Escapeline Challenge: Escapeline approached MMC to gain some additional capacity in bid writing which will help Lisa (CEO and founder) and trustees to grow the organisation, making it more sustainable and able to meet the demands for its support and education helping to protect and empower young people in the coming years.
Escapeline’s application to Hinkley Point C Community Fund Open Grants Escapeline is a charity committed to the prevention of the criminal and sexual exploitation of young people by gangs across South West England. Trustees approached MMC in 2023 to outsource most of their trusts & foundations fundraising due to capacity.
We are delighted to help Escapeline, being a cause-led charity, the charity held particular importance with members of our team. This case study talks through Escapeline’s successful bid to Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund Open Grants for a 3-year project in Bridgwater.
Setting the scene
Escapeline had already delivered on HPC Small Grant with grant reporting completed. This was an important step as it meant that the grant managing organisation (Somerset Community Foundation) was familiar with the charity.
Building relationships with funder
In a networking meeting with Hinkley Point C, the CEO of Escapeline had a conversation with Somerset Community Foundation about applying for funding again. Later that week the CEO spoke with one of the grant managers who knows about Escapeline’s work and decided to go for more funding through the Open Grant.
When it came to the application – EOI (stage 1) and stage 2 – Escapeline felt supported and at stage 2 there was a conversation with Escapeline and the funder to improve the application.
Importance of the desk research
We carried out some desk research to identify the Programme Manager for the Open Grant and understand the application process. In email communication with the Programme Manager the CEO was advised not to complete the pre-application but go straight to the EOI (stage 1) because the panel was familiar with the charity. This gave Escapeline and MMC confidence in the application. Desk research was also used to help explain the need for the project and to fit the project within the goals of HPC.
Budget
The budget was a joint process between the Trustee and Treasurer at Escapeline supported by MMC. In the three-year budget there was a line for external evaluation and we helped Escapeline make the case to the funder that this was needed.
Writing the bid
The application was a 2-stage process which with support from the Programme Manager was reviewed by a grant panel. The first stage was about the impact of HPC, the need, the project and how the project will meet the need. The second stage was about the project detail, community involvement, partnership working, budget and outcomes. Writing was a process of going back and forth with Escapeline to gather information and finalise the applications.
Evaluation & next steps
We prepared the thank you to the funder on the receipt of the donation and are managing a list of dates that reports to the funder are due. We will support Escapeline in reviewing the reports to the
funders. The reports will be written by Escapeline as their team is best placed to report on the outcome and finance of the project. We have contracted to carry out the evaluation of the 3-year project and are working with a trusted consultant on that.
Three top tips
1. It is helpful when working with a consultancy to have a funder in mind you want to apply to and a suitable project.
2. Building the relationship through networking and working closely with the funder can be beneficial.
3. Make the case for what you need from a grant, as well as what the funder needs.
