MORE than 300 voluntary groups from across Fenland have been invited to a monster Funding Fair, at Fenland Hall, March, to launch two new toolkits designed to get organisations into shape to bid for funding and to help steer them through the labyrinthine

MORE than 300 voluntary groups from across Fenland have been invited to a monster Funding Fair, at Fenland Hall, March, to launch two new toolkits designed to get organisations into shape to bid for funding and to help steer them through the labyrinthine exercise of securing funding.

Fenland District Council has teamed up with the Fenland Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) to launch the free, toolkits at a Funding Fair next Friday between 10.45am and 1.45pm.

The fair, to be launched by council chairman Councillor Pam Potts, is open to any organisation looking to attract support from large national funders. In addition, Phillip Stone, a professional trainer with the National Council for Voluntary Service, will be running a free workshop on how to apply for funding.

Attending the event will be representatives of major funding organisations, including The Big Lottery, Community Leader, the Local Network Fund and Global Grants.

The organisational toolkit has been designed to help voluntary and community groups improve the way they operate, meet current legislation and put in place systems and procedures that are more likely to meet the requirements of funders. This toolkit is also packed with suggestions that represent good practice.

New and existing organisations often think only about the way they operate when a funder asks for details of policies and procedures. This can dissuade some groups from pursuing an application for funding. With the organisational toolkit, they will be better prepared to bid for funds.

The funding toolkit is aimed at those organisations that have put their systems and procedures in order and are looking towards attracting financial support. This toolkit looks at fund-raising from the perspective of the funders and what they look for in an application.

There are literally thousands of possible funding sources available, including the statutory sector and grant-making trusts.

Councillor Jill Tuck, portfolio holder for community development and partnership, said: "The council is committed to supporting and sustaining the voluntary and community sector as we believe they play a vital role in the quality of life in the district.

"These toolkits are an excellent example of good partnership working between the council and the voluntary sector and I am sure they will prove to be an invaluable resource for voluntary and community groups.

"This is the first version of this toolkit, which will be updated as necessary. The district has never had such a resource before, so we are very excited about the potential effect on the voluntary and community sector.