Fund Raising from Trusts & Foundations 

One of the most successful ways of fundraising for large projects is to apply to a Trust or Foundation.

These are organisations set up to distribute funds from a Charitable Trust or a Foundation, usually associated with a large company.  

For example, in the UK there are thousands of grant-making Trusts and Foundations that literally give millions away to worthy causes .

There are also other sources, such as central, state or federal government which are increasingly turning to charitable bodies to carry out work within the community.

Making Grant Applications

So grant applications to fund projects which address key issues such as education, health & social welfare, housing & homelessness, disadvantaged, youth and minority groups can be a great way of raising money to cover set up or running costs .

Some people have claimed a success rate of 50% with fundraising from Trusts & Foundations, but others says that it is rather less than this.  Whatever the case, for large sums of over £5000, this remains an excellent means of raising money towards your project.

Don't ignore smaller grant-making bodies, often a small grant for £5000 or so, may be the key to opening the doors with larger funders, as it improves your credibility when they see that another body is happy to invest in your project.

You will probably need to spend quite some time on researching the grant-making bodies that might be interested in your project.  
Whether you do this online or by visiting the library to use the resources there doesn't matter - but this is a key part of your fundraising strategy and plan.

How to write your application, what to include and how to complete the funding application form, check out our grant application tips .

In the first instance, going online to look at what grants are available for your type of project - whether they are offered in your region. 

If it looks like it may be possible, print off the initial details - create a shortlist and then move on to downloading application forms, deadlines, etc

You'll need good information about what you propose to do - detailed budgets which are costed out well (including realistic salaries), statistics about your target group and local area, together with information about what makes your group able to deliver the targets that you outline.

Your cover letter should outline how you fit their funding criteria, your target group and what you are able to deliver - preferably a quantifiable targets (e.g. we will deliver support to a minimum of 30 young people aged 16-21 in between April 2010 and March 2011)

Recommended Resources

Raising Money from US Grants - a directory of where to find the money, including venture capital , small business grants & loans, training .  Includes further information on successful grant writing strategies.

Sample Application Letter - keep it simple.  Don't be tempted to write too much - check out our sample letter which includes ideas of which paragraphs to include