Working Together on Grant Programmes
As a charity, we are mindful of keeping our costs to an absolute minimum to ensure the maximum amount of funding possible goes to good causes. Whilst we make best use of our own skills and resources, we believe that working collaboratively with like-minded organisations can:
- Provide efficiency savings
- Be more effective
- Provide a greater impact than working alone
Usually, the projects we support are also funded with grants from other organisations. The question therefore keeps arising as to why funders don’t work closer together when trying to achieve the same goal? Think of the applicant who has to complete several, very different, application forms and then if successful has to meet each funders reporting and monitoring requirements separately? Are there opportunities here of working smarter? If you are a like-minded charity or commercial organisation and would like to discuss how we might be able to collaborate through our grant-making, then please call Matt Young, GrantScape’s Grant Director for an informal chat on 01908 247635, or e-mail matt.young@grantscape.org.uk
It can work . . .
In 2009, GrantScape worked together with the Church Urban Fund on a grant programme entitled 'Believing in Your Local Community: Wildlife and Green Spaces'. Applicants completed a simple two-page application form with decisions made collectively by both organisations. Four applicants received grants, which was open to small faith-based community groups seeking to deliver nature conservation and green space projects, with a community benefit. It attracted 22 applications from across the Greater London area, seeking a total of over £150,000.
Nick Waters of the Church Urban Fund said: 
“Through working together, both organisations have been able to increase their reach to new applicants, whilst benefiting from each other's range of specialist knowledge and experience. Church Urban Fund has benefited from GrantScape's experience of funding community environmental projects, and both organisations have been able to ensure that the co-funded programme met their own funding priorities. Andrew [Andrew Budd, Grant Manager at GrantScape] and I agree that working closely with another funder also introduces your organisation to new procedures and ways of working that can help to shape your own practices.”
