This is halfway between an /emo/ and a /£$€¥/ post, but has anyone ever actually tried to get anything fucking done in the world? What an absolute nightmare.
What I mean is, after building up a tiny bit of capital, a good network and many years of expertise on a subject, I've decided to start a charitable organisation of my own. It's really hit home how money and politics distorts incentives and rules all. I was naïvely surrounding myself with qualified and passionate people, when what I actually needed were the well-connected who are rubbing shoulders with wealthy people.
I'm now essentially competing for a limited pot of funds with people that ultimately have the same goal, even though we should be working together. I'm also witnessing people who know fuck-all about what they're doing get money for nothing, while people with an actual understanding of the problem get passed over. It's been an eye-opener.
I suppose a more positive spin on the thread would be to pose the question, do meritocratic sources of funding exist? Or is everything a big fucking who-knows-who?
My mum has worked in a variety of senior roles for grant-giving charitable bodies for more than 20 years. The good news for you is that most grant applications are absolutely fucking awful - a clear majority of applicants don't bother to read (or don't understand) the instructions for applying, which run to less than half a page and include things as simple as "applications should be made by e-mail", "you must be a UK registered charity" and "we require a copy of your accounts".
Charitable grant-making decisions are often arbitrary and shit charities do sometimes get money purely because of chumocracy, but a lot of grants are awarded to shit charities simply on the basis that they made the least shit application out of a really shit cohort.
My advice to you would be as follows:
Keep in mind that getting the first grant is always the hardest. Nobody wants to look like an idiot by awarding a grant to some fly-by-night who runs off with the money, so it makes a huge difference when someone else has already taken that gamble on you. For most charities, the easiest way to overcome that initial hurdle is through the National Lottery Awards for All scheme, which is specifically aimed at early-stage charities.
Get a copy of the DSC Directory of Grant Making Trusts. It's an essential tool if you're trying to raise funds. It costs a ridiculous £135, but you can usually get an older edition for much less on Amazon or AbeBooks (or free if you cadge an old copy from another charity) and you don't miss out on much by having a copy that's a year or two out of date. Focus aggressively on the trusts whose funding objectives are most closely aligned to your charitable aims.
Search for "meet the funders" or "funders fair" events in your area. It's an easy opportunity to start chumming up to the people who might give you money, but it's also a good way of learning from the mistakes of others - most administrators and trustees are only too happy to rant about the idiotic mistakes people make when applying if you just ask.
Get all your ducks in a row when it comes to administration and governance. An astonishingly large proportion of small charities apply for grants despite the fact that their Charity Commission annual return is months overdue or their accounts have been done on the back of an envelope. The Charity Commission provide comprehensive guidance on topics like governance, risk management and financial controls and it is very much in your interests to read and understand it.
It's inherent to any system with a risk of fraud that rules will distort the meritocracy bit. This leads to its own industry for access to government grants and yeah that really does help the established players and, bloody shysters who will either work out how to cheat the system or otherwise will sell their services. Believe me that I don't think this can change and we saw from the covid business support saga what happens when you're rushing money out the door.
I don't work in the charity bit but from what I've seen my advice would be to get in touch with a bigger established charity, academia and maybe industry to talk and ask for advice. As a small start-up you're really in a position of needing to slot yourself into the existing ecosystem.
Bloody good insight, thank you. I've spent a bit on a 2023/2023 edition of the directory and have signed up to a monthly "startup studio" type meetup.
Unfortunately, it might all be for nought, since today I found that I couldn't register my charity in the UK because I'm now too much of a filthy foreigner. I am a British citizen and used a family address, but will be working from (and permanently live in) an EU country. All of my trustees are based overseas, as well.
I understand the necessity of this for the legal side of things, since if we do anything illegal they'll probably want us under the jurisdiction of an English court. The e-mail said something to that effect.
Thing is, I want this registered in the UK as there is a bigger pot of funding there, better understanding of English funding applications, and the fact we already have our governing document prepared especially for the UK Charity Commission.
I'm thinking that there must be charities registered in the UK that has its main operations internationally. How do they make it work? I'm obviously doing my own research too, but I've often had luck asking you lads.
An E&W registered charity must have a majority of their trustees and their main centre of operations in England/Wales. Big international charities don't really get around this requirement, they just have legally distinct operations in the UK and abroad.
If forming a charity in your country of residence isn't a good option, then a Community Interest Company might work - it's a much more flexible legal vehicle than a registered charity.
Unfortunately this appears to mean any grants I receive would be subject to tax, which is pretty significant for me. It would be nice to pay some of my trustees as a CIC though.
I may have to check the country I'm in. I would guess UK funders aren't too keen on sending grants to charities registered in other countries?
Some funders only work with UK-based charities, but many are happy to fund overseas projects if they align with their charitable aims. It's a bit trickier if you're working in a high- income Western European country, because trustees are likely to ask "why can't they raise funds in their own country?".
Is there a way to see more detail about who has funded an already-existing charity? I looked at the financial report of a particular organisation on the Charity Commission website, but only found the following, which breaks the funders down by category.
Charities with an annual income of less than £250,000 are only required to file basic accounts. Charities with income greater than that are required to file more detailed accounts, which would typically include a breakdown of grants received. You might have some luck if you contact the administrator or treasurer and ask nicely.
