Other support
Tudor aims to offer high levels of support and engagement where this is helpful and appropriate, both during the application process and after a grant has been made. Our investment in an organisation often goes beyond the purely financial, with staff working to add value to our grants by providing support and advice where needed. Sometimes it is useful to discuss worries or challenging issues with someone removed from the day-to-day running of your organisation, so please do get in touch with your grants manager if there is something you’d like to talk through.
Building relationships
Tudor’s grants managers aim to build a relationship with every group in their portfolio, working to develop an in-depth knowledge of each organisation and an understanding of the challenges it faces. Sometimes grants managers can provide more focused support around issues such as recruitment, governance, funding and organisational development but, as a relationship develops, it can become clear that a group needs more intensive or specialist support than we can offer directly.
Supporting development
One way of providing this support is through a development grant: a small grant intended to help a group strengthen and develop a particular aspect of their organisation. You can’t apply for a development grant – they are made in response to a need identified by your grants manager as they find out more about your organisation and its situation. However, please do talk to your grants manager if there is an issue within your organisation which you’d like to address as a development grant might be an option.
Development grants are an important support tool for Tudor, helping organisations to purchase specialist consultancy to address governance, financial, strategic planning or HR issues, explore merger options, carry out feasibility studies, find new premises or develop and implement a new approach to evaluation.
We also work with the Institute of Voluntary Action Research (IVAR), funding them to provide tailored practical support, with a focus on strategy, governance and sustainability, to the trustees and staff of organisations addressing a range of challenging issues. IVAR works with organisations to help them find their own solutions, an approach which sits comfortably with our desire to be an enabling and responsive, rather than prescriptive, funder.
Making connections
Finally, Tudor has always been convinced of the value of groups sharing experiences and learning from each other and having contact with so many different organisations often gives us enough of an overview to suggest useful links and connections. Grants managers will sometimes put groups in touch with each other, perhaps where they feel that one could learn from the other’s approach, or where they are grappling with similar issues and might find it useful to compare notes.