If you’ve made it to Stage 2: Ideas Testing, well done!
This is a chance for us to get to know your charity better and your plans for the grant and beyond.
You will talk through your funding proposal with one of our Strategic Applicant Consultants (SACs). Together, you’ll explore whether the plans presented in your application are the right ones to fully unlock organisational transformation. Even if you’re not taken forward in the process, you’ll come away with useful strategic insight to help inform your organisation’s future direction.
So what happens?
Your SAC will invite you to have a 45 minute chat. They want to understand more about what your charity is doing and why. They will ask about your challenges, what your future could look like, and how The Fore’s support will help you get there.
They will ask thought-provoking questions, but this shouldn’t be a source of worry. In fact, this is where the strategic support comes in. The questions they ask will depend on your organisation and the content of your application, but in general they may cover:
- The skills and expertise of your leadership team and how you work together, including your trustee/advisory board.
- Your short and long-term vision/strategy for your charity. There is no need for a detailed plan, just share your thoughts.
- Evidence of your impact to show what you’re doing is working. You can bring along evidence showing the need and demand for, and the impact of, your work. For example this could be a case study or a story you can tell. Don’t worry if you don’t have an impact framework in place or lots of quantitative data.
- Your charity’s financial situation, including your reserves levels.
- Potential risks or challenges facing your charity and the ways you could potentially overcome them. This isn’t about catching you out – it’s about helping you think ahead.
Top tips to help you prepare
- Have your 3-page application document and your latest set of signed-off annual accounts ready. If you don’t have signed-off accounts, please bring your latest set of management accounts or financial report instead.
- Review your proposal and financial table so you’re comfortable with the information and figures.
After the call
Your SAC will let you know whether your application will move forward to Stage 3: Funding Panels. If so, they will:
- Ask to speak to two referees.
- Ask a few simple questions about your organisation’s current safeguarding policies. Don’t worry if you don’t yet have a written policy. Your application can still be taken forward to panel, but we will ask for confirmation that you’ve drafted one before we can release any funding. We can provide guidance to help you with this.
Your SAC will then write a one-page report about your charity and request for funding for the panel. They might contact you to confirm some facts, but you won’t need to write anything more. They’ll do it for you, checking in with you all the way. During the panel, your SAC will represent and advocate for your charity, answering questions from panellists on your behalf. The Fore team facilitate the panels, but the decision-makers are a rolling mix of:
- Charity leaders from charities we’ve funded in the past.
- Volunteers from our corporate partners.
- Representatives from our trust and foundation partners.
All panellists are trained to focus on our two key assessment criteria: transformational impact and strength of leadership.
If your application isn’t taken forward to panel, your SAC will offer a 10-minute follow-up call to share their feedback in case you would like to reapply in a future funding round.
Good luck with your Stage 2 call, and we hope you enjoy the conversations!