francis c scott trust
francis scott trust

FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT

Sector Development

The voluntary sector is varied, resilient and adaptable, but it is often underfunded in critical areas such as, but not limited to, professional and organisational development, innovation and leadership and management training. The Trust is reviewing our programme of sector development to consider these needs, and aim to work alongside other funders and infrastructure bodies to understand these better, and ensure our programme offers an effective contribution to help address them - to build skills, capacity, confidence and resilience. We currently do this in two ways, through our Step Change grants and via the Aspiring Leaders Programme.

Step Change

Step Change is a tailored consultancy service based on the developmental needs of your organisation. It can be used, amongst other things, to:

  • Support planned developments or changes
  • Address issues or challenges including, but not limited to, governance or organisational structure
  • Guide organisations through succession planning for key personnel
  • Provide mentoring or coaching
Apply for Step Change
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Criteria for Step Change Programmes

You must be a charitable organisation that is an existing, recent or potential beneficiary of the Trust.

The Step Change consultant will reflect our values, which are:

  • Respect for the skills of charity and community leaders
  • Valuing the contribution of volunteers
  • Understanding the unique demands of the sector
  • Enabling learning rather than ‘doing it for them’
  • Outcome/change focussed

What are we seeking?

  • To ensure that any future support is used to its optimum level by recipient organisations
  • To better equip individuals and organisations for the challenges ahead
  • To upskill the sector

The Process

  • No consultancy happens without the recipient organisation agreeing to it and committing to engaging with the process
  • If the organisation is interested, a no obligation first meeting is arranged between them and the consultant.
  • If all parties agree, a consultancy agreement is then drawn up (including a plan of work over a specified time) and signed by the funder, the organisation and the consultant
  • Any reporting back to the funder is with the explicit agreement and approval of the organisation

Please note, Step Change awards are made independently of other Francis Scott Trust grants and are not a pre-cursor or guarantee of future funding.

Aspiring Leaders Programme (ALP)

The Aspiring Leaders Programme (ALP) is a three year fully funded apprenticeship degree and leadership development experience, designed for aspirant voluntary sector leaders. The programme has been running for over ten years, delivered in partnership between Brathay Trust and the University of Cumbria.

Interested in the Aspiring Leaders Programme?

Please register your interest if you’d like information on future programmes.

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