Professional Fundraising Fellow in England

The Fundraising Fellowship Programme is designed to support arts and cultural fundraising professionals to become more confident, skilled and entrepreneurial in their fundraising practice. The Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy programme has been delivering the Fellowship for over ten years, and has offered support, mentoring and training to an alumnus of 133 fundraising practitioners in the cultural sector. Thanks to ongoing funding from Arts Council England, for 2026/27, a further ten Professional Fundraising Fellows will be recruited from across England. They will be expected to continue within their current employment and will undertake the Fellowship as an exceptional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunity, with the support of their employer.

The Fellows will benefit from participation in a tailored 12-month training programme, that will help them to refine and hone their skills and networks. This programme is for mid-career arts, culture and heritage fundraising professionals based in England, such as Heads of Development or Senior Fundraising Managers.

If you:

• Are an aspiring leader with at least four years’ experience within arts, culture and heritage
• Have a CEO or Chair who will support your application
• Can demonstrate an entrepreneurial approach to generating income for your organisation
• Can commit to 24 days for learning throughout the year

Then we want to hear from you!

The year-long Programme will include:

• Developing high-level fundraising, business, and enterprise insight
• Participation in the Arts Fundraising & Leadership Intensive residential event delivered by the University of Leeds in September 2026 and in subsequent online seminars and tutorials as part of a hybrid Post-Graduate programme.
• Face to face residentials led by Cause4 in December 2026 and April / May 2027 with a focus on business development, fundraising and income generation.
• Sessions offering a mixed model of training, covering practically applied knowledge and academic theory.

The structure will include:

• Best practice in business plan development, reflecting on strengths and weaknesses of your organisational model.
• Resilience in income generation models – what works and what doesn’t, and how models need to grow and develop.
• Critical analysis of Fellows’ own situation and sector, as well as learning from peers.
• Peer mentoring and training sessions on influencing and negotiation.
• Development of a support and wellbeing network to help future development and to explore future leadership roles.
• Exploration of personal leadership styles and strength analysis.
• Academic work rigorously assessed, leading to a postgraduate qualification, accredited by the University of Leeds.

Role Outline:

Professional Fellows will be expected to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• To participate in a diverse programme of training activity, including residentials, and other events, to take place around England.
• To participate in all training, mentoring and coaching activities as required by the programme.
• To commit to the academic programme, including preparation of three assessed assignments.
• To participate actively in the Fellows’ network and wider regional and sector networks.
• To share learning gained from the programme with colleagues, Fellows and across wider networks.
• To take part in all evaluation activities as required by the programme.
• To advocate for, and act as a credible representative of, the Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy Programme.

Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of four years of relevant work experience in fundraising, or in a management role, within an arts, culture or heritage organisation, where fundraising is a key component.
• An awareness of the challenges and opportunities for the arts and cultural sector in fundraising and income generation.
• The ability to think and act creatively, bringing fresh perspectives to address challenges and opportunities.
• A proven ability to work to tight deadlines and manage multiple priorities.
• A track-record of success in working as part of a team to achieve shared goals.
• The ability to think and write analytically and reflectively.
• A desire to progress in your career as a fundraiser within your organisation.
• Outwards focused and interested in new developments and sector trends.
• A passionate commitment to the work of arts and cultural organisations.

How much time is involved?

To access the Fellowship, you will need to invest 24 days across the year. 7 days of this are full days in line with the residential element of the programme. The rest constitutes parts of days for mentoring, training, meetings or reflection. The academic component of the Fellowship requires circa 5 hours of personal study a week. Applicants must be in employment for the duration of their Fellowship year.

What are the costs?

The Professional Fellowship Programme is offered on a sliding scale based on the turnover of participating organisations.

• Less than £500,000: Free
• £500,000 to £2 million: £500
• £2 - £4 million: £800
• £4 million plus: £1,500

The fee includes all costs for the Fellowship, including: the Post-Graduate qualification, residential accommodation, food, drink and travel. The total value of the Fellowship is circa £8,000 per Fellow.

What are the benefits for the employer?

The Fellow’s Employer / Board will benefit significantly from having a member of staff participating in the Professional Fellowship Programme. The Fellow will bring back into the organisation learning, new ideas and new resources that will benefit all staff, which will help foster an organisation-wide engagement in fundraising. Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy will also offer all employers exclusive access to online training resources for all staff, and up to £500 (in-kind) per organisation towards their team attending any Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy training courses.

How to apply:

Before completing an application, please check that you fulfill the following essential criteria:

• As the Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy Programme receives funding from Arts Council England, all Fellows must be based within England for the full twelve months of their Fellowship, and have the right to work in the UK for that period.
• Applicants must either work for, or with, an arts, cultural or heritage organisation based in England.
• Applicants must demonstrate that they can support themselves financially for the duration of their Fellowship.
• Please note that due to the nature of the programme, this Fellowship is not suitable for freelance fundraisers, consultants or independent practitioners, other than when their work is closely connected to a specific organisation.

Please submit:

• A CV (no longer than two pages of A4) detailing your career so far.
• A covering letter or short video (max 5 minutes) that tells us how you meet the essential criteria and skills outlined above, why you would like to become a Fellow, and what you want to achieve through your year on the Fellowship.
• A short letter of support from your Chief Executive or Chair of Trustees for your application.
• A completed Equality of Opportunity Monitoring Form, which can be downloaded from our website: www.artsfundraising.org.uk/opportunities

Please email these documents to Annie Jarvis, Head of Programme, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy by 12.00pm (noon) on Monday 8th June 2026.

Further Information:

This is a two-stage application process, with interviews taking place online from week commencing the 8th June 2026. Successful applicants will be expected to be available to participate in the Induction at the University of Leeds and Weetwood Hall Hotel from 9 – 11 September 2026. Although Fellows will engage in the University of Leeds Registration Process from July, the programme will begin with the residential in September 2026 and will run through to June 2027. As the Fellowship involves academic learning in partnership with the University of Leeds, it is desirable that applicants have a University Undergraduate Degree in any subject. Applicants that do not have an Undergraduate Degree will be considered where they can demonstrate significant relevant industry experience in an arts or cultural organisation. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds to reflect the diversity of artists and audiences for arts and culture in England. We understand diversity encompasses many aspects including race, ethnicity, faith, disability, age, gender, sexuality, class and economic background as well as many social and institutional barriers that prevent people from creating, participating and enjoying the arts.