Fundraising: Grants and Donations
We provide the legal and regulatory oversight required to manage your organisation’s income streams, ensuring your fundraising is both effective and compliant.
In the creative and cultural sectors, funding is often a complex mix of public grants, private philanthropy, and corporate sponsorship. We help you navigate the “strings attached” to these funds, protecting you from the risks of “tainted” donations, unachievable grant conditions, or breaches of the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice.
We support you in building a sustainable financial foundation that satisfies both your auditors and your donors.
Our range of services within fundraising, grants, and donations includes:
- Grant Agreement Review: We examine the terms of funding from bodies like Arts Council England, local authorities, and private trusts. We identify restrictive clauses, intellectual property “land grabs,” and unrealistic reporting requirements before you sign.
- Donation Agreements and Major Gifts: We draft and review bespoke agreements for significant private donations, ensuring clear terms regarding recognition, naming rights, and any “conditions” the donor may wish to attach.
- Gift Aid Compliance and Advice: We advise on the legal requirements for claiming Gift Aid, including the complex rules around “benefit” limits (e.g., what you can give a donor in return for their gift without losing tax relief).
- Corporate Sponsorship Contracts: We draft and review sponsorship agreements that clearly define branding rights, exclusivity, and the “deliverables” your organisation must provide, protecting your creative independence.
- Ethical Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Policies: We help you draft “Gift Acceptance” and “Refusal” policies that empower your board to turn down donations that may conflict with your mission or cause reputational damage.
- Fundraising Regulation Compliance: We ensure your public-facing fundraising campaigns (including digital appeals and memberships) meet the standards set by the Fundraising Regulator and the Charity Commission.
- Trust and Foundation Governance: We advise on the legal structures required to move funds between different entities, such as “Friends of” organisations or separate trading subsidiaries.
- Restricted vs. Unrestricted Fund Advice: We provide clarity on how to manage and report on “restricted” funds (money given for a specific project) to ensure you are not accidentally “misapplying” charitable assets.
By providing professional oversight of your income, we ensure that your fundraising efforts translate into long-term stability rather than regulatory or financial risk.