On Wednesday 5th February, we hosted over 40 voluntary and community sector groups and organisations based in Bexley as well as a mix of 12 different donors and funders at the Civic Offices in Bexleyheath.
The ‘Meet the Funder’ event, organised by Bexley Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) was a fantastic opportunity for local community groups to come together and hear directly from a range of funders to learn about funding available and get useful tips on how to make a successful funding application.
The event kicked off with presentations from three funders: The London Marathan Foundation, Groundwork and The National Lottery Community Fund as well as The Ethical Property Foundation who specialise in free property advice for charities.
We learned about the organisations’ priorities in detail, for example the London Marathon Foundation uses money raised by the London Marathon to fund projects to encourage participation in physical activity.
The National Lottery Community Fund discussed applicants using artificial intelligence (AI) to write their funding application but noted the negative impact AI usage has on the environment.
Whilst environmental regeneration charity, Groundwork discussed their funding initiatives to promote greener living in London.
Antonia Swinson from the Ethical Property Foundation gave an energetic presentation about the services they offer including individual guidance for small voluntary groups and free webinars and seminars.
Kelly Galloway, Bexley Voluntary Service Council’s new Head of Health and Wellbeing introduced people to Connected Bexley, an online directory for people to find out about groups and events located within the borough.
Following the presentations, there was a Q&A from the audience then it was time for refreshments and the marketplace.
Attendees were able to approach funders directly and share information about their projects and motivations behind them. Groups were able to find out more about the grants available, the eligibility criteria and were able to get tips on how to make a powerful funding application.
We hosted a range of local and national funders, offering a great opportunity for local groups to share their ideas with funders but also network amongst themselves.
Some groups are well-established within Bexley whilst others are brand new and we observed lots of meaningful connections being made.
The event was a huge success and we’d like to thank everyone who attended. We’re hoping to run more events like this in the future.