The Clothworkers' Foundation awards capital grants to charities tackling disadvantage through our Open Grants Programme and this is the programme supported by the Volunteer Visitor programme.

We are particularly keen to receive applications from Members that are covering the following areas:

• Scotland: Highland, North-East, South West
• England: East Midlands, Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Cumbria
• Wales: All regions

We have created nine key programme areas to help define how we assess ‘disadvantage’. These programme areas are:

• Alcohol and Substance Misuse
• Disadvantaged Children and Young People
• Disadvantaged Minority Communities (including the LGBTQ+ community)
• Domestic and Sexual Abuse
• Homelessness
• Older People
• People with Disabilities (including those with learning disabilities and those with mental health issues)
• Prisoners and Ex-Offenders
• Visual Impairment

We have a small staff team at The Foundation and award a large number of grants; Foundation staff and trustees rarely get the chance to visit the organisations who apply to or are awarded funding from us. Volunteer visitors may be the only face-to-face contact an organisation has with The Foundation, and we are grateful for the time Members take to represent us.

There are two different types of visits we may assign: assessment or post-award. We explain these in more detail below.

Assessment visit

An assessment visit is the more in-depth of the two types of visits. It can (but does not always) last up to two hours. A volunteer visitor will meet with a charity as part of the charity’s application for a grant to get an insight into the work of the charity and how it is run. The volunteer will then write a report using our visit report template.

Overview:

• 2 hour visit
• Part of a charity’s application for a grant
• Purpose is to get a ‘feel’ for the work of the charity and environment it works in
• Comment on how the charity is run

Post-award visit

The post-award visit is the less in-depth of the two types of visits. It will take place after a grant has been awarded and usually after the project we funded has been completed. For example, The Foundation may receive an invitation to the opening of a new building we funded. While not compulsory, a short report commenting on how the grant has helped the charity is encouraged.

Overview:

• Short visit usually follows the completion of a project (possibly attending a special event, such as an opening ceremony or launch)
• Purpose is to represent The Foundation and its trustees
• Provide a short report on how the grant has helped the charity (encouraged)

If you would like to apply to the Volunteer Visitor Programme, please complete the below application form. The information requested on the form is necessary so that we match visitors with suitable charity applicants and grantees.

Please note: The Clothworkers’ Foundation uses third party software to assist with the administration of the Volunteer Visitor programme (including our IT support, data collection and mapping software to assist with assignments). We take our data protection obligations seriously and we always seek assurances from third parties that they will process your data in accordance with the law.