At a Glance
- Tasks: Secure funding from trusts and foundations to support our mission of tackling food waste.
- Company: FareShare Midlands, the largest food redistribution charity in the region.
- Benefits: 25 days holiday, enhanced maternity leave, and a 5.5% employer pension contribution.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team dedicated to creating opportunities and reducing food waste.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by fighting hunger and transforming lives in your community.
- Qualifications: Experience in fundraising, strong writing skills, and a passion for social impact.
FareShare Midlands is the region's largest food redistribution charity, tackling inequality, transforming lives and ensuring no good food goes to waste. We rescue surplus food and redistribute it to 650 local charities and community organisations, feeding 60,000 people every week. We also invest in communities, providing education, training and volunteering opportunities, helping over 700 individuals to date to build a better future. Together, we are fighting hunger, reducing food waste and creating opportunities across the Midlands.
The Trusts Grants Officer is responsible for delivering income from trusts, foundations and statutory funders through proactive prospect research, high quality applications, relationship management and timely reporting, contributing directly to FareShare Midlands income targets and growth plans.
Trusts Grants Delivery- Manage a portfolio of trust, foundation and grant funders
- Writing applications and reports
- Budget management for restricted funds
- Working with FSM and FSUK colleagues on bids
- Build strong relationships with programme officers, grant managers, funding panels
- Managing restricted funding compliance
- Coordinating evaluation and evidence collection for funder reports
- Monitoring funder requirements and deadlines
- Identify a pipeline of new opportunities in trusts, grants, foundations and corporate to secure new income for FareShare Midlands
- Maintain a rolling 12 to 18 month pipeline
- Regular prospect research using databases (e.g. funds online, the charity commission website, idox etc)
- Prioritising opportunities by value, likelihood and strategic fit
- Assisting on project development working with colleagues to build in the needs and preferences of funders to ensure projects can attract support
- Professional stewardship of trusts and foundations funders
- Managing funder communications in line with grant agreements
- Working with the stewardship officer and comms team to identify and develop impact stories and relevant data
- Writing funder-facing materials
- Ensuring clarity, evidence and compliance in all submissions
- Coordinating case studies and impact data for bids
- Application tracker ownership
- Reporting calendar management
- Income forecasting for trusts grants
- Document management for funder requirements
You will be successful in this role by:
- Consistently securing income from trusts, foundations and statutory funders in line with agreed targets
- Maintaining a strong, well-researched pipeline of trust and grant opportunities
- Submitting high-quality funding applications and reports to deadline
- Achieving a healthy success rate across applications through strong prospecting and proposal quality
- Ensuring full compliance with restricted funding requirements
- Building positive, professional relationships with funding partners
- Providing accurate income forecasting and pipeline reporting
- Bringing creativity and passion in communicating FSM’s central mission to inspire funders to support us
- Demonstrable experience of restricted funding
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines
- Strong analytical and written skills
- Confidence working with budgets and impact data
- Experience of supporting or developing fundraising partnerships and maximising fundraising opportunities
- Experience of securing gifts from trusts, grants and foundations
- Experience in writing compelling funding applications and impact reporting
- Experience in prospecting for new business and stewarding donors face to face
- Willingness to work flexibly including events and occasional weekends
To subscribe to the ethos, vision and mission of FareShare Midlands. Full clean driving license and have access to a vehicle so that travel between depots or to stakeholder meetings is possible (all travel costs reimbursed).
Skills, knowledge and abilities- Knowledge of trust, grant and foundation fundraising, particularly around restricted funding
- Excellent communication skills, good persuading skills and good writing skills
- Excellent numeracy skills and use of Excel
- Good relationship building skills, both inside and outside an organisation
- Ability to work to meet objectives and deadlines
- Ability and experience of working well in a team
- A commitment to Equal Opportunities
- An appreciation of FareShare Midlands mission and vision
- Flexibility of approach and ability to work in a team
- Proven ability to develop and maintain good working relations, with both internal and external audiences
How to Apply: If you would like to apply for this role, please create a supporting statement to demonstrate your suitability and to explain your interest in both the job and FareShare Midlands. Please send your supporting statement with a copy of your CV. We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands. Closing date for applications is Wednesday 24th June 2026.
Trusts & Grants Officer employer: FareShare Midlands
FareShare Midlands is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and inclusive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and professional growth. With benefits such as 25 days of holiday, enhanced family leave, and a strong commitment to tackling food waste and inequality, employees are empowered to make a meaningful impact in their communities while enjoying a flexible hybrid working environment across the Midlands.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Trusts & Grants Officer
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the organisation inside out! Research FareShare Midlands, their mission, and recent projects. This will help you tailor your conversations and show genuine interest when networking or during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Don’t just rely on job boards! Use our website to apply directly for the Trusts & Grants Officer role. It’s a great way to stand out and shows you’re proactive about joining the team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to discuss your experience with restricted funding and how you can contribute to FareShare Midlands’ goals. A confident delivery can make all the difference in interviews.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email reiterating your enthusiasm for the role can keep you fresh in their minds. Plus, it shows you’re keen and professional!
We think you need these skills to ace Trusts & Grants Officer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Craft a Compelling Supporting Statement:Your supporting statement is your chance to shine! Make sure to highlight your relevant experience and why you’re passionate about the role at FareShare Midlands. We want to see your personality come through, so don’t hold back!
Tailor Your CV:Don’t just send a generic CV! Tailor it to match the job description, focusing on your experience with trusts, grants, and foundations. We love seeing how your skills align with our mission, so make it clear!
Showcase Your Writing Skills:Since this role involves a lot of writing applications and reports, make sure your written application is clear, concise, and free of errors. We’re looking for strong communication skills, so let your writing reflect that!
Research and Reflect Our Values:Take some time to understand FareShare Midlands and our mission. Reflect this understanding in your application to show us you’re not just applying for any job, but you genuinely want to be part of our team. We appreciate candidates who resonate with our values!
How to prepare for a job interview at FareShare Midlands
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Trusts & Grants Officer, you'll need to be comfortable with budgets and impact data. Brush up on your numeracy skills and be ready to discuss how you've managed funding in the past. Bring examples of successful applications and how you tracked their outcomes.
✨Research is Key
Familiarise yourself with FareShare Midlands and its mission. Understand the specific trusts and foundations they work with. Prepare to discuss how you would identify new funding opportunities and maintain a strong pipeline. Show that you can align your strategies with their goals.
✨Craft Compelling Stories
You’ll need to write high-quality applications and reports, so practice articulating impact stories clearly. Think about how you can communicate the importance of the work done by FareShare Midlands. Be ready to share examples of how you've successfully engaged funders in the past.
✨Build Relationships
Relationship management is crucial for this role. Prepare to discuss how you've built and maintained relationships with funders or partners. Highlight your communication skills and any experience you have in stewarding donors, as this will show your ability to foster long-term partnerships.