The Sustainable Funding Project

What is Sustainable Funding?

Sustainable Funding is about ensuring the long-term viability of an organisation. But it is often seen just as a question of getting better at fundraising or finding a single, secure source of income.

In fact, Sustainable Funding is about income diversification. This means ending an organisation’s over-reliance on one source of funding and moving to a more sustainable portfolio of diversified funding streams ranging from charitable donations, through grants, service level agreements, contracts, trading on the open market and loans, depending on the needs of the organisation and the funding opportunities available to it. ( Click Here ) to see the Sustainable Funding Project's Income Spectrum.

Find out how sustainable your organisation is. Have a look at the Sustainable Funding Project's 'Sun' Needs Analysis Tool ( Click Here )

About the Sustainable Funding Project

The NCVO has developed the Sustainable Funding Project to be delivered in partnership with infrastructure organisations, such as CCD, to provide information and training on Sustainable Funding to frontline organisations interested in using the approach to create more longterm viability for themselves.

What the Sustainable Funding Project Does

Sustainable Funding requires more than just looking for new and diversified sources of funds. It also requires an organisation to significantly improve its approach to how it operates and to be more professional in how it runs and how it manages itself.

The Sustainable Funding Project provides training that helps organisations to look at their methods of working and approach in relation to such important aspects as;

• Strategic Planning
• Financial Management
• Fundraising
• Contracting
• Trading
• Loans

A Tour Around Sustainable Funding

The following modules are by no means exhaustive but are meant merely as an introduction to some of the issues involved in sustainable funding. Click in the title of each module to view it.

• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: Planning
• Module 3: Full Cost Recovery
• Module 4: Trading
• Module 5: Public Service Delivery
• Module 6: Loan Finance
• Calculating Overheads and Price
• Jargon Buster

Training in Sustainable Funding

                                                                              Spring 2009 CCD
                                                         Community Buildings Training Programme

                                       Introduction to sustainable funding for Community Buildings

• Explore how to diversify your funding streams across donations, grants, service level agreements, contracts, trading  and loans for a more stable funding base.
• Do you know what your costs are and how you cover them?
• What are the foundations of sustainable funding – do you have them in place?

                                                                    Enterprise for Survival

The course takes participants through the next stage on the route to generating income from trading goods and services. The course will:

• Plan out your route to developing an income generation idea,
• Explore the skills needed to start trading and the barriers you may need to overcome
• Gain feedback and support on your ideas

                                                    Planning and funding for your capital projects

• Check whether your project is investment ready and financially sustainable.
• Explore external funding opportunities
• Understand how to develop successful funding bids

The cost per participant is £20 for DACB members and £30 for non members with lunch and refreshments (events subsidised by funding from Devon County Council).