Network for Social Change Funding

There are three funding processes - the Main Funding Cycle, Major Projects and Fast Track Funding. Funds are raised and allocated at our twice-yearly conferences.

Total Network grant making is currently running at some £1 million per year. Projects tend to favour structural change, rather than relief work, but the Network as a whole has no policy on the specific types of organisations it will fund. All the applications are brought forward by the members.

Main Funding Cycle
Each year by the beginning of September funding applications are received by members and are allocated to one of six pools: Arts and Education for Change, Economic Justice, Green Planet, Health and Wholeness, Human Rights, and Peace. Individual applications, with a £15K maximum per application, are then carefully assessed by the Network members who run these pools. Successful applications are then presented to the members for funding at the February conference. The amounts given by each member to each pool are confidential.
More information on Main Funding Cycle

Major Projects
Major Project funding is a way of supporting strategic work in a particular area of social change over a number of years with larger amounts of money than are available though the Main Funding Cycle. Because of the scale of major projects, care is taken to limit the number running at any one time and to provide careful oversight of the project itself. The idea for a new major project is likely to be developed informally by a small number of Network members and may then be brought to the Network for consideration. Assuming it is accepted, the project will be worked up in more detail and brought to the group for funding at each Autumn conference. Individual members have the opportunity to pledge funds to the project for the current year and subsequent years. The amount pledged by individual members is confidential.
More information on Major Projects

Fast Track Funding
At both conferences there are opportunities for members to bring smaller projects for funding (maximum £5k per application). Information about these projects is circulated to members and the actual fundraising takes the form of a fast-moving open session where the project sponsors give short presentations and interested members pledge donations of £100 or over. Typically some 15-20 projects are funded this way per conference. There are an additional two postal Fast Track funding opportunities per year. Members bringing projects are expected to contribute at least £500 personally to each project they offer.
More information on Fast Track Funding

Please note that projects can only be sponsored by Network members, so no unsolicited applications can be accepted. You may like to visit the pilot Project Noticeboard scheme. Here Network members are able to view projects submitted from outside the membership, and may act as sponsors if they choose to support a new project posted on the board.