Red Achieves 81% Success Rate for ‘vFunding’ Advice Service

Red Foundation is delighted to announce that 81% of the organisations helped via its vFunding Advice Service were successful in their applications to the new National Youth Volunteering Programme, vinvolved.

Organisations from across the country used the virtual service, which provided coaching, advice and editorial support via email and phone for applications to both Strands 1 and 2 of the £72m fund to support and develop youth volunteering. The flexible service provided support to experienced practitioners and those new to youth volunteering, including both national and locally focused applications.

Matthew Allbones, community services director at Derby CVS, who have been awarded a grant to run a local vinvolved Team, said "I found the approach of the Red Foundation a refreshing change that I would not hesitate to recommend to others. They were able to provide clear and constructive support in a way that was responsive and flexible." James Edleston, youth involvement manager at Development Education Association who were successful with their vinvolved project application to set up a Global Youth Action initiative across five regions, agrees, "Red Foundation were extremely helpful, from first enquiry to the final submission. The input we got throughout both stages of the process was invaluable and helped us submit our application with confidence."

Red Foundation’s managing director Jamie Thomas is extremely pleased with the outcome; ‘No funding advice service can ever guarantee success so I’m delighted with these results – we fielded an excellent team for the service, one of whom even scored a 100% success rate. Our results demonstrate that high quality funding support and advice can be delivered virtually, thereby keeping costs to a minimum and making it accessible and affordable to a wide range of organisations seeking help. We wish all of our clients every success with their projects.’

The service was the first major funding advice offering from Red and will form the basis for a more comprehensive virtual support service covering a wider range of funders, to be launched next year.

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