funds paid up-front, or annually in the case of longer-term projects, for

a proposed project or package of work. In most cases they reflect a funder’s long-

standing interests; decisions on funding applications may be made anything from monthly

to annually. Although there will be requirements for monitoring and reporting as part of

the agreement, funding is not normally conditional on achieving any specific targets.

Sources of grants include national, regional and local Trusts and Foundations

Trusts and Foundations

Grant-making Trusts and Foundations

have been around for hundreds of years;

many have historically awarded grants

from the interest generated by

endowments, i.e. sums of money that the

funder may invest in order to earn

interest. The drastic reduction in interest

rates in the wake of the banking crisis of

2008 saw many of these funders faced

with a corresponding drop in the funds

available for distribution. The changes in

public sector funding, which we consider

in more detail in the next section, have

resulted in ever greater demand on the

voluntary sector. The result is increasingly

stringent and demanding application

processes, along with reductions in the

value and/or the number of awards

made.

Sources of information

There are many on-line directories of

Trusts and Foundations. Some directories

also include Local Authority contract

opportunities. Some relevant examples

are:

http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

Funding Central – managed by NCVO

and funded by the Government, it is free

to use and includes loans and contract

opportunities as well as grants. There are

three levels of search options, from a

single keyword to an advanced menu

driven process. There is also a weekly

newsletter and an update service

available.

http://www.trustfunding.org.uk/

Trustfunding, from the Directory of Social

Change. Has a modest annual

subscription and carries information on a

comprehensive range of grant funders –

hence it can be helpful in finding e.g.

smaller local funders. Searching is via a

series of drop-down menu options.

http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk/

http://www.trustfunding.org.uk/


http://www.grantfinder.co.uk/

GrantFinder is a frequently updated

professional directory, with a dedicated

support team and a fairly expensive

annual subscription. A number of

voluntary and community service groups

subscribe to GrantFinder and will offer to

run searches on behalf of members.

http://www.grantnet.com/

GrantNet is a service from the providers of

GrantFinder. GrantNet has an online

questionnaire-based search facility and is

offered free of charge to users in

qualifying areas. The GrantNet home

page has a postcode-based eligibility

check.

https://www.grantsonline.org.uk/

Grants Online has a search facility and

latest funding news including weekly

Funding Insight newsletter.

Key to searching any directory service is

to think about the various ways in which

your project or organisation can be

described. As well as the principal arts

focussed activities, think about the area

in which you work, who you work with

and the activities you deliver. Do

beneficiaries gain access to employment

or education as a result of taking part?

Are your projects a response to a lack of

opportunity for young people or to the

level of street crime? Do you bring

together different age groups or different

sections of the community?

Voluntary and Community

Service organisations

Many of these offer fundraising advice

and support services; as mentioned

above some subscribe to GrantFinder

and can run searches on behalf of

members. They may also hold copies of

published funding directories, some of

which are devoted to specialist topics.

For details of VCS organisations, see the

National Association of Voluntary and

Community Associations, NAVCA,

website http://www.navca.org.uk/

Though not directly related to funding,

the recently launched NAVCA Essentials,

a package of business services

dedicated to small not-for-profit

organisations, may be of interest

http://www.navca.org.uk/navca-

essentials

http://www.grantfinder.co.uk/

http://www.grantnet.com/

https://www.grantsonline.org.uk/

http://www.navca.org.uk/

http://www.navca.org.uk/navca-essentials

http://www.navca.org.uk/navca-essentials


Community Foundations

Community Foundations are county-wide

organisations which typically manage a

number of small local funds. Community

Foundation staff offer a good deal of

knowledge about the voluntary sector in

their area. They are well worth

approaching for support and may

suggest funds which are not openly

advertised. For an introduction to the

work of Community Foundations and for

details of the Foundation in your area,

see http://ukcommunityfoundations.org/

Community Foundations also manage

the Comic Relief UK Small Grant scheme.

National Lottery

There are currently twelve Lottery

distributors, including the Arts Council

England and the British Film Institute and

the BIG Lottery Fund.

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/

The biggest of the Lottery

distributors, like all grant

makers, the BIG Lottery

Fund (BLF) is seeing

increased demand. Its

application processes can

be quite extensive and demand careful

thought and planning.

Note that the BIG Lottery Fund will not

fund any project it regards as proper to

the activities of another Lottery distributor,

e.g. the Arts Council England for

dedicated arts projects. BLF does seek to

fund projects which address issues and

needs identified by local communities

and people, e.g. they will fund a wide

range of community projects aimed at

developing skills, improving health,

revitalising the local environment and

enabling people to become more active

citizens.

All BIG Lottery Funded projects must

address one or more of the following

outcomes:

• People have better chances in life,

with better access to training and

development to improve their life

skills,

• Stronger communities, with more

active citizens, working together to

tackle their problems,

• Improved rural and urban

environments, which communities are

better able to access and enjoy,

• Healthier and more active people

and communities

Demonstrating that there is local need for

the project/work, that the community is

engaged with planning and delivering

the project and that extensive

consultation has taken place are all key

elements of a Reaching Communities

application. It is common for charitable

organisations to underestimate the level

of preparatory work that is needed and

strong projects are denied funding as a

result.

BLF does from time to time offer smaller

funding programmes focussed on very

specific issues –worth checking the

website regularly– however, its two

principal programmes are:

Reaching Communities

This is a major programme for awards in

excess of £10,000. The application

process is in two parts, the first – which is

quite extensive - is intended to identify

those applications which have a realistic

chance of success at Stage 2. Key to this

programme is evidence of community

demand and engagement in the

proposal.

http://ukcommunityfoundations.org/

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/


If considering an application to Reaching

Communities read the guidelines and

questions carefully, ring the BLF help desk

for clarification if anything isn’t clear and

then collect all the information required.

