APPLICATION DEADLINES
In recent months the Trust has seen a significant increase in the number of applications it receives to its three main programmes. To be fair to all applicants, we have decided to implement a closing date system, so that applications can be judged fairly and prioritised against others arriving in the same period. In future*, please note that the following application closing dates will apply to our ‘Investing in Young People’, ‘Investing in Families’ and ‘Investing in Rehabilitation’ programmes:
• Applications received before the end of March will receive a grant decision in early July
• Applications received by the 15 July will receive a grant decision in mid-October
• Applications received by the end of November will receive a grant decision in early March
*NB: As this is a new system, applications submitted by the end of April 2022 will receive a decision in early July
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
We would like to wish all our friends in the Kent and Medway voluntary sector a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
The Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust office will be closed from Wednesday 22 December until Tuesday 4 January 2022.
Please note that no grant payments and hardship awards will be made until Monday 10th January 2022. If this will cause your organisation or beneficiaries difficulties, please contact us grantadmin@cfct.org.uk We are still reading emails periodically over the Christmas period.
GRANT FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR – October 2021
The Trust will soon be appointing a new Grant Finance Administrator.
This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust. The Grant Finance Administrator will join a small team of dedicated staff working in an office space in central Richmond. They will oversee the day-to-day administration of the Trust’s grant-making, reporting to the Chief Executive.
We are looking to recruit a highly numerate individual with excellent IT and organisational skills. A keen eye for detail and a systematic approach are of paramount importance. They will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Trust’s grant payments, maintaining its grant management software and generally overseeing the smooth running of the Trust’s office systems. This is a broad role that requires a wide range of skills. As it is a part-time position, it may suit someone who is pursuing further career studies and every support and flexibility will be offered to the right candidate.
The job description and details about how to apply will be available on this website in early 2022
GILLY GREEN OBE JOINS US AS GRANTS ASSESSOR – December 2020
Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of Gilly Green OBE as Grants Assessor. Gilly will take up her post in January 2021 and is looking forward to reviewing grant applications on behalf of the Trust. Gilly has over 30 years’ experience with the voluntary and community sector, as well a background in grant making.
“We are delighted to welcome Gilly on board. Gilly has extensive knowledge and understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the voluntary sector and over twenty-five years’ experience as a grant maker. She will be a great asset to our team” CEO Jacqueline Rae
Gilly trained as a social worker in London before moving to front line work in youth homelessness and domestic abuse. She joined Comic Relief as a grants officer and became Head of UK Grants promoting social justice and equalities until forming her own consultancy in 2018. Since then, she has worked with Trusts and Foundations and VCSE organisations undertaking strategy and programme review, grants assessment and organisational & leadership development. Gilly is a Trustee of Rosa, The Women’s Fund and of Tonic Housing, a fresh approach to LGBT older living. In 2007 she received an OBE for services to tackling domestic abuse.
Gilly will replace Nigel Siederer who has worked for the Trust for almost ten years and will retire at the end of the year. The Trust is extremely grateful to Nigel for his hard work and commitment in making a difference to young people and communities across Kent:
“It has been lovely to be part of the Colyer-Fergusson team for the last 10 years, and to meet so many wonderful people in projects working in many diverse ways for the benefit of Kent’s people. There is so much more to the County than one would expect from the pictures that usually appear in the news. I wish everyone success for the future.” Nigel Siederer
“I was attracted to this role as I believe the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust offers a placed based, values driven opportunity to work at a local level and connect to front line agencies.” Gilly Green OBE
CORONAVIRUS : COVID-19
Small charities and community groups facing a funding crisis may wish to apply for a small grant through our ‘Investing in Communities‘ grants programme. Our team is working hard to ensure that applications are processed quickly, but decisions can take up to eight weeks to process.
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Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, along with a wider group of funders, recognises that the covid-19 outbreak is an exceptional event that will have an impact on civil society groups, and want to offer reassurance that we stand with the sector during this time. We wish to be as helpful as possible during the coming weeks and months so that civil society groups can focus on the vital work of supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. We understand that there will be times when staff and volunteers will not be available, when beneficiaries may need services to be provided in different ways, or when systems need to be flexible to ensure that needs are met.
If your community, services or organisation are affected by the covid-19 outbreak, and you receive grant funding from us, we are committed to:
- Adapting activities – we recognise that you may experience difficulties achieving some of the outputs or outcomes we agreed for your grant during the outbreak, and would like to be able to maintain our grant payments to you at originally-agreed levels during this period, so please contact us if you are affected in this way;
- Discussing dates – we don’t want to add pressure, so if you think you will struggle to meet a reporting deadline please get in touch with us so that we can agree a more realistic time for you to get things to us wherever possible;
- Financial flexibility – we know you may need to use your funding to help cover sickness, purchase equipment, or deliver services differently, and we will be reasonable if you need to move money between budget headings to ensure your work can continue; and
- Listening to you – we are here if you want to tell us about the situation you’re facing, but we’ll wait for you to contact us so that these conversations are at the right time for you.
We also recognise that there may be further shocks to the system caused by covid-19 that may impact on your other income streams or require a more urgent response from funders. Where we have any news on emergency funding, we commit to publishing this on our website and sharing this as widely as possible.
The list of funders from across the UK that have signed up to this statement can be viewed here
This statement is being coordinated by London Funders, but is not only for their members or funders in London. If your organisation would like to sign this statement, please get in touch at info@londonfunders.org.uk.
