What does a Grants Manager do?
I look after all the applications from organisations requesting support from the Trinity House Maritime Charity. This can be from the initial phone call asking how they apply to us, to asking for more information about their project or service, to keeping them updated on the outcome. I also visit the charities and organisations that we support to see our funding in action.
Every day is different which makes the job really interesting. I can spend it reading applications, carrying out due diligence on the organisations applying to us and putting together papers for the Corporate Board or by going to conferences on seafarers’ welfare or meeting potential applicants to find out more about they do and whether we may be able to support them.
What are your standout moments?
One of my favourite parts of the job is contacting organisations to let them know that their grant request has been successful. The reactions can be quite enthusiastic and knowing that we have been able to help is what makes my job so fantastic.
What are the main requirements of a Grants Manager?
It is important to me that Trinity House is seen as an approachable and friendly charity. I’m always happy to talk through potential applications and give constructive feedback to give all our applicants the best chance possible in submitting a successful application.
There isn’t really a typical grant as such as we support such a broad range of organisations and look at every application on its merits. Awards can range from small grant for a regional project, through to a significant amount for a national organisation supporting seafarers.
How do we fund our grants?
The majority of the funding for our grants programme comes from the rental incomes from Trinity Village.
How many charities do we support?
This can differ every year depending on the need. We have a core group of around 20 charities that we support on an annual basis and then alongside this we will have applications that come in throughout the year, as well as the grants that our Regional Committees award.
Can you give an example of a recent donation?
One of the most recent awards was to Care For Veterans. They are an organisation that provides rehabilitation and care for those suffering from brain injuries or degenerative neurological disorders. Our grant was to support the physiotherapy delivered to their seafaring residents.
We have also recently supported the Royal Institute of Navigation with a grant towards the development of their booklet on electronic navigation for small craft so two very different projects.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2019 edition of Flash