Only proceed with an application once

you are satisfied that you can answer all

the questions and meet the qualifying

criteria.

Awards for All

Awards for All is for small Lottery grants of

between £300 and £10,000. The Lottery’s

guidelines state:

“We will pay for activities that will benefit

the community, including:

putting on an event, activity or

performance

buying new equipment or materials

running training courses

setting up a pilot project or starting

up a new group

carrying out special repairs or

conservation work

paying expenses for volunteers,

costs for sessional workers or

professional fees

transport costs.

You must read the guidance notes

carefully before filling in the application

form. We have very clear criteria as to

what we can and can’t fund.”

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/englan

d/global-

content/programmes/england/awards-

for-all-england

Organisations with annual turnover below

£30,000 get some concessions on what

they may apply for.

Key once again is establishing that the

proposal is something the community has

identified as a need. Proposals that are

simply good ideas are unlikely to

succeed; solutions to a need from the

community have a much greater

chance. Note that Awards for All will not

support salary costs.

BBC Children in Need is the BBC's UK

charity. Since 1980 it has raised over £600

million to change the lives of disabled

children and young people in the UK. The

Small Grants programme is open to

charities and not-for-profit organisations,

for sums less than £10,000. Details at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008

dk4b/features/cin-grants-small-index

It supports organisations working with

children and young people of 18 years

and under experiencing disadvantage

through:

1. Illness, distress, abuse or neglect

2. Any kind of disability

3. Behavioural/psychological difficulties

4. Living in poverty or situations of

deprivation

“We fund organisations working to

combat this disadvantage and to make

a real difference to children and young

people's lives.”

So if you are working with young people

with disadvantages or disabilities,

perhaps building self-confidence or

community inclusion, this may be worth

considering.

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/england/global-content/programmes/england/awards-for-all-england




http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008dk4b/features/cin-grants-small-index

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008dk4b/features/cin-grants-small-index


Comic Relief’s aim is to tackle the underlying causes of

poverty and social injustice. Hence it seeks projects that

will bring about lasting change in the target community.

https://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/what-

we-fund

Comic Relief has a UK Small Grants programme which is managed on a local basis by

members of the Community Foundations network. For the fund criteria and application

process, contact your local Community Foundation.

Comic Relief does have two further funding schemes, its Main Grants and Special

Initiatives. It is unlikely that an arts project alone would attract funding, but it might form

part of a wider project to address issues faced by disadvantaged young people. Themes

in the UK are:

Better Futures - Improving the lives of vulnerable young people,

Healthier Finances - Tackling financial poverty, and enabling economic resilience in

families and communities, as well as supporting enterprise and employment.

Safer Lives - Reducing violence, abuse and exploitation.

Stronger Communities - Empowering people, organisations and networks to play an

effective role in their communities and society, as well as nurturing talent and

leadership.

Fairer Society - Helping people overcome inequality and have a say in decisions that

affect their lives

Public Sector

Local authorities funding is focused

towards front line services, so there is very

little money for the arts. Invariably public

sector arts funding will go to established

organisations in an area e.g. a well-

established museum or for a one off

event. The best approach to seeking

public sector funds would be to talk to

the service lead for sport and recreation

at the local council to find out what is

available, as advertising of contracts for

arts projects may be minimal. Also

consider partnering with a big provider

who is delivering frontline services and

who wants to offer something innovative,

such as an arts project, alongside their

work, for any tenders they submit.

Online portals such as CompeteFor

enable searching of tender opportunities

and you can sign up to email opportunity

alerts, see https://www.competefor.com/

Funding directory services can also

include details of these schemes, but it is

essential to check Local Authority

websites, get to know your local

councillor and the Cabinet Member for

the arts and ensuring that they know of

you – who you are and what you do.

https://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/what-we-fund

https://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/what-we-fund

https://www.competefor.com/


Business

sponsorship and

donations

Business support, especially from local

businesses is down to individual

approaches. There are few directories of

business sponsorship or donations. Our

approach is to look at the websites of

businesses with local or regional interests,

find those with suitable Corporate Social

Responsibility, CSR, or community

engagement policies and make an

approach business by business. It is also

worth searching for members of Business

in the Community, www.bitc.org.uk/ a

network of businesses that have pledged

to support the community. Within that

holders of the “Community Mark” have

demonstrated their commitment with

funding and / or resources,

http://www.bitc.org.uk/services/awards-

recognition/communitymark/about-

communitymark

Support from businesses can be about

more than cash; in-kind support such as

staff volunteering is popular with many

businesses – read their websites to gain

an indication of what they like to support.

If they can re-design your website, write a

suite of employment policies or offer any

service which would be expensive to you

but cheap to them, they are worth an

approach.

Business sponsorship is a two-way deal;

the business gains something in return for

its support. Acknowledgment in publicity

is a given, but can you go further and

offer complimentary tickets for

performances or previews of an

exhibition for the directors, staff and

guests of a sponsor or perhaps loan art

works for the boardroom or reception

area.

Many businesses will combine a team

building event with fundraising and look

for a suitable recipient. Keeping your

details in front of businesses means they

may consider you as a beneficiary.

Fundraising in the

Community

Fundraising in the community is one of

the growing sources of funding in the

voluntary sector. It can not only generate

income but also raise awareness of who

you are and what you do.

Fundraising events can be great

opportunities to get friends and well-

wishers involved – those people who say

they would love to help but don’t wish to

attend regular meetings.

