Hello Fundraisers,

Welcome to the July edition of Voluntary Support's Fundraising newsletter!

We've gathered a range of news, resources, training opportunities, and new funding options to help you plan ahead. Take a look below to find out what's included in this month's edition:

Fundraising News:

• Grantmaking insights offer support for fundraising plans
• Be in the know: Donor Advised Funds
• Fundraising: a reminder for Trustees
• NCVO free membership extended for small charities

Training & Events: 

• Proving Your Value to Funders - 16 July 2026
• Social Media Marketing and Remarketing for Community Building
• Charity Mash-Up 2026
• Get Grants free conference packed with fundraising advice

New Funds: Take a look at a range of new funds for you in our list below.

If you need support with fundraising, please get in touch with Alison at: alison@voluntarysupport.org.uk. 

Kind regards,

Alison Morey

Grantmaking insights offer support for fundraising plans

UKGrantmaking is the definitive annual publication on grant funding in the UK. It’s a free, interactive platform that collates and analyses information about grantmakers and the grants they have made. The current edition, published in June 2026, looks at data from 2024-25.

Key insights reveal:

• Over 14,000 UK grantmakers provided grants worth £24 billion in 2024-25 - an increase of 4% from the previous year.
• Grants from Trusts & Foundations and Donor Advised Funds totalled over £10bn, compared with Government and National Lottery funding of £9.5bn.
• Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are becoming a substantial part of the voluntary and community sector’s income with grantmaking in 2024-25 at £2.4bn, an 8% increase since 2023-24 and 29% increase since 2022-23.

The report's insights into fundraising trends are useful for developing fundraising plans for the months and years ahead.

Be in the know: Donor Advised Funds

A DAF (Donor Advised Fund) is a giving account that sits under the umbrella of a large charitable organisation, such as the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and Community Foundation for Surrey. A donor makes a charitable contribution into the fund, and the fund's provider takes care of the administration, while the donor recommends which causes or organisations should receive grants from it, sometimes over many years.

While a DAF gives donors many of the benefits of running their own charitable foundation, it comes without the cost, complexity or ongoing administrative, fiduciary and reporting burden of setting one up independently. Essentially, the DAF provider handles the legal and regulatory responsibilities, while the donor retains the enjoyable part — deciding where the money goes. This makes DAFs a popular and flexible option for donors who want the strategic control of a foundation without the overheads.

It can require a slightly different approach than traditional grant or major donor fundraising, since the relationship is often mediated through the DAF provider rather than a direct conversation with the donor.

Philanthropy Impact has published useful research on DAFs in the UK, which includes a list of UK-based providers.

Proving Your Value to Funders - 16 July 2026

Writing a funding bid isn’t just about filling in a form; it’s about crafting a compelling story that funders want to be a part of.

It’s about making a compelling case for support, one that moves beyond good intentions to clearly show why your work matters. It’s about showing that no one else is already doing it for the community you support, evidencing the need, proving how and why it works, the change it is already making for individuals and in relieving demands on wider local resources, and the reasons it deserves backing for ongoing and increased impact.

Proving Your Value to Funders is a practical, insight-driven course designed to help you transform your funding applications into powerful stories of change.

The course will help you:

• Move beyond telling a funder your project will make a difference and show them how and why it already does with real-world examples
• Present your work as a compelling story of change, addressing the challenges and issues the funder cares about
• Back up your ambition with meaningful facts, figures, lived experience and evidence of the benefits through case studies
• Using data effectively (without overwhelming the reader)
• Connect emotionally while staying professional
• Demonstrate how your work reduces pressure on other services and the community, how it prevents escalation and crisis and illustrates long-term change
• Position your organisation as a credible, investable partner
• Present outcomes clearly, concisely and confidently so they feel confident in you and what you’re telling them!

Who this course is for

• Charity and community organisation leaders
• Social enterprise founders close to launch or those contemplating a community project
• Bid writers and fundraisers
• Anyone responsible for securing funding

Whether you’re new to bid writing or looking to strengthen your success rate, this course will help you present your project and organisation with clarity and credibility.

By the end of the course, we hope that you won’t just be asking for funding, you’ll be inviting funders to invest in meaningful, measurable change.

