The Fore intends to be a funder that genuinely supports the needs of small charities. We want to break down barriers and fund charities that have found it hard to access trust and foundation funding in the past.
We see applicants as experts in their own fields. We also know that many of the best people who run small charities don’t have lots of fundraising experience. Our approach is designed to level the playing field.
As our next funding round opens, we’re hosting an online Q&A. Francis Shaw, our Director of Operations, and Catherine Marks, will be discussing our processes and answering your questions. Catherine Marks is one of our Strategic Applicant Consultants, who help our charities present a case to funding panels on their behalf.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear more from The Fore team and pose your own questions before you apply.
- Registrations for our Autumn2025 Funding Round will open at 12pm (midday) on Tuesday, 22nd July and close at 12pm (midday) on Tuesday, 29th July.
- Places on the round will be confirmed by email on Wednesday, 30th July.
- Find out more, and take our eligibility quiz here.
About The Fore
The Fore vision is to create a society that solves its own problems. We are the only venture philanthropy fund in the UK dedicated to backing the best small charities and social enterprises. Our goal is for exceptional solutions to get from grassroots to nationwide impact in five years. Since launching in 2017, we have distributed £10.9m in grant funding and over13,000 hours of skills support to 618 small charities and social enterprises.
We offer unrestricted funding of up to £45k across one to three years to help applicants grow, strengthen, become more efficient or resilient. We believe that by asking charities what they need, our grants can create a transformational impact.
We are particularly keen to hear from grassroots organisations working with underserved communities. We are proud to have been one of the first grant funders for many of our portfolio charities. Our charities are led by more disabled people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds than the rest of the sector.
About Catherine Marks
Catherine Marks has a 20-year background in corporate finance and M&A. She is currently studying a masters degree in Philanthropy alongside consulting with grant-making and non-profit organisations including The Fore, Impetus and The Cranfield Trust. Her corporate career spans big 4 accounting, financial services and prior to focusing on her degree, she was Finance Director at Depop and Head of Financial Planning & Analysis at O2. She is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW. Catherine freelances as a facilitator and mentor for finance professionals, and is an advocate for skilled volunteering, working in collaboration with Charterpath.