Ideas for events are almost endless, see

https://www.charitychallenge.com/pdf/a

-z_fundraising_ideas.pdf for an A-Z of

ideas (there are more than 26!)

http://www.bitc.org.uk/

http://www.bitc.org.uk/services/awards-recognition/communitymark/about-communitymark



https://www.charitychallenge.com/pdf/a-z_fundraising_ideas.pdf

https://www.charitychallenge.com/pdf/a-z_fundraising_ideas.pdf


Income

generation

What skills or assets do you have that

others would value? Could you hire out

your premises? Could you offer arts

workshops to schools, community groups

or even businesses as a teambuilding

event? Do you charge admission for

performances or exhibitions? Could you

give talks about the history of theatre or

music to service clubs or community

groups in return for a fee?

It can be difficult to identify income

generating ideas when you have been

closely involved in an organisation for

some time; try asking someone who

understands what you do to contribute.

It’s OK for charities to earn income,

though if it becomes a significant

proportion of turnover it would be wise to

consider setting up a trading subsidiary.

Social Investment

Social Investment is included here for

completeness. Although the approach

has been around for some time, central

Government and a number of major

Trusts and Foundations are increasingly

looking to business-style cash plus skills

investments. Think about Dragons’ Den

and you are not too far away. They are

looking for financial as well as social

returns and tend to look at the whole

organisation, not just a project. Thresholds

for these investors are high, typically £1M

- £1.5M turnover. If you do wish to pursue

this, seek specialist advice. The

Government-backed Social Investment

Business Group, www.sibgroup.org.uk/

would be a starting point, or for an

independent body try Impetus-Private

Equity Foundation, http://impetus-

pef.org.uk/

This is an evolving and emerging source

and smaller investors may well emerge.

One organisation worth checking is the

European Venture Philanthropy

Association, EVPA, at www.evpa.eu.com

Individuals

People generally only give if they are

asked. Who to ask? Anyone who has an

interest: audiences, visitors to exhibitions,

former participants, well-wishers. A simple

flyer can invite a donation, carry a

Standing Order instruction for their bank

and include a Gift Aid declaration for

any taxpayer.

Keep careful records of those donors –

taking the requirements of the Data

Protection Act in to account – they might

give a bit extra for a one-off appeal or be

willing to help in fundraising events.

Make it easy for people to give – think

about a Click to Give option on your

website and get your details on online

giving websites such as:

• Bmycharity

• Everyclick

• Justgiving

• MyDonate

• Virgin Money Giving

Saying thank you isn’t just good manners,

it can be an opportunity to encourage

further donations. Offer to include donors

on your newsletter distribution and send

invitations to all your events.

http://www.sibgroup.org.uk/

http://impetus-pef.org.uk/

http://impetus-pef.org.uk/

http://www.evpa.eu.com/


Part Two

Getting started

All groups need some money to carry out

their services or activities. So, although

you would probably rather get on with

the ‘real’ work of running your group, you

also have to spend some time planning

and raising funds. If everyone in your

group, or on your committee, takes

fundraising seriously and gets involved in

thinking it through, then you are much

more likely to be successful. Once the

whole group has decided what money

needs to be raised, by when, and how,

then the actual job of raising it can be

allocated to a smaller group. But make

sure that they report back regularly on

progress.

Keep records

Keep a record of all the funders you

approach, with the dates that you

approached them and the outcome. This

is useful information for the future – giving

you an idea of who you can go back to

and when.

Plan ahead

Raising money can take quite a long

time. Community fundraising events

frequently need to be planned a year, or

even more, in advance in order to secure

suitable venues, advertise in appropriate

publications, book guests or celebrity

speakers etc. Corporate sponsorship

campaigns ideally should target

businesses when they are preparing their

budgets for the following year – which

can be 6 months or more in advance.

Funders can take a long time to respond

and have their own timetables which

might not fit with that of your project or

organisation. For example:

• Local authorities and government

bodies may only invite applications

once a year.

• Some charitable trusts only meet

once or twice a year

• Some special funds only invite

applications every three years

So, as a general guide you would be

advised to apply for money at least six to

nine months before you actually need it.

Once you get going you should get into

the habit of planning your fundraising

needs two years ahead. This is especially

important if you are employing salaried

staff.


Some legal

considerations

Before you start applying for money you

will need to consider whether you need

any of the following:

• A written constitution – most funders

will require some sort of

constitution or written set of rules

• Registering with the Charity

Commission opens up more

funding opportunities. To become

a Registered Charity you must

normally have an annual turnover

of over £5000. You should also

have:

• A committee, willing to

become a Board of Trustees

• A bank account with two

independent signatories

• Last year’s accounts

• Insurances

• Meet health and safety

requirements

Equalities

Ensuring equality of opportunity and

access should run through everything you

do and it is something that funders will ask

about. Is membership of your group and

access to your activities or services open

to everyone in the community you are set

up to serve? For instance, if you are

running a drop-in centre can people

using wheelchairs get into the building? If

you are providing a service to clients in a

diverse area, do you have workers or

volunteers who can speak the relevant

community languages? All of this should

be documented in an Equalities Policy,

taking note of the nine “protected

characteristics” defined in the Equalities

Act 2010.

Other policies

There is an almost limitless number of

policies that could be drafted; think

about the way you work, what needs to

be written down for the smooth running

of the organisation and the safety of all

participants. For example, working with

children and young people (and with

vulnerable adults) will require a policy on

safeguarding and the Disclosure and

Barring Service (formerly the CRB

Disclosure).