Social Media Marketing and Remarketing for Community Building - 21 September 2026 - Staines Library

This workshop explores how to strategically use social media to attract, engage, and retain audiences through authentic community building. We will look at what is a reasonable expectation from your efforts, what kind of goals to set and how to achieve them. We will also cover the technique of growing an email list from your social media and website, and the fundamentals of remarketing, leveraging repetition and targeted messaging to really engage followers and subscribers  

By the end of the course, you will understand how to integrate social media, email marketing, and remarketing strategies into a cohesive system to nurture relationships and boost their engagement.

Key Topics: 

• Designing social media content that captures your target audience 
• Achieving engagement and building an online community  
• Growing and managing an email list effectively 
• Creating remarketing campaigns that reinforce brand awareness through repetition 
• Nurturing closer connections and longer-term relationships 

Charity Mash-Up 2026

24 September, 9am - 2:30pm, Woking

This year's Charity Mash‑Up by Surrey Community Action takes the theme of No Charity Left Behind, bringing together Surrey’s voluntary sector at a moment when the pressures have never felt sharper. As local government reorganisation and the mergers of CCGs reshape long‑standing partnerships, charities are navigating shrinking funding opportunities, rising operational costs, and surging demand for vital community services. This conference presents a space to connect, collaborate, and strengthen the sector so every organisation—large or small—can continue delivering the support Surrey's communities depend on.

Speakers include Maddy Desforges OBE from NAVCA, Kat Wayne from The National Lottery Community Fund and charity consultant Vic Hancock-Fell.

Early bird tickets are £25, available until Friday 31 July (or until sold out). Standard price after that: £30

Get Grants free conference packed with fundraising advice

Funding information resource Get Grants is running its free virtual conference in October for the third year running.

This year’s event, which runs on 6 and 7 October, features expert fundraising advice, peer support, tips and Q&A sessions.

You can also download and watch last year's sessions for free. Sessions include in conversations with funders Henry Smith Foundation and Hilden Charitable Trust, and sessions such as practical storytelling and stewarding human connection.

Surrey County Council funding opportunities to strengthen financial resilience across communities

Surrey County Council is inviting voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to apply for new funding to deliver vital financial resilience services and community coordination across the county.

The funding is made available through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), provided by UK Government, and aims to support residents who are experiencing or at risk of financial hardship. Two routes are available for organisations wishing to take part:

• Route 1: Consortium Grants – opening for applications on 13 July 2026, with a final deadline of 13 August 2026
• Route 2: Small Grants – opening late August 2026

These opportunities will enable organisations to work collaboratively to prevent poverty, reduce reliance on crisis support, and build long-term financial resilience within Surrey’s communities.

Full details are available on Surrey County Council website, with further more detailed information provided on request via an Invitation to Apply document. Enquiries can be sent to crf@surreycc.gov.uk.

Surrey Community Foundation - expressions of interest opened 2 July

The next round for Expressions of Interest to the Community Foundation for Surrey opened on 2 July, and closes on 1 September.

There are three types of grant available:

• Main Grants: for projects which particularly support communities in Surrey facing disadvantage. Average grant size is between £6k and £7k.
• Strategic Transformation Fund: This funding for projects up to £15k is to help improve financial sustainability by capacity building e.g. improving impact measurement, investing in leadership development or support, improving financial management by investing in new systems or improving capacity with new systems and processes.
• Creative Wellbeing Programme: supporting small and medium-sized charities across Surrey using music, arts, and culture to improve health and wellbeing in people of all ages. Grants up to £5k available.

Woodroffe Benton Foundation

The Woodroffe Benton Foundation's next Small Grant funding round will be open from 1 - 31 August. This fund will focus on projects for people with severe physical and/or learning disabilities engaging in nature and the outdoors. The funding round will be closed on 31 August 2026 or when 150 applications have been received.

Leeds Building Society Foundation

The Foundation offers small grants for projects working to reduce financial stress; improve security and refuge; or improve quality and suitability of housing. You can also apply under the theme ‘Health and wellbeing support for those experiencing homelessness’ if it's part of wraparound support and the application also meets at least one of the other themes.

For small grants (now up to £2,500) the Fondation takes applications year-round with quarterly decision meetings, and funding now covers core, project and capital costs, not just capital.

The Cherry Family Foundation

Cherry Family Foundation funds charities in London, the East and the South East who organise programmes that support young people. Types of projects include:

• Programmes to develop skills
• Educational activities
• Services to relieve sickness or advance both physical and mental health
• Recreational and leisure activities

Applications open on 1 August for ten days.

