Do you need to learn how to secure grants for your organisation?

Raising money from trusts and foundations offers a great return on investment (around £7 for every £1 invested), but if you're new to writing grant applications it can seem overwhelming. Does this sound like you?

  • You know what you need to raise money for but don’t know how to put together a grant application

  • You’re facing uncertainty in other areas of fundraising and want to learn how to write successful grant applications to help secure your income in the longer term

  • You want to invest in your own staff’s training and development rather than outsourcing bid-writing to a freelancer

  • You’re new to trust fundraising and want to make sure you create the right foundations from the start rather than experimenting as you go along

What students are saying...

Angela

CANTERBURY OAST TRUST & RARE BREEDS CENTRE

"Raising the Bar was a masterclass in trust fundraising. It covered every element a fundraiser must consider when making applications to trusts to improve their success rate. Alicia brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and sound advice. I have no doubt that the knowledge I have gained from the course will increase my chances of securing grants. I only wish this course had been available a few years ago when I started out!"

Fran

SNOWLAND JOURNEYS

"I'm new to fundraising, but doing Alicia's course was a life saver...literally. I've got post-it notes written on books reminding me of info. If you are going to do one course, make it this one 👌😄

Tracey

ROKO 20 ACADEMY

"Simple, clearly explained, stage by stage instructions on how to build your trust fund application."

Lisa

"I just want to say thank you so much. Not only was it one of the best courses I've ever attended, but far and away THE best value for money of any course I've done."

Poppy

Cornwall Rural Community Charity

"I learnt a lot in a short space of time and now feel confident in researching and writing funding applications to Trusts and Foundations."

Sarah B.

"It really has been an impressive course.  I’ve only been trust fundraising for a year and the course has really helped build my confidence."

"Just to say I’m moving slowly through your fab course Really brilliant course. I’ve learnt so much already."

What you'll learn

In this course I’ll walk you through the strategies and techniques I’ve learnt in 18 years of fundraising that have helped me secure several million £'s worth of grants from funders including the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Henry Smith Charity, National Lottery Reaching Communities, City Bridge Trust, Morrisons Foundation and more...In this course you'll learn to:

  • Understand the different elements involved in successful trust fundraising including how to find the right prospects, how to write great applications and what to do after you apply

  • Put together a pipeline of suitable prospects so that you're only applying to the right funders, increasing your success rate and saving you time

  • Master the art of writing successful applications to trusts and foundations including the key elements you need to include in every application

"Alicia is just excellent in her approach and style of explaining. The information was very relevant and extremely helpful. Also AMAZING templates and helpful workbooks."

- NATASHA, THE BRENDONCARE FOUNDATION


Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • Welcome to Raising the Bar

    • BONUS Target Planning Workshop
  • 2

    Module 1 - Working out your 'why'

    • Introduction to trust fundraising

    • Workbook - Evidencing the need for your work

    • Working out your 'why'

    • Workbook - Why a funder should fund you

    • Why a funder should fund your organisation

    • Presentation
  • 3

    Module 2 - Packaging your work

    • Workbook - Packaging up your work

    • Packaging up your work

    • Presentation
  • 4

    Module 3 - Preparing your application

    • Workbook - Outline Project Plan

    • How to prepare the information you need for applications

    • Presentation
  • 5

    Module 4 - Finding prospects to apply to

    • Prospect Research Template

    • Module 4 - Finding prospects to apply to

    • Presentation
  • 6

    Module 5 - Writing applications

    • The Application Letter Template

    • Writing grant applications

    • Presentation
  • 7

    Module 6 - Advanced writing techniques

    • Workbook - Thank you letter template and grant handover template

    • Storytelling

    • Design and writing techniques

    • The next steps

    • Presentation
  • 8

    Next steps

    • Congrats! Before you go...

How the course works

  • Teaching Videos

    There are video teaching sessions to watch, as many times as you need to. This is your chance to get the information you need to tailor what you learn to your own organisation.

  • Community

    You’ll also get access to a private Facebook group for extra accountability and support. Previous participants have said how useful it is to be able to network with other charities at a similar stage in their trust fundraising, to share ideas and get feedback. I’ll be in the group to answer any questions and you can continue as a member for as long as you want so you always have support on hand through your trust fundraising journey.

  • Templates and workbooks

    For every module, you'll have a printable workbook and ready-made templates so that you can implement what you’re learning. This course will give you the foundations of a successful trust fundraising programme, if you put in the work to make it happen. This isn’t a ‘done for you’ course - you’ll need to put some work in and tailor what I’m teaching to work for your organisation.

Meet Alicia

Your instructor

A fundraiser for almost two decades and qualified project manager, I help organisations build successful trust fundraising programmes to make amazing services and projects happen. Over the years I’ve written, and read, hundreds of grant applications. I’ve seen what works and importantly, what doesn’t!
Alicia Grainger Fundraising Consultant

“I liked the fact that it wasn’t just about the science of trust fundraising but also about the art and the nuances. Appreciated Alicia’s responsiveness and her calm, structured and personal delivery.”

-PHILIPPA, LONDON'S AIR AMBULANCE


Payment options

  • Pay in full

    Pay the full course fee of £197 at the time of booking

  • Pay in instalments

    Use the code 'PAYMENTPLAN' at the checkout to pay £49.25 today and then a further 3 x monthly instalments of £49.25 via GoCardless

FAQ

  • How long do I have access to the course?

    For life. So you can always come back and review the course materials at a later date if you need a refresher.

  • Will we win a grant straight away by doing this course?

    No. Whilst there may be some quicker grant programmes available as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, most trust fundraising takes time, usually a minimum of 3-6 months. This course is about giving you the tools and resources to build your organisation's income in the longer term.

  • We are a new organisation, is this course suitable for us?

    The course will teach the foundations of writing successful applications to trusts and foundations so is suitable for all types or organisations, but please bear in mind that you will need to be an established organisation (registered charity or CIC) in order to apply for most grants.

  • We're not based in the UK, will the course work for me?

    Whilst I will be teaching the foundations of trust fundraising which would be applicable to any type of organisation, we will be using practical examples from the UK so you are likely to get the most out of the course if you are UK based.

  • Can I access this from anywhere?

    Yes, that's the beauty of online courses.

  • I've been doing trust fundraising for years. Is this for me?

    I don't see this as a beginners or intermediate course - it's about how you feel about your fundraising and what results you're seeing. If you're not getting the results you want, this course is for you.

  • How much time will the course take?

    The teaching videos are just over 5 hours in total for all six modules. To implement what you've learnt will take additional time - for example, after you've watched the Module 4 Finding prospects to apply to it could then take you several hours to go and do your research and put this information into the template provided. How much time you want to spend implementing the learning depends to a certain extent on your level of experience, but a good guide is around 2-3 hours of implementation time per module. I'd really encourage you to set aside this time as you are going through the course - learning something is great, but taking action will get you the results :)

Don't see your question answered?

Just pop an email to [email protected] and I'll be happy to help!

  • Money Back Guarantee

    If for some reason it’s not everything you expected, let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll refund you every penny. No questions asked.

Some of the grants secured by our students!

Garfield Weston Foundation  £13,000 CSIS Charitable Fund £25,000
The TUUT Charitable Trust £20,000 Danson Foundation
 £20,000
The Hobson Charity
 £3,000 The Education and Training Foundation £10,000
The AEC Trust £30,000 Pears Foundation £20,000
Wolfson Foundation £75,000 The Fore £15,000
National Lottery £8,500 The Three Guineas Trust £10,000
Severn Trent Community Fund £45,563 Skylarks Endowment Fund £7,500