Model policies are available on most

topics; Voluntary Action Islington has a

comprehensive suite of model policies –

commendably available free of charge,

see

http://www.vai.org.uk/services/model-

policies-and-toolkits/

Keep up to date

Whilst you do not want to be ‘money

led’, you do need to keep up to date

about funds and new pots of money.

Some suggestions:

• Get into networks with groups

doing similar work. Subscribe to

relevant journals, where they are

available

• Make sure that your group is on

relevant mailing lists or email lists

• Consider subscribing to sector

press such as Third Sector,

Professional Fundraising, Charity

Times, Charity Funding Report

http://www.vai.org.uk/services/model-policies-and-toolkits/

http://www.vai.org.uk/services/model-policies-and-toolkits/


Fundraising skills

You may think that there is no one in your group, or not enough of you with the

experience or skills to fundraise. Don’t panic – help is available. You could send people on

a training course or get advice and information from local or county fundraising

specialists, such as:

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire ACRE

http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/

Cambridge, S.Cambridgeshire and Fenland: CCVS

[email protected]

East Cambridgeshire: VCAEC

[email protected]

Huntingdonshire: Hunts Forum

[email protected]

Norfolk

Norfolk Rural Community Council

http://www.norfolkrcc.org.uk/

West Norfolk CVA

http://www.westnorfolkvca.org/

Peterborough

Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service

http://www.pcvs.co.uk/

Suffolk

Community Action Suffolk

http://www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk/

Think about working together with similar organisations. Trusts and Foundations and most

public sector buyers are happy to support partnership or consortium applications; special

requirements that arise are to ensure that there is clear agreement on who will do what

and especially ownership of reporting and accounting, both financial and delivery.

Some funders state they will only consider applications from Registered Charities; if you are

not registered, ask if they will consider a joint application with a Registered Charity who will

act as fund holder. If you need an introduction to a suitable charity, The Bridge will be

willing to act as a broker!

http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.norfolkrcc.org.uk/

http://www.westnorfolkvca.org/

http://www.pcvs.co.uk/

http://www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk/


Applying to Trusts and Foundations

• Read the funder’s published guidelines

• Ensure your proposal is consistent with the funder’s values and interests

• Don’t be afraid to split the proposal into smaller components, approaching

particular funders for particular requirements

• Request an appropriate amount consistent both with the sums you have managed

and the sums the funder has previously awarded.

• Watch out for deadlines, especially in online applications.

• Contact

– Does anyone in your organisation know any Trustees of potential funders?

– Speak to the funder’s administrator if at all possible. With few exceptions

they are helpful and constructive. Even if they say an application is unlikely

to succeed, they have at least saved you a lot of wasted time.

– Who can they speak to? Remember to include in your application detail of

who a funder may speak to. There may well be questions they would like to

clarify – sometimes at very short notice.

• Establish the need for your proposal. Funders expect solutions to demonstrable

community needs.

• Proposal and Objectives – say what you are going to do

• Identify Outcomes – how will beneficiaries’ lives be changed by your proposed

activity?

• Establish Credibility – describe your history of delivering services and activities. Use

case studies, quotes and photographs to bring it to life.

• Organisation – Say who you are, your Mission and Values; who is involved and how

is the organisation structured?

• Finance – unless the organisation is a Registered Charity with turnover in excess of

£25,000, your accounts are unlikely to be in the public domain. Attach a copy of

your latest accounts and explain any major changes in income or expenditure.

• Unique Selling Point – what makes you different?

• Keep it concise (around 2-3 pages) and use plain simple English wherever possible.

If a detailed professional or specialist description is important, consider putting it in

an annex and quoting the main points in the body of the proposal.

• Include a cover letter which is printed on headed paper.

A little bit more…

Once you have considered the major points above, think about:

• Title of project - something short that captures what you will do

• Include a half-page summary if the proposal is unavoidably lengthy

• Project plan – give the timetable of activity

• Monitoring and Evaluation – how will you demonstrate the impact of your project,

progress and can you measure value for money? Monitoring and Evaluation has

become a major strand of funding applications. Its detailed treatment is outside

the scope of this guide, but for ideas see Prove and Improve

http://www.proveandimprove.org/ or the Charities Evaluation Service website,

http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/

http://www.proveandimprove.org/

http://www.ces-vol.org.uk/


• Budgets and Funding plan for all but the smallest proposals, how have you arrived

at the costs and how will the project be financed?

• The request should ask for a specific sum and say what it will achieve

• The application should be signed by the Chair or Chief Executive. It is a courtesy to

the funder and demonstrates that the organisation is committed to the proposal.

• Make sure that correct contact details are included.

• Presentation – in written applications, use colour, pictures and bullet lists; use

headings and divide into sections.

Disadvantage

Working with disadvantaged communities or with disadvantaged young people

frequently appear in funders’ criteria. So what constitutes disadvantage?

Economic disadvantage is most commonly measured by the Indices of Multiple

Deprivation, IMD. This is a government ranking of areas of the country, looking at a

number of factors including income per head, how low income affects children and

young people, availability of services etc. It can go down in some cases to quite small

geographic areas. The rankings are based on a three-yearly survey, 2013 results should be

published shortly. The whole survey is available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010 but is

heavy work to understand.

Most Local Authorities publish an extract relating to their own area and these generally

prove a more usable source. It can also support an application to explain factors such as

rural isolation – the impact on quality of life and opportunities that results from living in

sparsely populated parts of the country.

Public Sector Tendering

The environment

The Open Public Services White Paper

published in 2011, outlined the

Government’s intended plans for reform

of public services. The paper sets out a

series of principles which the Government

intends to apply to its intended reforms:

These principles are:

Wherever possible we will increase

choice.

