Transforming a historic grant making charity to better support the local voluntary and community sector

In this session, we will share our transformative journey at Richmond Foundation. Founded in 1786, we have a long legacy of giving. However, in 2023, we took a bold step to review and reimagine our approach to funding. Moving from a reactive to a proactive funding model, we’ve embraced new ways to build capacity, strive for sustainability, and connect with our community.

In this session, we will share what other funders can learn from our journey of reviewing our strategy while continuing to make grants, consulting with local partners to design a new funding framework and designing funding models responsive to community needs. We’ll discuss how adding value to our grant making by going beyond the money supports local organisations through our partnership projects, property support, communications, and our commitment to collaboration and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). We will also talk through changes we have made to our governance and investments which underpin our work to becoming a stronger foundation.

Attendees will gain insights into how we’ve evolved from strategy to actionable implementation, empowering future leaders within the VCS and helping organisations move from plans to tangible outcomes.

This workshop will showcase how a historic charity can adapt to meet modern needs, transforming both its internal practices and external impact. We invite funders, sector leaders, and VCS partners to join us in this conversation to inspire future collaboration and lasting change.