Funding Plus provides up to £9,000 of capacity-building support for organisations we fund. This page explains the support available and what we do and don’t fund.
Funding Plus is a responsive, demand-led fund that enables organisations currently supported by Esmée to make the most of opportunities, deal with challenges, and commission support they might not otherwise be able to afford or prioritise. It should enable the work we’ve funded to have a greater impact.
Who can apply and how we’re prioritising requests
Organisations with an active grant or social investment can apply for up to £9,000 to bring in additional strategic or organisational development support.
As there is currently more demand for Funding Plus, we are unlikely to provide Funding Plus to organisations that have received support in the past three years.
We are prioritising requests from:
- Organisations that have not yet received Funding Plus support
- Organisations led by and for communities experiencing racial inequity
- Organisations led by and for people with lived experience of the issues they are tackling
- Non-environment sector organisations wanting to make progress on climate change/actions
- Organisations wanting to make progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
Scroll down to see what Funding Plus can support and what it doesn't support.
Free support and resources
You can find links to resources and guides covering topics ranging from trustee recruitment to impact and evaluation in useful sector resources.
What can Funding Plus pay for
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Funding Plus is tailored expert advice, support or training to give extra help to an organisation at a difficult or opportune moment.
We have a few suppliers we have worked with before, but we mostly fund organisations to work with consultants they know and trust.
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Strategic planning or advice
- Strategic planning - including growth or restructures.
- Guidance and support for adapting business models, or redesigning services.
- Planning for monitoring, evaluation or learning.
- Digital planning and strategy (including AI).
- Developing a fundraising or income generation strategy.
- Communications strategy - including planning, public affairs, and crisis communications.
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Organisational development support
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - support to review, develop and implement approaches.
- Wellbeing and mental health support for staff, trustees, and volunteers.
- Climate change - support to help organisations take action.
- Change management and succession planning support.
- Financial health and insolvency support.
- HR - including coaching and mentoring for staff or board.
- Recruitment - advice, skills or strategy development.
- Training that will build the skills and capacity of the organisation.
What Funding Plus doesn’t support
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These types of work
- Core work of your organisation - service delivery, work everyone has to do every year (e.g. writing fundraising bids, recruitment costs, marketing, website updates).
- Work that is already underway - Funding Plus is for additional work that can build capacity.
- Feasibility work for projects or roles that organisations can't pay for in future.
- Re-brands or anniversary events.
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These types of costs
- Staffing costs - if you have a core grant, we will not cover existing staff time to engage in Funding Plus work. However, if staff time is not covered by our grant, up to 30% of the Funding Plus ask can be allocated to staff costs.
- Capital costs, including building work and office or IT equipment.
- Memberships, subscriptions, or license fees.
- Website hosting.
- Flight costs.
- Higher education or professional qualifications costs e.g. CIPD, diplomas, degrees.
- Retainer contracts.
Next: How to apply for Funding Plus
Learn more about how to apply for Funding Plus support, including eligibility, application questions, budgeting guidance, and tips for choosing a provider, by reviewing the full guidance and resources available from Esmée.