Voluntary Centre Services (VCS) in partnership with Lincolnshire Community & Voluntary Service (LCVS)have developed a series of free Funding Ready workshops to help voluntary sector groups and charities improve their skills and information sources to increase the number of successful applications.

The programme is free for voluntary sector groups and charities working in Lincolnshire who are looking to begin applying for grants or improve their success rate.

It consists of a 1 hour introductory session and 5 half day sessions virtually on Zoom.

Groups can attend any of the five sessions depending on what stage they are in their funding process.

The programme starts with the introductory session on Thursday 24th April with the main sessions running from Thursday 1st May until Thursday 29th May 2025.

Details of the full programme are below:

Thurs. 24th April 2025 at 10am - 11am

Introductory Session

This introductory session will talk you through the Funding Ready programme as a whole and you will be able to meet your other attendees.

Thurs. 1st May 2025 at 10am - 1pm

Session 1: Getting Your Organisation Ready for Grant Funding

You will learn about:

The Funding Mix - the different ways to secure money into your organisation.
The resources you need before starting a funding bid.

Thurs. 8th May 2025 at 10am - 1pm

Session 2: Planning Your Project

You will learn about:

How to plan your Project.
Identifying the resources you need to carry out your project.
Budgeting for your project.
Writing a Project Description

Thurs. 15th May 2025 at 10am - 1pm

Session 3: Establishing the Need and Proving Outcomes

You will learn about:

Establishing the need for your project.
Consultation methods.
How to write and measure outcomes.

Thurs. 22nd May 2025 at 10am - 1pm

Session 4: Identifying Funding Streams

You will learn about:

The funding streams available.
The techniques on picking the suitable funder for you.
Criteria for funding applications.

Thurs. 29th May 2025 at 10am - 1pm

Session 5: Writing a Successful Bid

You will learn about:

The tips and tricks on writing a successful bid.
How to review a funding application.

Before attending

Before attending you will be sent all the course materials and provided with a Toolkit to complete for your organisation. The Toolkit will be worked through alongside the Funding Ready Sessions. This will give you all you need to find, evidence and complete successful applications.

Please also note that, due to our funding criteria, these funding workshops are only available for charities, community groups and partner organistions working and operating predominately in Lincolnshire. Any groups who are based outside Lincolnshire should contact us before booking on.

For more information, contact Jody on 01529 308452 or email jody@voluntarycentreservices.org.uk

Getting Funding Ready Grant Writing Workshops (April / May 2025) - Online