Trusts & Grants Manager

Firstsite Collectors’ Group; Colchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An arts organization in Colchester is seeking a Trusts & Grants Manager to lead fundraising initiatives, aiming to secure £120,000 for various community programs. The successful candidate will develop strategies, write funding applications, and manage relationships with grant makers. This role requires experience in fundraising and an ability to work collaboratively across teams. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the organization promotes a positive impact through creativity.

Qualifications

• Experience managing trusts and grants fundraising.
• Track record of securing significant funding from various sources.
• Ability to build strong relationships with funders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a proactive trusts and grants fundraising strategy.
• Secure funding with a target of £120,000 for 2026/27.
• Identify and research new funding prospects.
• Manage the grants pipeline and reporting requirements.
• Collaborate across the organization to gather necessary information.
• Uphold safeguarding best practices when working with young people.

Skills

Fundraising strategy development

Writing high-quality funding applications

Relationship management

Researching funding prospects

Job description

Firstsite is seeking an experienced and motivated Trusts & Grants Manager to lead our trusts and grants fundraising and secure vital income for our programmes, including Holiday Fun, YAK, exhibitions, learning, and community projects.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a creative and purpose-driven team and play a key role in shaping work that has real impact in our communities.

About the role

As our Trusts & Grants Manager, you will:

• Develop and deliver a proactive trusts and grants fundraising strategy.
• Secure funding from trusts, foundations, and statutory bodies, with a target of £120,000 for 2026/27, contributing to an overall organisational target of £300,000.
• Identify and research new prospects, write high-quality funding applications, and produce compelling cases for support.
• Manage the grants pipeline, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
• Work collaboratively across the organisation to gather budgets, impact data, and programme information.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with funders.
• Uphold best practice in safeguarding when working with young people through programmes such as YAK.

You will be the organisation’s specialist in trusts and grants, supported by the Head of Philanthropy and working closely with colleagues across Firstsite.

Please see the attached Job Description for more information.

About Firstsite

Our mission is to ensure art and creativity are valued for their integral role in shaping a happy and healthy society for everyone. We do this by championing creativity as a catalyst for positive change in society, celebrating everyone’s imaginations as places to shape a better future and demonstrating the impact of art and galleries at the centre of everyday life.

We collaborate with people where, together, we can have the most impact and we share the results of our work with diverse audiences to influence change. We do this in three places: in our award-winning gallery, reflecting our radical region and digitally with audiences around the world. To do this well we have four values that help us do what we do, to the best of our abilities:

Creative – Inclusive – Agile – Responsible

Firstsite’s commitment to inclusion

We pride ourselves on being a place where your individuality is valued; you can be yourself and still achieve your potential. We believe that your individuality helps us to deliver the best results to our objectives. Diversity of background, experience, perspective, are all important to us. Firstsite is proud to be an inclusive employer and we seek to attract and retain the best people from the widest possible talent pool.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer. We are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. We aim to offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum requirements of the role and we look to anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments, as required.

How to apply for this role

To apply for the role, please send your CV and a covering letter that clearly explains how your experience and skills match the criteria listed in the job description.

Deadline for applications is: 9am – Tue 6 Jan 26

Interviews will take place: W/C Mon 12 Jan 26