An important part of my work is approaching trusts and foundations to ask for money for the Library. The amount I am asking for can range from a few hundred pounds to over a million and projects can vary from purchasing items for the Library’s collections, finding funding for salaries for project workers and buying essential equipment.
The money we get from the charitable trusts and foundations is a vital supplement to our government funding as it allows us to undertake work that we would lack the resources to do otherwise. Recent projects funded by trusts include the restoration of negatives affected by Vinegar Syndrome in the Geoff Charles collection and the purchase of a rocket composter as part of the Library’s Green Dragon work.
I really enjoy the process of writing the funding proposals, I find it fascinating trying to find the best way to explain to people outside the Library the work that we do and what it is we are trying to achieve. Bearing in mind that many trusts receive thousands of applications a year it can be a real challenge trying to find a way to catch their attention and convince them that our project deserves their money.
Another very enjoyable aspect of this work is that it brings me into contact with different departments all over the Library and gives me a great opportunity to see all the different work that is being done. Working on the funding proposals really brings home how important the work the Library is doing is and how vital it is to ensure we have a steady stream of income coming in to allow us to continue providing the same level of services to the public.
I’ll be writing about the other half of my work, legacies and bequests next week but in the meantime if you’d like a preview you can visit our recently updated fundraising webpages to look at our new regular giving and legacy leaflets.