What is trust fundraising, really? Back to basics this autumn
September always feels like a fresh start to me.
New stationery. New plans. New energy.
And after a summer of reflection - on where the trust fundraising landscape is, what's changing and what that means for the charities doing this work - it feels like exactly the right moment to go back to basics.
Whatever stage you're at in your trust fundraising journey - whether you're just starting out, finding your feet after a difficult patch or rebuilding after a tough year - the foundations are always worth revisiting.
What is trust fundraising, really?
At its simplest, trust fundraising is the process of applying to charitable trusts and foundations for grants to fund your work, but that definition doesn't really capture what it involves.
Trust fundraising is research - understanding who funds what, where, at what level and why.
It's alignment - being honest about whether your work genuinely speaks to a funder's priorities, not just whether you meet their eligibility criteria.
It's relationship building - making contact, attending events, warming prospects over months and sometimes years.
It's proposal writing - crafting compelling, clear, impact-led applications that make it impossible for a funder to say no (in theory!).
It's stewardship - looking after the relationships you've built, before and after a grant and its resilience because you will receive far more rejections than successes, and it’s about being able to keep motivated to keep going anyway!
Trust Fundraising requires organisation, writing skills, interpersonal skills, financial literacy and emotional resilience - often all at once.
It is not, as it's sometimes perceived, simply a matter of finding the right funder and filling in a form.
The eight foundations of trust fundraising
Over many years working in and around trust fundraising, I've come to believe there are eight foundations that underpin a successful trust fundraising programme. They're not a magic formula by any means, but without them, even the best written applications can struggle to land.
1. Know your organisation and your projects
Start with your own house. What are your organisation's goals, vision and mission? What projects do you deliver and which of those translate into fundable, specific proposals with clear budgets? The clearer you are about what you're asking for and why, the stronger every application becomes.
2. Understand and demonstrate your impact
Funders want to know their support will make a measurable difference – now and in the future. Collect the data and stories that show how your work changes lives. Focus on outcomes and benefits - not just activities. Use testimonials, case studies, statistics and stories together. Impact is your most powerful fundraising tool.
3. Build a compelling case for support
Your case for support is the foundation of every application you’ll write. It should explain why the project is needed, why your organisation is best placed to deliver it, how it aligns with your mission and what impact it will achieve. Develop a strong case for each fundable project - one that can then be tailored for different funders.
4. Identify and research potential funders
Research trusts that align really closely with your project's focus, geography and beneficiaries. Build a pipeline of prospects with key information: meeting dates, application processes, grant levels and areas of focus. Look for funders who have supported similar projects to yours and prioritise - a smaller number of genuinely well-aligned prospects will always outperform a long list of possibilities.
5. Craft tailored applications
Generic applications rarely succeed. Every application should address the specific funder's criteria and priorities, whether that's through a tailored letter or by answering their application form questions directly. Include a clear budget, measurable outcomes and impact. Make your proposal easy for whoever reads it to understand, immediately - who you are, what you need and what difference you’ll make together - by using an Executive Summary where you can.
6. Build relationships with funders
This is becoming increasingly important! Where funders welcome contact - reach out before you apply. After a successful application keep them updated. Invite them to visit your project if appropriate. Share good news stories. Ask what they'd like to hear from you and how often. Relationships don't guarantee repeat funding, but they make it significantly more likely.
7. Set realistic expectations around timing and outcomes
From the moment you submit an application, expect six to eight months before receiving an outcome - sometimes longer. My longest time to receive a reply is 2-years (the Trust moved offices!). Not every application will be successful – even the ones you feel are the best you’ve written and fitting the Trust’s priorities perfectly! If you're unsuccessful, ask for feedback where guidelines allow. If you're successful, say thank you! (you’ll be surprised how many recipients don’t!) and make sure everyone involved in your project helps meet any grant conditions.
8. Monitor, evaluate and report
Strong evaluation builds credibility and improves future funding opportunities. Work with your project delivery team to track progress, gather impact data and collect case studies throughout the grant period. Report to funders clearly and transparently, showing how their funding has been used and what difference it has made.
The honest landscape for trust fundraising in 2026
The landscape is tough, but I I want to be straight with you about where trust fundraising sits right now because I think honesty serves you better than optimism.
don't think that should put anyone off starting or continuing their trust fundraising journey. It might just mean adjusting your expectations about how much this income stream can realistically deliver and that often depends on which sector you're working in.
The Granted Giving reports published earlier this year analysed over 20,000 UK grant-makers and contain some genuinely useful data. The headline figure is £17.3 billion distributed annually across the UK trust and foundation sector. That sounds encouraging.
But just 100 funders - less than half a percent of the total - control 58% of all that money. By the time you get to the top 5% of funders, you've accounted for 87% of it. So, the pool most of us are actually competing in is far smaller than that headline figure suggests.
The data also shows that nearly 43% of funders exclusively back one theme. These are your highest-probability targets - you're only competing within your cause area, not against the entire sector. If you're not already prioritising single-theme funders in your pipeline, this is worth looking at more closely.
But here's what I think the reports can't see:
AI tools have dramatically increased application submission volumes, which means success rates may be falling even as total funding rises. More money plus far more applications can still equal a lower hit rate per charity.
Statutory funding cuts, squeezed individual giving and contract income loss have pushed more organisations towards grants - increasing demand-side pressure that the data doesn't capture.
And in some cause areas - overseas aid and health in particular - the pipeline of new funders is shrinking significantly, even as expenditure from existing funders continues to grow. Those remaining funders may be receiving even more applications as the funder pool contracts.
None of this is cause for despair but it is cause for realism.
If trusts are operating steadily rather than expansively - particularly in some areas - targets that continue to grow at pace may not reflect sector conditions.
Trust fundraising is, and will always be for me, the bread and butter of a well-developed fundraising strategy supported by multiple income streams. But it needs to be allowed to grow through relationship building and alignment - not through volume and KPIs that aren't realistic.
Where to start with trust fundraising
If you're newer to trust fundraising or want to revisit the foundations, our free Trust Fundraising 101 session is a great place to begin
And our free Proposal Matrix is a practical tool to help you structure and strengthen your applications.