South West Funders Forum

1. South West Funders� Forum Ruishton Village Hall 17 January 2007 Steve Keable and John Skrine Credits for this event and the networks which underlie it are owed to: Big Lottery Fund for sponsorship for today Lloyds TSB Foundation, which has been very supportive of the Funders� Forum from the outset. They are supporting our current series of seminars for funders. Creating:excellence, which provides administrative support and funding. And with this goes acknowledgement to the SW Regional Development Agency, funding from which underpins creating:excellence and thus the series of networks of which the Funders� Forum is one. Credits for this event and the networks which underlie it are owed to: Big Lottery Fund for sponsorship for today Lloyds TSB Foundation, which has been very supportive of the Funders� Forum from the outset. They are supporting our current series of seminars for funders. Creating:excellence, which provides administrative support and funding. And with this goes acknowledgement to the SW Regional Development Agency, funding from which underpins creating:excellence and thus the series of networks of which the Funders� Forum is one.

2. The Funders� Forum has grown out of Funding South West, which is an advisory group and area of activity of creating:excellence, the south west centre for sustainable communities. For more information on creating:excellence and background on Funding South West (including its development plan), visit www.creatingexcellence.org.uk . The Forum therefore has ready access to other networks, learning opportunities and support for its activities. In particular, the vision of Funding South West is to serve the interests of all those who fund, resource, commission or otherwise invest in the sector, and also those who provide advice on these matters to front line organisations. It does this mainly through networking, with separate networks for investors (the Funders� Forum) and for advisers (George). The Funders� Forum has grown out of Funding South West, which is an advisory group and area of activity of creating:excellence, the south west centre for sustainable communities. For more information on creating:excellence and background on Funding South West (including its development plan), visit www.creatingexcellence.org.uk . The Forum therefore has ready access to other networks, learning opportunities and support for its activities. In particular, the vision of Funding South West is to serve the interests of all those who fund, resource, commission or otherwise invest in the sector, and also those who provide advice on these matters to front line organisations. It does this mainly through networking, with separate networks for investors (the Funders� Forum) and for advisers (George).

3. A Family of Networks George is the regional forum for Funding Advisers. It is representative of a set of subregional networks � there is a Funding Advisers Network in every county, and two in former Avon. So Funders can reach a large number of advisers in the region who give advice free at the point of delivery to front line community and voluntary organisations by sending an email to John Skrine, or asking him for the contacts for each FAN, who will then cascade it to all their current members. All these networks have come into being over the last three years; small grants from creating;excellence and SW Foundation�s Network Development Fund have been very important in getting them up and running. They are now waiting for the outcome of a BASIS bid. Funders Forums and Networks of funding advisers are common enough in other regions, but they are not joined up in this way anywhere else. The way we are doing it creates a safe space for Funders and for Advisers, and also a means for them to work together, through Funding South West. George is the regional forum for Funding Advisers. It is representative of a set of subregional networks � there is a Funding Advisers Network in every county, and two in former Avon. So Funders can reach a large number of advisers in the region who give advice free at the point of delivery to front line community and voluntary organisations by sending an email to John Skrine, or asking him for the contacts for each FAN, who will then cascade it to all their current members. All these networks have come into being over the last three years; small grants from creating;excellence and SW Foundation�s Network Development Fund have been very important in getting them up and running. They are now waiting for the outcome of a BASIS bid. Funders Forums and Networks of funding advisers are common enough in other regions, but they are not joined up in this way anywhere else. The way we are doing it creates a safe space for Funders and for Advisers, and also a means for them to work together, through Funding South West.

4. How we got here, where we are going How it began, and why Developments since then This set of networks is a response to an expressed need. This was first clearly articulated by a subgroup of the steering committee of what became c:e. It consisted of funders, funding advisers and development workers in the South West � but mainly funders. A well attended consultation meeting in Nov 2002 established strong buy-in particularly from advisers, which encouraged us to go ahead. Since then the Funding Advisers� networks have made most progress, A seminar for funders a year ago led to the development of a Steering Group which is now taking the Funders� Forum forward. These networks are becoming increasingly relevant in view of developments in the voluntary sector infrastructure which are currently being strongly encouraged by Government through initiatives such as a current Treasury review, ChangeUp and Capacitybuilders. These have important implications not just for the Third Sector, but also its funders. This set of networks is a response to an expressed need. This was first clearly articulated by a subgroup of the steering committee of what became c:e. It consisted of funders, funding advisers and development workers in the South West � but mainly funders. A well attended consultation meeting in Nov 2002 established strong buy-in particularly from advisers, which encouraged us to go ahead. Since then the Funding Advisers� networks have made most progress, A seminar for funders a year ago led to the development of a Steering Group which is now taking the Funders� Forum forward. These networks are becoming increasingly relevant in view of developments in the voluntary sector infrastructure which are currently being strongly encouraged by Government through initiatives such as a current Treasury review, ChangeUp and Capacitybuilders. These have important implications not just for the Third Sector, but also its funders.

5. Areas of Activity Influencing policy through research Networking and joint working to share best practice Improving service delivery through training Some current work being carried out by the Funders� Forum: Scoping research on what work already exists on funding Third Sector � we want to know what ground has been covered before commissioning more work or taking up policy positions Networking � meetings like this and joint meetings with George Improving service delivery through training: our current series of seminars for funders (see next slide) Other activities and possibilities: Small grants event: the value and importance of small grants needs highlighting: the meeting on 17 January agreed that current initiatives such as the development in some parts of the region of partnership working between public and private funders on small grants programmes should be the subject of a seminar within six months. Joining up advice and support across the sectors: at community level, the needs of small sports, arts and voluntary sector bodies are very similar: small grants, advice and development. People offering this should and could co-operate more closely. Might this forum help start the ball rolling?Some current work being carried out by the Funders� Forum: Scoping research on what work already exists on funding Third Sector � we want to know what ground has been covered before commissioning more work or taking up policy positions Networking � meetings like this and joint meetings with George Improving service delivery through training: our current series of seminars for funders (see next slide) Other activities and possibilities: Small grants event: the value and importance of small grants needs highlighting: the meeting on 17 January agreed that current initiatives such as the development in some parts of the region of partnership working between public and private funders on small grants programmes should be the subject of a seminar within six months. Joining up advice and support across the sectors: at community level, the needs of small sports, arts and voluntary sector bodies are very similar: small grants, advice and development. People offering this should and could co-operate more closely. Might this forum help start the ball rolling?

6. SeminarsJanuary - March Where�s the evidence? 31 January Beyond grant making? 7 February Building design into Funders� thinking 14 February Full Cost Recovery 14/15 March Equality and Diversity 21 March For more information on these seminars for funders supported by Lloyds TSB Foundation, which take place in Bristol, please email John Skrine, or phone him: John.skrine@creatingexcellence.org.uk 01823 250805 07814 387090For more information on these seminars for funders supported by Lloyds TSB Foundation, which take place in Bristol, please email John Skrine, or phone him: John.skrine@creatingexcellence.org.uk 01823 250805 07814 387090