Sustainable funding support for infrastructure

Our Sustainable Funding Project works to increase the capacity and capability of infrastructure agencies in the area of sustainable funding advice.

By providing specifically designed tools and resources, we works to support infrastructure agencies and funding advisors in assisting frontline organisations to develop their financial sustainability.

To assist organisations in spreading the sustainable funding message, we provide:

An introduction to Sustainable Funding for infrastructure - check your knowledge of the full spectrum of income sources.
A tool to assess your organisation - do you have the information and tools to provide sustainable funding advice?
Resources - tools and guides to use with the frontline organisations you work with.
A package of workshops - a partnership opportunity to host sustainable funding workshops in your local area.
Case studies - examples from other organisations and individual funding advisors to discover what's worked well and what they've learnt along the way.
Tips on working with funders.
Resources, training packages and networking on improving procurement and commissioning practices.

Stay up to date

SFP 'Update' e-newsletter - a round up of the latest funding and financing news and opportunities, produced 10 times per year.

For the latest news and insight follow the sustainable funding team on Twitter.

How we work

We've selected six organisations to be our Sustainable Funding Beacons

These infrastructure organisations will be our strategic partners during 2010 – 2012, helping us to equip local voluntary and community sector organisations with the skills, knowledge and tools to implement a sustainable funding approach.

Read more about the successful Sustainable Funding Beacons.

We’re also working in partnership with Voluntary Norfolk, West Voluntary Norfolk and Norfolk Rural Community Council as part of the Sustainable Funding Project (Norfolk). This is a 3 year project funded by the Big Lottery Fund. For more information, visit the Voluntary Norfolk website.

Voluntary Norfolk logo

Between 2007 and 2009 SFP worked with a selection of infrastructure agencies to enable VCOs to become more sustainable. Find out more about the Sustainable Funding 'Partners' and contact details for your local 'partner'. This work has now ended, although we continue to keep in touch with our partners and build on the progress made.

Other resources

Looking for funding and finance opportunities?

Funding Central is a free website built to help you to find grant, contract and loan opportunities. It also has a range of tools to support infrastructure organisations - aligned to the sustainable funding approach. You can also search for funding on behalf of the groups you are working with. Visit Funding Central.

Support for infrastructure agencies

Getting Ready for Enterprise Course :

Getting Ready for Enterprise has been re-vamped and re-branded!

Please go to the page about Grow Your Own...Income.

Sustainable Funding 'Partners' :

Since 2007 the Sustainable Funding Project has been working with a selection of infrastructure agencies or 'partners' to enable VCOs to become more sustainable. The 'partners' hosted a package of workshops and cascaded SFP's messages and tools across their regions.

Train the Trainer Workshop :

Information about a workshop for funding advisors which enables cascading the sustainable funding message to the groups they work with.

Who?

The Train the Trainer workshop has been designed specifically for local funding advisors and development workers (those typically based in CVS, Rural Community Councils, BME, regional and other sub-sector support agencies).

It is for those who will use the information gained on the day to advise others on how they can take a more sustainable approach to their funding.

The Sustainable Sun tool for infrastructure :

Do you have the information and tools to provide sustainable funding advice?

What is sustainable funding? :

An introduction to sustainable funding for infrastructure organisations

Sustainable funding is based on the premis that organisations are most at risk if too much of their funding is concentrated in one source. This could either be in one 'income stream' or from one funder. A sustainable funding approach is underpinned by a good understanding of financial management and planning.

Sustainable Funding Beacons :

Partnerships with the Sustainable Funding Project at NCVO

Over the past decade, the Sustainable Funding Project (SFP) has worked with infrastructure across England to support frontline voluntary and community sector organisations (VCOs) to explore a more sustainable approach to funding.

SFP resources for funding advisors :

Tools and guides to use with the frontline organisations you work with.

Infrastructure case studies :

Read about other infrastructure agencies and individual funding advisors to discover what’s worked well and what they’ve learnt along the way.

Six quick tips to help you retain new members :

New members are the most likely in any organisation or association to not renew their membership. You therefore need to start your retention program for from the day they join - not 11 months later when their membership is about to expire. If you haven't already, think about introducing the following:

Package of workshops :

Would you like to work in partnership with the Sustainable Funding Project? We work closely with local infrastructure organisations to deliver training and improve resources in their area. We also support infrastructure to share learning within their sub-region or region across the voluntary and community sector and often speak or run mini-workshops at events.

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Video case studies

Tameside Third Sector Coalition share how they diversified their income by establishing new services and collaborating with other organisations to become more financially sustainable.

Click on full screen to view the film.

Southwark Community Action share how they are using our free website Funding Central to support community and voluntary organisations in the South London Borough of Southwark find funding for their work.