The Fundraiser's Grant-Making Experience

Have you ever wondered what happens to your funding proposals after you click ‘submit’? Or mused on what conversations actually take place behind the closed doors of a grant-maker’s trustee meeting?

​This is your chance to see for yourself!

Based on interviews with trustees and grant managers from a wide range of funders, this workshop aims to give you a truly authentic experience of what it’s really like to take part in a grant meeting, and to make those important decisions on who to fund and who to reject.

How it works

Everything has been carefully designed to give you as accurate and realistic an experience as possible.

A week ahead of the course you’ll receive your Trustees’ Pack, containing the papers you’ll need for the meeting – including the shortlisted proposals. (NB – you’ll need to make time to read everything ahead of the session in order to participate fully).

Then, in the meeting, you and your fellow trustees (with support from the Foundation’s Grant Manager) will discuss the proposals and make some tough decisions on how best to allocate the available funding.

Finally, once you’ve made your decisions we’ll have a debrief to consider the factors – small and big! – that influenced your choices, and what this means for us as fundraisers.

Why is this helpful to fundraisers?

This isn’t just a fun gimmick. (Even if there is something enjoyable about being on the other side of the funding power imbalance for a change…)

This session builds on an activity we’ve been running at conferences for nearly 10 years, giving people the chance to review proposals from a funder’s perspective. These sessions always get incredible feedback from fundraisers because it helps them to see their own proposals in a completely different light. From early-career fundraisers to experienced veterans, previous participants have always come away with ways to improve their own approaches.

And it’s not just your proposal writing that benefits. Having a greater understanding of the funding process can help fundraisers at all stages of the grant-fundraising journey, from making more informed decisions on who to apply to, to better understanding previous decisions, and even supporting your own mental health.

In developing this as a standalone session we’re able to go even further. In developing this course we’ve interviewed Trustees and Grant Managers from a wide-range of funders – some you’ll have heard of, some you might not. The insights they’ve shared have been used to provide you with the most realistic experience possible.

So, are you ready to experience life on the other side of the funding fence?

“The course truly exceeded my expectations…The whole experience was invaluable. It gave me an insight I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“David led it brilliantly and I really appreciated his insight into the research he’s conducted with trusts, foundations, and grant managers to make this possible”

“It was a great course, really insightful”

“It was a truly beneficial and worthwhile experience, and one I would recommend to anyone working in a charity, not just fundraisers!”

“I would highly recommend this training to all Trusts & Foundation fundraisers – it has been so valuable in transforming how I approach grant writing and prospect research. I have no doubt it will help me develop my skills to craft applications that are more likely to be successful”

Book your place on "The Fundraiser's Grant-Making Experience"

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We are keen to start delivering this workshop in-person in 2026. Letting us know where you're based means we can schedule in-person sessions in places with the greatest demand