Superpods: Mastering the Foundations of Grant Fundraising
Successful grant fundraising depends on three core capabilities: understanding funders, crafting compelling proposals, and building strong long-term relationships.
Our Superpods are intensive, interactive workshops designed to help you master each of these essential skills. Delivered by Bill Bruty and Neela Jane Stansfield, each Superpod focuses on a different stage of the fundraising process and equips you with practical tools that you can immediately apply in your organisation.
Each Superpod consists of two 90-minute live online workshops delivered on the same day, with a one-hour break in between. Sessions run from 11am to 3pm, are offered three times per year, and cost £175 per person.
Whether you attend a single session or all three, you will gain practical frameworks, templates, and insights drawn from decades of fundraising experience.
Build Your Complete Fundraising Skillset
Together, the three Superpods cover the full lifecycle of grant fundraising:
Researching Funders – understanding who to approach and why
The Art of Applications – crafting compelling proposals
Managing Relationships – building partnerships that last
Attend one session or complete the full series to strengthen every stage of your fundraising strategy.
1. Researching Funders
Understanding your funders is the starting point for successful grant fundraising. This Superpod explores how and why foundations are created, how they evolve over time, and how to uncover the insights that help you secure funding.
Through an engaging and highly interactive session, you will learn how to build a clear picture of a foundation’s motivations, financial position, decision-making processes, and philanthropic patterns. Participants will be introduced to a 12-question research template that can be used to analyse any funder and convert research into strategic action.
You will also explore a wide range of research sources and develop a core toolkit for effective funder research with minimal cost.
Key learning outcomes include:
Understanding how and why foundations are created
Recognising how foundations evolve over time
Identifying decision-makers and understanding their processes
Using a 12-question research framework to analyse funders
Turning research insights into practical fundraising action
Building a core toolkit of essential research sources
Dates:
1 July 2026
18 November 2026
Cost: £175
2. The Art of Applications
Every funder asks questions differently, but the structure behind successful applications is surprisingly consistent. This Superpod reveals the fourteen core questions that underpin almost all funding applications and shows you how to develop strong answers for each of them.
You will learn how to interpret different application formats, understand the logic behind complex guidance notes, and translate your project ideas into clear, compelling proposals.
By the end of the session, you will also have developed a portable concept note template that can be adapted quickly for a wide range of funders.
Key learning outcomes include:
Understanding the universal components of funding applications
Developing strong responses to the questions funders ask
Interpreting the underlying logic of different application forms
Understanding key proposal terminology
Creating a reusable concept note template for your projects
Dates:
18 March 2026
8 July 2026
25 November 2026
Cost: £175
3. Managing Relationships
Winning a grant is only the beginning. Long-term fundraising success depends on how well you manage and strengthen relationships with your donors.
This Superpod shares insights from the analysis of thousands of successful donor relationships and introduces a practical fourteen-point checklist for effective donor stewardship.
You will learn how to assess the health of your funding relationships, identify opportunities for improvement, and measure the quality of rapport with your donors — a key indicator of future funding success.
Key learning outcomes include:
Assessing donor relationships using a fourteen-question toolkit
Understanding the attributes of well-managed funding relationships
Strengthening rapport and communication with donors
Monitoring and improving long-term stewardship strategies
Dates:
25 March 2026
15 July 2026
2 December 2026
Cost: £175
