14 funding organisations spoke with more than 50 community groups at the latest funding fair organised by Northumberland Community and Voluntary Action (NCVA).
One of the funders, Community Foundation said:
“The funding fair was a great success, the Community Foundation was able to speak with over 40 organisations on the day, which hopefully will lead to more applications. The information prior to the event was great, being able to shuffle around orgs to ensure that the right person got to speak with them was very useful and removed any confusion on the day of the event. 10/10 for organisation.”
After such positive feedback NCVA is already organising its next funding fair for early March 2023 – watch this space for further details nearer the time.
One of the community groups seeking funding said:
“I found the funding fair a valuable experience. The format of booked appointments provided a great opportunity to sit down with potential funders and build up a rapport with them. It was also a useful opportunity to network.
“Everyone we saw were welcoming and listened with interest about what we are trying to do with our building to help improve our local community. They provided very useful advice on the whole process of grant funding When they were between meetings, people we didn’t have an appointment with took time to chat and also gave us tips on how to move forward, which was really appreciated.”
During 2020-21 NCVA helped charities and community groups in Northumberland find funding worth £1.9m.