Trusts and foundations fundraising 

 

Securing grant funding is more important than ever as costs rise for both charities and their supporters.

But navigating the complex landscape of trusts and foundations, crafting compelling applications, and managing the technical aspects of the process can be overwhelming for many organisations. You can waste a lot of staff time on applications that end up unsuccessful. 

We’re here to help! Better Story’s professional grant-writing team, with decades of experience, is dedicated to helping you identify the right funding opportunities and create powerful applications that stand out.

We offer three tailored services to meet your specific requirements:

  • This service is designed for charities with fully developed projects or programs. We'll create a compelling Case for Support and an application pipeline, followed by focused grant writing to help you secure the funding you need.

  • This one-off service provides you with a compelling Case for Support, a sample cover letter, and a qualified potential funder pipeline to set you up for successful fundraising. 

  • Our flexible support service offers tailored assistance when you need it most, including tender support, second eye review, research support, and impact report writing and design.

Unlike most people, our dedicated team absolutely loves writing grant applications and has the expertise and time needed to get results. Contact us to discuss how we can help you secure the grants you need to power your work.

Day Rate Support: £440 per day

Trust and Foundations from £1,500 per month

Get in touch for more details.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 
  • Securing funding from trusts and foundations is a long-term process and not a quick solution to immediate financial needs. The timeline for receiving a response can vary significantly depending on the funder, with some taking several months to review applications and make decisions. It is important to understand that each funder operates on their own schedule, and some may have specific application deadlines or review periods.  

  • A Case for Support, sometimes called a project proposal or a statement of need, is a compelling document that outlines your charity's mission, project(s), and funding needs. It serves as the foundation for all your fundraising applications and helps to create a clear and persuasive narrative for potential funders. 

  • While we cannot guarantee funding success, as this depends on the individual funders, we have an excellent track record of securing grants for our clients. Our team crafts high-quality, tailored applications that present a compelling case for support, maximising your chances of success.  

  • We write your applications, and then send them to you to submit. That means your charity maintains direct relationships with the funders, allowing you to build trust and rapport, which can lead to long-term partnerships and future funding opportunities.  

  • We provide you with access to our live fundraising action plan, which is regularly updated to reflect the progress of your applications and the status of your funder pipeline. We also maintain regular communication with you throughout the process to ensure you are always informed about our efforts on your behalf. 

  • We understand that circumstances can change during the fundraising process. If you need to make changes to your Case for Support or fundraising strategy, we will work with you to document and agree any necessary changes. However, please keep in mind that developing a new Case for Support will require additional time, which may result in less time spent on active fundraising during that period. 

  • The due diligence process is a crucial step in which we assess your charity's fundability and determine the best service to meet your needs. We do this before we start to work with you. This process involves reviewing your charity's accounts, governance, and the specific projects or programs for which you are seeking funding. By conducting a thorough due diligence process, we can ensure that we provide you with the most effective support and maximise your chances of securing funding. 

  • Our onboarding process is designed to set your charity up for fundraising success. It includes the creation of a compelling Case for Support that highlights your charity's mission, impact, and funding needs. We also develop a one-page fundraising strategy to guide our efforts and an initial pipeline of qualified funders to approach. This process lays the groundwork for a successful fundraising campaign. 

  • Our team has extensive experience in prospect research and uses a variety of tools and resources to identify potential funders that align with your charity's mission and funding needs. This includes using our extensive internal database in addition to other specialised resources.  

  • Yes, we are happy to discuss additional support for your charity's fundraising efforts. Our team has a wealth of experience in various aspects of fundraising, including impact reporting, individual giving, major donors, and more. If you are interested in exploring additional services, please let us know, and we will work with you to develop a tailored plan to meet your needs. 

  • Yes, we believe in empowering our clients to build their internal fundraising capacity. We offer to work alongside and support your team develop their fundraising skills, including guidance on stewarding funder relationships, crafting compelling impact reports, and more. Our goal is to not only secure funding for your charity but also to help you build a sustainable, long-term fundraising strategy. 


“Better Story lived into its mission mandate by providing first class services to help us tell our story better!

Better Story expanded 3P Ministries’ knowledge and access to dozens of potential donor trusts and foundations. By providing a specific project manager we felt we had gained a 3P team member. Her excellent service by way of communication, organization, and clear steps of implementation, made the task of fund development a blessing.

JOHN BECKER, CEO - 3P MINISTRIES

“They have always been incredibly approachable and generous with their time and insights. 

Better Story have been fantastic. We are a small fundraising team, so their experience and expertise has been invaluable as we've explored how to develop our Grants & Trust fund income”.

BRYN ABBOTT, CEO - FUNDRAISING DIRECTOR, MERCY UK