Public services should be

decentralised to the lowest

appropriate level.

Public services should be open to

a range of providers.

We will ensure fair access to public

services.

Public services should be

accountable to users and to

taxpayers.

(Open Public Services White Paper 2011)

The reforms set out plans for enhancing

greater choice for individuals over the

services they receive, and devolving

control over the delivery of services to

individuals and communities. There are

exceptions of some local and national

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010


services such as tax collection, prisons,

emergency healthcare or welfare to

work, cannot be devolved beyond local

or national government structures and will

be subject to delivery in house, but more

and more often will be outsourced to

private and voluntary sector providers.

Traditionally, the local authority and

central government would tender for

bespoke services designed to tackle a

specific problem. However, over recent

months, there has been a greater move

throughout the country to use

‘framework’ agreements, where the

tenderer invites organisations to tender to

become part of a framework of

providers, who will be the only

organisations invited to tender for larger,

fewer and longer contracts as and when

the opportunities arise, or be the only

organisations on a supplier list for ‘call-off’

work.

You will therefore be tendering in an

environment of increased competition

with larger private sector companies,

who can offer economies of scale and in

some cases have stronger systems for

quality, monitoring and financial

management.

In addition, there is a greater emphasis

on ‘payment by results’ and

outcomes/outputs based contracting.

This means that you will paid a smaller

‘service fee’ with a greater additional

payment achieved for the achievement

of a specific output e.g. someone

moving into work and sustaining their job

for 6 months.

Relevant sources of public sector

contracts include:

Local authorities;

Skills Funding Agency;

Department of Health/PCT’s

Department of Work and Pensions;

Department of Education;

Department for Culture, Media

and Sport

Local Economic Partnerships;

The Process

E-procurement has become more and

more common. This is where you access

an online portal to register interest and

tender for a contract.

So that you can keep abreast of

tendering opportunities and be ready to

tender when they arise, it is advisable to

take the time to register on the tender

portals for your local authority and other

government departments relevant to

your work. There are also a range of

tender alert services – Business Link

provides a free service, others can be

expensive. It is recommended that you

supplement tender alert services with

your own Google searches (weekly),

checking government websites, as well

as keeping your ear to the ground. Every

tender you are not aware of until the

deadline date, is a missed funding

opportunity.

Tenders are usually a staged process.

Beginning with an expression of interest, a

typically tender will follow the following

stages:

Expression of interest: The buyer will

request that interested suppliers submit

an expression of interest. This is so that

they can plan for the expected numbers

of tenders they will have to evaluate.

Once they have received your expression

of interest, you will normally be invited to

the next page of the tendering portal, or

be sent with appropriate documents and

instructions.

Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ):

The buyer will evaluate the suitability of

an organisation through a separate pre-

qualification questionnaire, before

inviting successful organisations to the

next stage (ITT – see below). Here the

buyer is trying to assess how financially


sound your organisation is, how much

experience you have, whether you

comply with legislation, whether you as

an organisation present a risk to them.

However, the reality is that tender

processes are often rushed, and so the

buyer will combine the PQQ with the ITT –

you will need to score highly on both to

have a chance of success.

Invitation to Tender (ITT): Here the buyer is

trying to assess whether you can deliver

the specification to an appropriate level

of quality, manage the service soundly

and meet your targets for outputs and

price.

Post Contract Negotiations: In theory,

what you have said you will deliver in

your tender is fixed for a period specified

in the terms and conditions of the ITT. In

practice, there is usually a process after

the buyer has selected their preferred

supplier, where the buyer will want to

negotiate on aspects of the submitted

tender.

At all times, the awarding authority will set

out the schedule for procurement, which

will outline each deadline – not only your

deadlines for submission, but also their

deadlines for answering questions,

evaluating the tenders received,

conducting interviews and negotiations

and the date they want the tendered

service or project to start and finish. They

will always publish specific instructions

about how the tender should be

submitted, provide annexes, a

specification, background information

and offer the facility for asking questions.

Before you tender: Fail to prepare,

prepare to fail

Tenders can be lost or won well in

advance of when the tender itself is

advertised. There are some key things you

should be doing, even when not involved

in a tender process.

Identify and allocate the resources

needed to write tenders as part of your

organisation forecast: Writing tenders is

time-consuming, requires input from a

range of sections of your organisation,

invoke costs for printing and delivery, and

is a costly business. Allocate adequate

resources in your budget and staffing.

Develop strong delivery partnerships:

Developing good partnerships which are

effective, will help you achieve greater

coverage, better efficiency, increase

your access to expertise and resources. It

will also mean that you will have a ready-

made supply chain which you can call

upon when you want to tender. Likewise,

where your partners are in a stronger

position to tender than you are, it means

you can subcontract with them and still

get a bite of the cherry!

Be involved strategically: Get yourself on

local forums, strategic partnerships,

involved in local authority consultation

work. Encourage inward visits to your

organisation from key stakeholders and

take the time to visit others. This will give

you access to insider knowledge, current

research, best practice and potential

partnerships.

Review your management, finance and

monitoring processes: You will only get

paid if you deliver your targets, can

evidence achievement and remain

within budget. This means that you have

to have strong management, finance

and monitoring resources and processes.

You will nearly always be asked about this

in your tender, so it is worthwhile

conducting an exercise where you

consider:

The effectiveness of your financial

controls and the suitability of the

people responsible for finance

within your organisation;

The strength of your management

resources and the ways in which

you manage your existing services;


Who is involved in the collation of

evidence of achieving outputs and

outcomes – are they the right

people, how much

involvement/ownership do your

beneficiaries have over the

process?

Is there a risk of inaccuracy (either

accidental or deliberate)?