The Shackleton Foundation

The Foundation supports aspiring leaders and social entrepreneurs, offering seed-funding to help them start their venture. In particular, Trustees look for examples of leadership, innovation, enterprise, inspiration, ambition, endurance and courage in the applications they review. Successful applicants can expect to receive help with the practical aspects of starting up a social venture, including:

• Seed-funding
• Mentoring by existing Leaders
• Access to quarterly advice surgeries and an annual Leaders Forum
• Awareness-building for your venture
• Introductions to potential second stage funders

Single grants or loans of £15,000 are available to get an idea started. Eligible ideas must:

• Solely benefit children and young people (0-25 years) based in the UK (100% of beneficiaries)
• Be in the first year of development
• Be innovative and fresh
• Fulfil a clear need and demand
• Have a real social impact
• Have well-defined outputs and goals
• Have the potential for real growth and sustainability

The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund

Capital, core, research and revenue grants up to and over £5,000 are available to charities for the care and relief of children, young people and adults with learning disabilities in the UK. Applications for grants under £5,000 may be made at any time. Applications for grants over £5,000 need to be in by 31 August for the November meeting. Further information, guidance and an online application form is available on their website. 

Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust

The Jean Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust supports charities working to:

• benefit or protect animals
• relieve animals from suffering
• conserve wildlife
• encourage the understanding of animals

The Trust's next deadline is 1 August.

Stanley Smith UK Hortultural Trust

The Trust supports horticultural research; the creation, development, preservation and maintenance of public gardens; the promotion of the cultivation of plants which have horticultural value and new plants; and assisting with the publication of books or other works related to the science of horticulture. The next deadline for applications is 15 August.

Gale Charitable Trust

The Trust is a newer funder and welcomes applications from a range of organisations. Applicants apply by completing an online form detailing how the grant would be spent, along with their organisation's income and expenditure.

• Applications up to £5,000 (more may be considered in exceptional circumstances)
• Open from September through to June, with funding awarded at the end of the application period
• Applicants must be based in the UK

Rayne Foundation

Note: the Rayne Foundation has recently closed its rolling, open grants programme in favour of regular, targeted, time-limited calls in its priority areas, so it may not currently be a fit for an unsolicited small-grants approach. Its priority areas are:

• Refugees and asylum seekers – creating opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK
• People in later life and their carers – improving quality of life for older people and carers in the UK
• Community centres – supporting new, holistic, locally-led community centres in disadvantaged areas (not yet open for applications)
• Grants for work in Israel – building tolerance and understanding between communities

Funding covers project and salary costs, with core costs available where there's an existing relationship. Grants run 1–3 years, with decisions taking up to 6 months. Open to UK-based voluntary, statutory and not-for-profit organisations (Israel-based equivalents for the Israel programme).

Groundwork Grassroots Grants

Groundwork supports small community and voluntary organisations making a positive difference in their local area, particularly those working with vulnerable people. Grants are unrestricted, so they can be used flexibly to cover whatever a group needs most. Grants of up to £2,000 are available. Eligible organisations must:

• Be a small community or voluntary organisation with an annual income of £25,000 or less
• Be delivering work in at least one of the following areas:
  • Enabling participation in the arts
  • Improving green spaces and increasing access to the outdoors
  • Preventing or reducing the impact of poverty
  • Providing support to improve mental health
  • Supporting marginalised groups and/or tackling inequality

Applications are open until 30 September 2026.

Network for Social Change

The Network for Social Change funds projects that are innovative, highly leveraged, and/or difficult to fund, aiming to address root causes rather than symptoms. All grants are sponsored individually by the Network's members, who review and recommend projects before a final decision is approved by the relevant board.

Funding is available through three streams, depending on project size:

• Fast Track – grants up to £8,000
• Pools – grants from £8,000 to £25,000
• Major Projects – multi-year grants of £100,000+

The Network supports work across 11 overlapping topic areas, including environment, racial justice, peace, economic justice, human rights, health justice, women's rights, democracy, arts and education for change, and refugees and asylum seekers, with UK and overseas projects both eligible.

Around 80% of funding is given charitably through the Network for Social Change Charitable Trust, with the remainder given through its non-charitable arm, Funding for Social Change Ltd, for projects that are more campaigning in nature or don't otherwise qualify for charitable funds. Eligible projects must:

• Be non-party-political, lawful and non-violent
• Not be companies limited by shares (Community Interest Companies and not-for-profit co-operatives are exempt)
• Not be a response to a one-off disaster
• Not primarily be a building project

Grant-seekers apply by submitting their idea via the Share your project page, in the hope of being taken up by a member as a sponsor.