[WiLT] Tudor Trust

[WiL Admin]

Tudor Trust

We know that solutions to the difficulties people face are seldom
straightforward or immediate. We are therefore interested in
encouraging people to use their own skills and abilities as a resource
for change; to find new ways of tackling deep-rooted problems or to
cope with and move on from difficult situations. We recognise that
this may take time so, if appropriate, we can commit funding over a
sustained period.

As an independent grant maker, an important part of our role is to
support work which is untried, which has uncertain outcomes and which
may be difficult to fund. However, we are not preoccupied with
innovation and understand that there is a place for well-founded,
practical work which seeks to bring normality and wellbeing into
difficult places and situations.

We are most interested in helping smaller, under-resourced
organisations which offer direct services and which involve the people
they work with in their planning. The groups we fund don't have to be
registered charities; we can also make grants to other groups as long
as they have established charitable objectives.

We want to fund effective people who work to high standards. We
recognise that their organisations are best placed to know what the
problems are and what to do about them. We trust these groups to go
ahead and do the work that is needed, and want to give them the
opportunity and practical tools to do so. We want to respond to ideas
and energy. We don't have specific funding programmes designed to
advance a particular agenda. Instead, we try to support work which is
clearly needed and for which funding from Tudor can make all the
difference.

Tudor aims to be a helpful and flexible funder and we want to respond
imaginatively to organisations' real concerns and priorities.
Organisations dealing with complex issues are seldom themselves
straightforward and so we hope to engage with the groups we support in
a variety of ways, offering grants, loans, advice and development
support. There is no maximum or minimum grant amount. Grants can take
the form of core funding (including salaries and running costs),
development funding, project grants or capital grants for buildings or
equipment. As we want to fund work which engages with the reality and
complexity of people and their problems, we look to support
organisations working across sectors and boundaries (whether actual or
perceived).

We usually make grants over one, two or three years but may work
alongside organisations for a longer period. However as we are keen to
support a range of organisations, including those which are new to us,
our funding cannot continue indefinitely.

We want to offer high levels of support and engagement when this will
be helpful and appropriate. Our two-stage application process gives us
more time to focus on working creatively with applicants who reach the
second stage. Through constructive dialogue and increased
understanding we hope to give applicants the opportunity to think
about their options and develop proposals which focus on the real
needs of their organisations, and the people they are working with.

The first-stage proposal is intended to help us understand what sort
of organisation you are and why you are doing the work you are doing.
We do not want a detailed description or full costings of the work you
are seeking funding for; we will discuss these areas with you if your
application goes through to the second stage. Keeping your options
open at this point allows us to work together more creatively if you
are invited to develop a full application.

For full details on applying go to
http://www.tudortrust.org.uk/HowToApply/Yourfirst-stageproposal.html

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=477