Do you allocate enough time and

resources for management reviews?

Are the KPI’s you set sufficient to

give you the data you need to

identify small problems before they

become failed delivery?

What level of objectivity do you

achieve?

Quality assurance and measuring

impact: Commissioners answer to MP’s

and theoretically the public. Therefore in

spending public money, they want to be

sure they will achieve the impact they

want and deliver something which is high

quality. You will need to be able to

evidence your ability to do this in your

tender, so again, it is imperative that you:

Achieve quality assurance

accreditation – you will be

competing with organisations who

have achieved Matrix, ISO, PQASSO

etc;

Evaluate your work, capture data

on your beneficiaries and measure

the impact your work has in the

community and to individual users

and organisations;

Assess best practice and lessons

learnt.

Writing your tender

There is no magic formula for writing

tenders. There are numerous variables

which you can never account for, such

as who you are competing with. Be

prepared to fail at tender writing more

times that you will ever be successful.

Develop a thick skin, learn from your

mistakes and keep trying. You have got

to be in it, to win it!

However, there are some things you must

never fail to do when writing any tender.

These can seem obvious right now, but

when you are in the middle of a tender

process, are very easily forgotten.

Assess if this tender is right for you: Read

all of the documentation and then read it

again. Ask yourself:

Can you deliver the work in the

way they ask?

Does it make financial sense for

you to tender?

Do you meet the eligibility criteria?

Can you manage potential TUPE

obligations?

If you can’t say yes to all of the above –

do not waste your time tendering.

Identify your offer: You need to decide

how you are going to deliver the services

they ask for and how you are going to

‘sell’ your organisation and approach.

There may be a specification, but it is up

to you to design the project. Therefore

you need to:

Identify your USP, added value

and community benefits;

Select your partners and work with

them to develop the project

design;

Identify how you can improve on

the specification;

Collate good delivery examples;

Check the evaluation criteria and

weighting – particularly in relation

to price. This will give you an idea

on how to pitch your proposal as it

will help you understand what their

priorities are. E.g. 60% weighting

given to price means that they are

looking for value for money;


Co-ordinate your tender writing effectively: Tenders take over your life! You need to

develop a time-bound plan for writing your tender which should include time for:

Attending workshops;

Holding planning meetings with staff and partners;

Checking question and answers updates every day;

Enabling drafting and re-drafting to take place;

Delays in uploading the tender to a portal or posting/couriering your submission to

the buyer.

Successful writing: Your tender is your

sales pitch. Do not be scared about

being pushy, passionate or even cheesy!

It’s your only chance at shining and you

have to stand out from the crowd. Some

tips which have worked in the past:

Use clear and succinct language,

but make it personable. Always

remember, people buy in to

people;

Avoid jargon and abbreviations

other than the jargon and

abbreviations used in the

specification;

Use the specification as the basis

for your answer and then use your

proposed methods to ‘dress the

window’;

If the questions ask for a series of

points to be answered – answer

them in the same order as they are

asked;

Use pictures, photos and diagrams

if you can;

Use examples to evidence your

claims;

Don’t be afraid of showing what

you have learnt when things have

gone wrong in the past

Use quantifiable evidence of your

track record and expertise, as well

as a qualitative explanation

Always stick within the page or

word limits specified. If there is

nothing specified, you write as

much as you need to, as long as

you are still using clear and

succinct language;

Double check that you have not

missed anything from the

specification out or from any

amendments or further information

provided through the question

and answer process;

Get someone else who has had no

involvement in the tender writing

to read through what you have

written;

The million dollar question – what do

commissioners want? Always remember

that the commissioner is spending public

money, and therefore they will want to

contract with organisations who can

offer:

Added value and value for

money;

Financial viability;

Ability to manage complex

services and supply chains;

Quality and performance – ability

to deliver the service;

Understanding of the market,

beneficiary group and locality;

Risk management;

Innovation.


Businesses

The value of having known contacts within businesses – warm leads as opposed to cold

leads – cannot be overstated. Your Trustees, staff and beneficiaries are all ambassadors

for your organisation, so ask them to sound out their friends and acquaintances for

support. It is helpful to give everyone a simple, 2pp, brief so that the same message is

used and have someone coordinating approaches to avoid everyone converging on the

same business!

The brief should explain how much you are seeking and what the money would enable

you to achieve. Include a description of the ways in which any award would be

acknowledged and think about making a sponsor or donor feel special – such as privilege

tickets to a performance or exhibition or a cheese and wine reception beforehand.

Check business websites for examples of their interests and past support; likewise, research

the support that organisation similar to yourselves have received.

Fundraising in the Community

Any fundraising event will require careful planning; they can be costly to run and you

don’t want the negative publicity of a poorly run or poorly supported event.

Events are a great opportunity to draw in people who don’t wish to have a regular

commitment; Plan carefully including timescales and schedules; divide work into

manageable packages and delegate to teams or individuals as appropriate. Ensure that

everyone knows when work needs to be completed and to whom they should report any

problems.

Don’t forget to ensure that insurance policies cover your proposed activity.

And finally…

• Successful fundraising is about building relationships

• Say “Thank You”

• Send Newsletters, press releases, announcements to your funders

• Send Invitations or tickets, to your performances, exhibitions events.

Suffolk Office: 01394 610581

London Office: 0207 239 4969

www.charity-fundraising.org.uk

http://www.charity-fundraising.org.uk/


Appendix

Funder prospect research

Grant-makers can change their funding priorities when seeking to address a new need, implement a new application process or for numerous

other reasons. Most will advertise changes on their website just before they take place but, in some cases -particularly where there is no website-

applicants can easily miss new criteria and application procedures. For this reason, always check funding criteria before applying and do not

assume that prospect research is entirely up-to-date. The matrix below is correct in terms of information available on 20th January 2014. Results

are presented in alphabetical order by funder name.

