Funding Opportunities & Applications

This project has two main direct beneficiary groups. Firstly, by attracting funds to maintain the CoLab, the project will directly support those CoLab members involved in generating products and services within the CoLab. Secondly, by providing fundraising guidance and training along with useful products such as the grants database, the project will benefit CoLab members and external clients seeking fundraising support.

A central objective of the project is to work towards a new multi-year grant to support our core operations. Success will potentially impact all CoLab members and facilitate the development of multiple projects with the potential to reach thousands of people and organisations within the permaculture movement.

Funded with 12, 500 GBP through next steps project

STATUS : Complete

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Team

Paul Phillips, Aimee Fenech, Kate Swatridge

Reporting Officer: Paul Phillips

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Area

Network weaving, Next Steps project

Objectives 2025

Funding opportunities research, matchmaking, and database maintenance. In Year 3 of the Next Steps Project this has been updated to: funding research and database maintenance = 1,300 GBP.

Increase the number of funding opportunities on the database. Match projects and individuals with relevant projects. Maintain the database in good order.

Grant writing & support 200 hrs/year. In Year 3, this was changed to: recruitment & onboarding of new team member(s) and ensuing work on grant identification for CoLab and grant writing for CoLab continuation = 11,200 GBP.

Bridging the gap between the projects that need financial assistance and the funding opportunities available. > Focused on the CoLab continuation needs as per the consented proposal here: https://pccolab.slack.com/archives/C04L8Q5EB26/p1733312167922919

outcomes 2025

September Update

The newly formed funding team has been working on a new funding strategy for the Colab and working with the Comms team to produce collateral to support future funding proposals. The Colab will look to support grass roots permaculturalists, through projects that build their leadership capacities and showcase their impactful work to both increase their funding and bring their knowledge into the broader permaculture movement.

The funding opportunities database continues to be added to by trained volunteers and members of the team. We have an upcoming Hackathon in September: https://www.perma.earth/event/hackathon-funding-database/

Final Update

The Funding Circle was able to maintain and grow the funding opportunities database for permaculture and permaculture aligned project further. This year we did two major projects to contribute to this work, the first was to launch a training programe for volunteers to help maintain this database as a commons. The second was a hackathon over 8 hours for people to come from inside and outside the CoLab to learn about the database and help find and log new opportunities.

Together with the Business Innovation we also ran a Funding Readiness webinar which was very well attended and received good feedback you can watch that here:

We also developed our first ever set of Fundraising collateral documents for the Colab which will be used to attract financial support for our work. These include:

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– **Colab Fundraising Collateral bank** which includes detailed information about the Colab and sets out the arguments for funding the Colab and Permaculture

– **Colab brochure for Funders:** A 3 page, standalone brochure which concisely sets out what the Colab is and does and why it should be supported. Alternate versions have also been developed to target different funders.

– **Colab slide deck:** As above but designed for presentation to funders

– **For funders section of the Colab website**

A total of four project proposals have been developed and submitted to 6 Foundations with two submission still in development. Currently 4 have been rejected with 2 pending.