Support with funding applications, strategy and building the organisation

Third Sector Consultancy provides a range of services which help charities and voluntary and community organisations to develop as an organisation and to access the funding needed to fulfil their mission. 

We are very much about real collaboration and partnership based on shared values – working hard to really understand your needs and building support based on these.

This evidenced by our clients. Jess Dolan (CEO of ecoActive in London) had this to say about us following our support in gaining a £250,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund:

“John and Rachel have been invaluable pillars of support since 2020. Their dedication has been evident through tireless efforts in researching funders, meticulously crafting grant applications, and offering precious assistance in editing and proofreading. Beyond this, they have played a pivotal role in refining our impact assessment, elevating the evidence we provide to funders. Their support has significantly contributed to expanding and diversifying our grant income, empowering our small charity to enhance our fundraising over the years.”

We can support you in  developing an effective fundraising strategy and through making and supporting applications to charitable trusts and foundations and the National Lottery.

We also provide tailored support so that your organisation can be ready for successful income generation. This includes support with consultations, evaluation and strategic and business planning. John and Rachel are trusted consultants on the Lloyds Bank Enhance programme providing tailored support to charities.

We offer a free consultation on the funding needs and potential of your organisation. We are also sometimes able to access funding for development work which means that it can be at no cost to your organisation.

2024 – how is this year going? Very well indeed!

September: we have had another great result for Abigail Housing – a grant of £60,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation – to contribute to core costs for work in both Bradford and Leeds.

In July we had three excellent results:

One was £20,000 for Abigail Housing to cover costs for their Bradford Drop-in for refugees and asylum seekers. The second was £20,000 for Otley Courthouse – to cover costs for additional hours for the Volunteer Co-ordinator – a key role for this arts and community venue.

The third was a grant of £60,000 over two years from the Garfield Weston Foundation – to cover core costs for Together Dementia Support’s work in Manchester.

In May we heard that our clienta West Yorkshire housing association had been awarded £313,000 over 3 years – to develop and run their food and wrap around skills development project.

This is a huge result for TSC and is the end of several months of extensive work and support from ourselves.

February – £250,000 for ecoACTIVE and £70,000 for Fusion Housing!!

In November and December last year we put in a lot of work in supporting ecoACTIVE in an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund – to help create the Hackney Buzzline. The application was successful!

The Hackney Buzzline is an exciting project aiming to set up a 4 kilometre ‘buzzline’ for bees.The Hackney Buzzline will be a four kilometre ecological corridor extending through and between four east London parks. The parks are all local sites of importance for nature conservation. The corridor will be built by sowing wildflower meadows, planting flower beds and creating ‘stepping-stone’ habitats for pollinators every 100-200 metres along the route. 

We have also just heard that we have been successful in helping Fusion Kirklees win a £70,000 grant from the government’s Cost of Living funding programme. The funds will support the work of Fusion’s Food and More project – supporting people to develop the skills they wish to have in order to manage their own lives better.

What else?

The new year brought two new clients on board – the Otley Courthouse and Bridge Church – also in Otley. The Courthouse works on arts ands culture as well as community and social activities. Bridge Church is at the forefront of community and social support services in the town – being a leader in the Welcome Space initiative.

How was 2023?

Lat year 2023 was extraordinary. The work with Stanley Grange Community Association reached a big milestone in that all the funds needed to refurbish two of the houses for adults with severe learning disabilities has been raised – with a funder known to them stepping in with the remaining £91,000 needed and a promise of further support for the next phase to refurbish three small houses there. John’s work as an associate for Moneytree Fundraising has raised  £115,000 towards the three houses in phase 8 – towards a target of £140,000. We also raised £25,000 for core costs from the Gostling Foundation.   

December was outstanding. Our work with Abigail Housing has led to a grant of £105,000 over 3 years from one of the few funders who will offer multi-year funding. Abigail work with refugees and asylum seekers in Bradford and Leeds.                  

We had further success with Bierley Community Association in Bradford: our support has led to a £95,000 Lottery award in August – over 3 years. We have helped them secure a council Strategic Grant (£10,000) in order to develop governance ands strategy. Also through the council we helped them gain £29,000 over 2 years to fund their work with older people: reminiscence, companionship and activities groups, advice and general support.

With our new client in 2023, Bradford Nightstop, we heard that we have helped them to a £40,000 grant over 2 years from the Garfield Weston Foundation. Nightstop works to support young homeless people where the model is using trained volunteers who accept a young person into their home for one night at a time. TSC is working closely with the trustees and Manager on developing their business planning and strategy and fundraising strategy – through a mentoring and skills development approach.

What was 2022 like?

Most of our work is with small charities. In 2022 we achieved what we consider to be a significant result with Acorn Recovery projects (a medium sized charity) which supports people out of addictions towards ‘a life worth living’. We helped them design a scheme for ex-client volunteers to become part-time paid workers under the Permitted Earnings rules which means that they will not lose their benefits. The grant of £200,000 over 3 years enables 8 people to take oin meaningful, paid work doing what they are committed to – helping others with addictions to recover.

2022 was a story of the importance of grants to small charities – no matter what size they are. For example, on the small side we have helped Bierley Community Association raise £10,000 for their community food growing and garden project. In November we heard that the Henry Smith Charity had awarded £126,000 over three years, followed by Garfield Weston with £30,000 over two years!

Our support for Otley Action for Older People resulted in a grant of £27,000 to develop a new support scheme for older men at risk of isolation and loneliness – through the use of transport in new ways.

On the larger side we supported the charity running the Todmorden Hippodrome to win a grant of over £900,000 from the Todmorden Town Bid programme initiated by central government. The funds will be to restructure and rebuild much of the inside of the premises to include new rehearsal and performance spaces. new community workshop room and storage spaces.

Looking further back – An extraordinary year – 2021:

Sometimes you get on a roll and isn’t that great! In a period of just 7 months TSC raised £500,000 for a dementia support charity in Manchester. Yes, £500,000! 

Together Dementia Support do incredible work supporting people with dementia AND their carers. The pandemic brought home to them that if they support the carers, the carers can more effectively care for their loved ones – and for themselves.

Our work with Otley Action for Older People reached new heights in 2021: we supported their amazing team of staff and trustees in bringing about the refurbishment of the entire Hub in the centre of Otley – together raising around £400,000. Not only this, we have supported them in their successful bid to the National Lottery which has raised a grant of around £140,000 to cover costs for a Volunteer Engagement and Community Worker.