Organisation /

Grant Scheme

Registered

Charity? Funder Priorities

Geographic

Priorities

Suitable grant

request

Application

Procedure

Application

Deadlines Comments Weblink

Adnams

Charity General, the arts

Within 25

miles of

Southwold £100-£2,500 in writing

7th March

2014 for

April

meeting

The Trustees except to

see the result of its

donations within twelve

months

http://adna

ms.co.uk/ab

out/the-

adnams-

charity/how-

to-apply/

Alfred Williams

Charitable Trust Local, Performing arts Suffolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing rolling

Annie Tranmer

Charitable Trust General, education

Suffolk and

adjacent

counties £1,000

Letter of

introduction

- no

unsolicited

applications n/a

Anton Jurgens

Charitable Trust Welfare, general

South East

England £1,000-£3,000 in writing

Trustees

meet twice

a year in

June and

October

Have previously

supported charities in

Suffolk

Brigadier and

Mrs D V Phelps

Charitable Trust General Norfolk £100-£5,000 in writing rolling

http://adnams.co.uk/about/the-adnams-charity/how-to-apply/







Cambs

Community

Foundation

Range of grant

programmes Cambs

range of

grants see website see website

No appropriate funds

open at present

http://www.c

ambscf.org.u

k/grants.html

Catalyst

Charitable Trust

Small

charities

Small charities in

particular schools Suffolk

no grant

amounts

listed in writing rolling

Chapman

Charitable Trust Culture Cambs £1,000-£2,000

in writing

including

short

summary of

project

The trustees

meet twice

a year,

usually

around the

end of

March and

the end of

September.

http://www.c

hapmanchari

tabletrust.org.

uk/index.html

Charles

Littlewood Hill

Trust

Children (including

schools) Norfolk £2,500 in writing rolling

Clore Duffield

Foundation

Must be a

registered

charity

Small-scale community

endeavours, cultural

sector including

performing arts learning

spaces £5,000+

in writing -

two sides of

A4 no deadline

http://www.c

loreduffield.or

g.uk/page_su

b.php?id=73

&parent=35

DC Moncrieff

Charitable Trust

Must be a

registered

charity

Social Welfare, currently

no further requests for

funding invited

Norfolk,

Suffolk

no grant

amounts

listed

Letter of

introduction n/a

Earl Fitzwilliam

Charitable Trust General

Cambs,

Peterb’gh up to £5,000 in writing rolling

Eastern

Counties

Educational

Trust Limited

Education, training,

care and welfare of

people with special

educational needs,

particularly those under

25 with emotional and

behavioural difficulties.

Suffolk,

Norfolk and

Cambs £5,000

application

form from

the contact rolling

http://www.cambscf.org.uk/grants.html



http://www.chapmancharitabletrust.org.uk/index.html




http://www.cloreduffield.org.uk/page_sub.php?id=73&parent=35






Eranda

Foundation The Arts

£10,000-

£20,000 in writing rolling

Esmee

Fairbairn

Suffolk Fund

The fund will support a

wide range of initiatives

that are designed to

improve the quality of

lives of vulnerable

people especially those

living in the most

deprived communities

in Suffolk. We are

particularly keen for

organisations to

address some of the

needs highlighted in

Suffolk Community

Foundation’s Hidden

Needs Research.

Arts:Applications are

welcome from

organisations which are

testing new

approaches of working

and pioneering new

ways of engaging with

audiences and

supporting their local

community.

Organisations should be

working with harder to

reach groups and/or

be addressing difficult

issues.The fund will not

support one-off pieces

of work (i.e. an

exhibition or theatre

production). Suffolk

£10,000-

£30,000

application

form

17th March

2014

http://www.s

uffolkcf.org.u

k/grants/esm

ee-fairbairn-

suffolk-fund/

http://www.suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/esmee-fairbairn-suffolk-fund/






Foyle

Foundation

Need to

have

charitable

status

Small charities working

at grass roots and local

community level, in any

field, across a wide

range of activities

£1,000-

£10,000

application

form

no

deadlines

http://www.f

oylefoundati

on.org.uk/sm

all-grants-

scheme/

Ganzoni

Charitable Trust

General charitable

purposes, capital

projects Suffolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing rolling

Geoffrey

Burton

Charitable Trust General

Suffolk and

the

Needham

Market area £1,000 in writing

28 February,

20 May, 31

August and

15

December.

Geoffrey

Watling Charity General

Norfolk and

Waveney

District of

Suffolk

no grant

amounts


Goodman Trust Education Norfolk

no grant

amounts


Henry Smith

Charity -

County Grants

Young People

Projects and services

that help maximise the

potential of young

people who

experience

educational, social and

economic

disadvantage;

including young people

in, or leaving, care. Suffolk up to £10,000

Suffolk

County

grants

currently

closed due

to all funds

being

allocated rolling

Excludes arts projects,

unless able to evidence

therapeutic or

rehabilitative benefits

to:

older people;

disabled people;

vulnerable groups;

prisoners, or

young people

experiencing

educational, social and

economic

disadvantage (such as

young people in, or

leaving, care).

http://www.foylefoundation.org.uk/small-grants-scheme/






John Ellerman

Foundation

Must be a

registered

charity

Arts (Theatre, Music and

Dance): Performing arts

organisations should

demonstrate some of

the following:national

significance in the

nature or quality of the

workbringing the

performing arts to

people who would not

otherwise

attendinclusion of new

and emerging talent as

a part of their overall

programme of work (ie

the development of

talent is not the

organisation's main

focus)innovative

approaches.

