As Director of Rosslyn Chapel for 11 years I was constantly involved with funding issues. Including the final phase awards, granted early this year, funding for the conservation work at Rosslyn has been in the order of £15 million. There are many sources for funding:
- Statutory Funding - This requires many hoops and a constantly moving bar. The emphasis on what is required changes too with political temperature changes as well as Government priorities. Currently the need to move money to the Olympics makes Lottery money hard to grasp.
- There are other statutory sources beyond the Lotto, often managed by Local Councils and are often forms of Partnership deals. There are sources whose funding is linked to specific areas such as Green Belts, welfare, and support from income raised by landfill waste. Certain areas have regeneration support too.
- Trusts - There are a large number of Grant Giving Trusts, many with specific support areas and some very general. These are not large 'givers' usually but can be a welcome source of help.
- Public support - Never overlook this as a potential area for support. If your project is possibly attractive to the public, or can be made so, this can be a useful funding source. You may need a spin doctor perhaps, but after 11 years at Rosslyn - no problem! A general rule of thumb though is that 95% of your income comes from 5% of your donors. How you approach this particular income stream is vitally important.
- Self-funding - Don't ignore the opportunities to raise, or even earn income from your own project.
If you feel it would be useful to explore ways to fill your funding needs, please contact me.
