Network Funding

We believe that collaboration is a powerful tool for stimulating innovation, sharing ideas, building knowledge and developing new skills and our Networks Funding aims to achieve exactly that.

Find out about the most recent Networks to receive funding in 2019-20 here.

Applications are now closed for our next round of Network Funding, supported by Arts Council England.

What is Network Funding?

We invite applications from groups or networks across England towards the development of new training events, conferences, seminars or introductory meetings with the aim of strengthening arts fundraising skills and building robust partnerships across the sector.

What can we support?

Organisations and groups can apply for the following levels of support towards the participants’ travel costs, venue hire, catering, speakers, access requirements and any other relevant expenditure for an event or activity:

Up to a maximum of £1,000 for any single event, or group of events, benefitting a minimum of ten people, who are either freelancers or staff from at least five different arts, cultural or heritage organisations.
Up to a maximum of £2,000 for any single event, or group of events, benefitting a minimum of twenty people, who are either freelancers or staff from at least ten different arts, cultural or heritage organisation.

For 2019, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy’s priority focus will be to help fund a diverse range of Network events tackling key issues within the current fundraising environment and we have identified the following five priority areas that we would like to target:

Improving diversity in the fundraising profession and reaching new donor communities.
Developing new approaches to supporting resilience in the fundraising profession from entry level to Development Director.
Developing new approaches to ethics in fundraising and building public trust.
Embracing technology and new ideas.
Collaborating with the wider charity sector and sharing learning between the arts and mainstream charities.

We also welcome applications for projects where you are able to demonstrate an urgent need or added value for your community and the wider sector.

We prioritise supporting networks and groups that have not previously received funding from the programme. However, we will accept proposals from networks and groups that we have previously supported that would like to do something different or have a strong case to expand their reach.

Events or activities must take place before Friday 31 January 2020.

How can I apply?

If you would like to apply for this round of Networks Funding, please email your proposal to Head of Programme, David Johnson, david.johnson@cause4.co.uk, to reach us by email no later than 12.00pm (noon) on Friday 14th June 2019.

Your proposal should be no longer than four pages of A4 and should include the following:

The name, purpose and membership of your network/group.
Details of the activity you would like to receive support for, including location and proposed date, and how this activity will help strengthen fundraising skills across the group.
What you would like the money to cover in terms of the costs of the event, and how this will help your existing group do something new, or help you establish a new network/group.
How learning will be distributed throughout your group, and more widely if applicable.
An outline budget, with expenditure and income for the event, including a breakdown of the costs you would like to be covered by Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy. We will expect all projects to show some additional income, e.g. support in kind is counted.

Diversity and Inclusion

We welcome applications from a wide range of individuals and organisations, to reflect the diversity of artists and audiences for art and culture across England. Our definition of diversity encompasses responding to issues around race, ethnicity, faith, disability, age, gender, sexuality, class and economic disadvantage and any social and institutional barriers that prevent people from creating, participating or enjoying art and culture.

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from networks and groups that offer support to individuals that respond to this definition of diversity, and/or support to staff within organisations that are themselves committed to helping beneficiaries from diverse backgrounds.

We will expect all applicants to include within their proposals ways in which they will ensure that their event(s) are fully inclusive and accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Please include any costs related to access requirements within your outline budget as part of your overall funding application outlining why you require this additional support and how these funds will be used to improve accessibility.

How will decisions be made?

We will consider the following when making our decisions:

The benefit of the activity for the network or group members.
The benefit of the activity for strengthening arts, cultural or heritage fundraising across the region or sector that the group represents.
The balance of support we can offer to individuals and groups across England, taking into account our commitment to reach a diverse range of individuals and networks.