£30,000+,

multi year

funding

Two stage

process -

stage one is

a maximum

of 2 sides of

A4 in writing rolling

Occassionally they fund

organisations that work

locally, for example if a

programme has good

potential for replication

or being rolled out on a

larger scale. Need to

have an income of

£100k+

http://ellerm

an.org.uk/

John Gilpin

Trust

Must be a

registered

charity General East Suffolk £1,500 in writing

Application

s are

considered

in April and

October

John Jarrold

Trust Arts, education Norfolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing rolling

http://www.j

arrold.com/

Leslie Mary

Carter

Charitable Trust

Welfare organisations:

will need to refer to

disadvantage

Local

projects in

Suffolk and

Norfolk £5,000 in writing rolling

The trustees prefer well

thought-out

applications for larger

gifts, than many

applications for smaller

grants.

Lord Cozens-

Hardy Trust

Education, welfare,

general Norfolk £1,000 in writing rolling

http://ellerman.org.uk/

http://ellerman.org.uk/

http://www.jarrold.com/

http://www.jarrold.com/


Martin Laing

Foundation

Small community

projects benefiting

disadvantaged young

people, Norfolk - based

activities Norfolk £500-£5,000 in writing rolling

http://www.l

aingfamilytrus

ts.org.uk/mar

tin_laing_foun

dation.html

Mason Trust

Projects for young

people (ages 12 to 25

years) suffering from

isolation in deprived

towns or rural areas in

Norfolk and Suffolk.

Norfolk and

Suffolk

range of

grants

application

form

31st March

2014

http://www.t

hemasontrust

.org/funding/

funding-for-

organisations

/

Mickleham

Ann Byrne

Charitable Trust

Relief in need,

disadvantaged young

people Norfolk £1,000 in writing rolling

Mills and

Reeve

Charitable Trust General Norfolk £1,000 in writing rolling

Mills and

Reeve

Charitable Trust General Norfolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing rolling

Morgan Blake

Charitable Trust General East Anglia in writing rolling

Mr and Mrs

Philip Rackham

Charitable Trust General Norfolk £1,000-£5,000 in writing rolling

Norfolk

Community

Foundation

Range of grant

programmes Norfolk

range of

grants see website see website

No appropriate funds

open at present

http://www.n

orfolkfoundat

ion.com/fund

s.htm

Pennycress

Trust

General charitable

purposes Norfolk £100-£500 in writing

Trustees

meet

regularly

Ranworth Trust

No grants

to non-

registered

charities

Education in the

community East Norfolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing rolling

http://www.laingfamilytrusts.org.uk/martin_laing_foundation.html





http://www.themasontrust.org/funding/funding-for-organisations/






http://www.norfolkfoundation.com/funds.htm





Scarfe

Charitable Trust

Arts and musical

projects Suffolk £1,000-£2,000 in writing

Trustees

meet

quarterly

Simon Gibson

Charitable Trust

No grants

to non-

charitable

bodies General East Anglia £3,000-£5,000 in writing

End of

March 2014

Smith and

Pinching

Charitable Trust Education

Norfolk,

Suffolk,

Cambs £500 in writing rolling

Suffolk

Community

Fund - Suffolk

Fund and

Private Funds

Addressing need within

Suffolk, Core Costs,

Project Costs Suffolk up to £2,000

application

form

31st

January

2014

Applications for the

Suffolk Fund are

welcomed between

deadlines as we hold

various Private Donor

grant panels

throughout the year

who may be able to

consider your

application.

http://www.s

uffolkcf.org.u

k/grants/suffo

lk-fund-and-

private-

funds/

http://www.suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/suffolk-fund-and-private-funds/







The Cole

Charitable Trust

Opportunities for young

people, Arts and

culture Cambs £500

application

form

Trustees

meet to

consider

applications

twice a

year usually

in April/May

and

October/No

vember,

applications

should be

received six

weeks

before the

meeting

and precise

deadlines

are

available

on the

website.

http://www.c

olecharitable

trust.org.uk/

The DG

Marshall of

Cambridge

Trust General, local charities Cambs £500 in writing rolling

The Holst

Foundation Arts

The Trust has

historical

links with

Aldeburgh

in Suffolk £3,000 in writing

Trustees

meet four

times a year

The Pye

Foundation

General particularly

young people

Cambs and

the

immediate

surrounding

areas £2,000-£5,000 in writing rolling

http://www.colecharitabletrust.org.uk/




The Tresillian

Trust

Community based

projects supporting

young people

Admin

office is

based in

Norwich £2,000-£3,000 in writing rolling

Trusthouse

Charitable

Foundation

Rural Issue, Urban

Deprivation: Arts:

projects which enable

the disabled and

people living in areas of

need and poverty to

participate in the

performance arts and

to experience artistic

excellence in the

performing arts;

projects which

encourage and give

opportunities to young

talented people whose

circumstances might

otherwise deny them

(but not bursaries or

fees);

up to £9,999

towards

running costs

application

form rolling

http://www.tr

usthousechari

tablefoundati

on.org.uk/ind

ex.html

Wingate

Foundation

Need to

be a

charitable

organisati

on Performing Arts

£5,000 per

year

application

form

4th April,

23rd June

2014

http://www.

wingatefoun

dation.org.uk

/

http://www.trusthousecharitablefoundation.org.uk/index.html





http://www.wingatefoundation.org.uk/




Documents

A guide to fundraising for voluntary sector arts organisations