About us

The Fore gives funding, skills, and support to talented social entrepreneurs.

We take inspiration from the venture capital world.  We find and nurture innovative small charities with high impact and potential.

We let our grantees tell us what they need funding for. We listen to what would be best for their growth and resilience.

Find out more about what we offer, and if you’re eligible to apply.

Many of the best ideas for transforming society start out as small charities. Yet they often struggle to access the funding and expertise that’s right for them.

1. There is very little funding out there for small charities

• Charities with turnover of under £500k make up 96% of the sector, equating to over 168,000 organisations
• Small and micro-organisations only access 4% of the sector’s total income
• This has fallen by 26% since 2007
• Larger charities with well-established fundraising teams gain most of the funding

 

2. Funding is often restricted, and inflexible. It’s very hard to find funding to invest in the future

• Smaller and younger charities can be seen as too risky to fund or too hard to find
• Most grants are restricted and project-based
• “Restricted” funding must be used for specific costs outlined by the funder
• “Core” or “unrestricted” funding – which can be used for paying staff, rent or IT for example – is hard to come by

 

3. Many social entrepreneurs are exceptional leaders. Despite this, many lack access to the expertise they need to grow their organisation

• We matchmake our portfolio charities to highly skilled business specialists. We have over 1000+ experts in our network
• We offer impact measurement courses. Charities learn how to present data required by other funders, and tell the story of the difference they are making
• We run trustee match-making events, regular online workshops, peer-to-peer networking opportunities and more
• We offer feedback to every applicant
• Our “Strategic Applicant Consultants” work with shortlisted charities to test their ideas

 

Did you know? A study found that the majority of charities would swap £1m of restricted funding for £500,000 of unrestricted funding.

We are pioneering. We set out to do things differently, in new and better ways. We’re not afraid to take risks. We believe in the power of the good example.

We maximise our impact. We are driven by excellence and efficiency in everything we do, including measuring our impact. We strive for the exceptional.  We seek to work with the best and most effective leaders and partners and are thorough in finding them.

We collaborate. We bring together people who know change is possible. We believe in connecting and conversation. We work together with people from every walk of life, across the political spectrum. We believe in “being in the room”.

We are equitable. We are committed to breaking down barriers. We treat everyone with fairness, integrity and respect. We are open to different viewpoints. We are keen to grow and learn together.

We empower. We believe our charities are experts in their own fields, and we let them lead the way. We nurture and invest in our partnerships. We build confidence and share knowledge.