Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF)
Volunteer Grant Learning Set Facilitator - Volunteer
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We Are Looking For an Experienced Grant-Making Professional
We are looking for an experienced grant-making professional or someone with an in-depth understanding of the UK grant funding landscape to deliver ONE engaging and practical session helping community organisations understand how grant funders assess applications and organisations.
What Difference Will You Make?
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) provides a programme of free Learning Sets for community organisations that have received funding from us. These practical 1–2 hour sessions are designed to build the confidence and skills of local organisations across areas such as governance, fundraising, grant applications, monitoring and evaluation.
What Are We Looking For?
We Are Looking For Someone Who
- Is available to deliver one session to community groups in October 2026 (date TBC).
- Has in-depth knowledge and experience of the UK grant funding landscape, ideally from a funder, grant-maker, infrastructure organisation or senior charity/VCSE perspective.
- Understands how grant applications are assessed and how funders make decisions.
- Has a good understanding of charity accounts, reserves, governance and organisational due diligence.
- Can explain financial and governance concepts in a clear, accessible and non-judgemental way to community organisations of varying sizes and levels of experience.
- Is comfortable sharing practical examples and insights from their experience without disclosing confidential information.
- Understands the realities and pressures facing small community organisations and can take a supportive, constructive approach.
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What Will You Be Doing?
Deliver a session (online or in person) during October 2026 (date TBC). The session should give participants a better understanding of what funders are looking for, why they ask certain questions and how organisations can provide the information funders need to make confident decisions.
Time commitment Approximately 3 hours ‘delivery’ time - at a date to be confirmed in October 2026
- Up to 2 hours workshop delivery to community organisations
- Up to 1 hour preparation/pre-meeting with HIWCF
What The Session Could Cover
The facilitator will be encouraged to shape the session based on their experience, but we anticipate covering topics including
‘How Grant Funders Assess Your Organisation And Application’
- What are funders really looking for in a grant application? Understanding how funders assess need, proposed activity, impact, value for money, organisational capacity and fit with their funding priorities.
- How funders read your annual accounts – what funders look for in income, expenditure, unrestricted reserves, restricted funds, assets and liabilities, and what might prompt further questions.
- Governance and due diligence – what checks funders undertake on organisations, why governance matters and what funders need to see to feel confident that an organisation is well run and able to deliver its work.
- Reporting problems to funders – when and how should you tell a funder if a project is delayed, underspent, unable to deliver what was planned or experiencing other challenges? Helping organisations understand that early, honest communication is usually better than trying to hide a problem.
- The difference between a strong application and a compelling one – how organisations can move beyond describing what they do to clearly demonstrate why their work matters and what difference funding will make.
- Common red flags and avoidable mistakes – examples of things that can make a funder pause, ask questions or lose confidence in an application, and how organisations can avoid them.
- Building a relationship with funders – understanding that funding is not simply a transaction and exploring how organisations can develop constructive, transparent relationships with funders before, during and after a grant.
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