Freelance Funding & Development Consultant (Commission-to-Retainer)
Location: London (Hybrid / Remote)
Reporting to: Managing Director
Contract Type: Freelance / Independent Contractor (B2B)
Remuneration: Performance-Based Commission Phase (Transitioning into a fixed monthly retainer/salary funded directly through the successful grants and commercial partnerships you secure).
The Opportunity
London Fashion District is a high-impact, dual-structure social enterprise accelerating the future of sustainable fashion through textile upcycling, creative community workshops, and enterprise. We operate under a powerful tandem model: London Fashion District Workshops (our Registered Charity / CIO) and London Fashion District CIC (our Social Enterprise).
With our brand identity, web presence, and dual legal structures fully established, we are seeking an entrepreneurial Freelance Funding & Development Consultant to act as a key strategic partner to drive our funding engine and lead our revenue strategy.
This is a purely freelance, performance-driven partnership designed for an experienced corporate partnerships manager or independent bid writer. There is no upfront starting retainer. Instead, your initial income is driven by a high-percentage commission on commercial revenue. Your explicit mandate will be to use your expertise to build a permanent, competitive fixed monthly retainer or salary for yourself directly into successful grant proposals and project budgets.
If you are a skilled funding specialist who wants to take on a high-level project with an established brand and back your own ability to generate revenue, this contract offers uncapped potential.
The Dual-Structure Funding Strateg
You will independently manage and execute the funding pipelines across both entities, ensuring they complement each other seamlessly and legally
- • For the Charity (CIO): You will identify, research, and secure restricted and unrestricted funding from UK institutional funders, National Lottery streams, and arts councils, leveraging our Gift Aid status
- .• For the Social Enterprise (CIC): You will secure corporate CSR/ESG sponsorships from major retail fashion brands, monetise our LFD Reworked upcycled fashion lines, and pitch for local authority commercial contracts.
Core Responsibilitie
- • Pipeline Management: Map out and drive a 12-month rolling funding strategy to secure long-term financial sustainability for our projects and core operations
- .• High-Value Bid Writing: Lead the writing and submission of compelling grant applications (£20k to £100k+) to UK trusts, public foundations, and institutional bodies
- .• Corporate Partnerships: Source, pitch, and close deals with major fashion brands to secure corporate sponsorships, deadstock material donations, and paid corporate workshop bookings
- .• Budgeting Your Retainer: Seamlessly factor your own ongoing consultancy fees/permanent salary, alongside core operational overheads and management fees, into every grant application and commercial tender
- .• Strict Regulatory Compliance: Work within the boundaries of UK charity and CIC regulations, ensuring all incoming funds are cleanly allocated and tracked
About Yo
- • Established Freelancer: You operate as an independent contractor or sole trader and are fully comfortable with performance-linked B2B contracts
- .• Proven Bid Winner: You have a verifiable track record of writing and securing significant UK grant funding (£50k+) or closing B2B corporate sponsorships within the creative, fashion, or social sectors
- .• Execution-Focused Mindset: You excel at taking an established brand asset and doing the heavy leg work required to translate that vision into a highly fundable, structured proposition
- .• Compliance Savvy: You understand the strict legal divide between charitable grants and commercial trading income in the UK
Compensation & Contract Term
To ensure total compliance with UK charity regulations, your compensation is strictly split between commercial commissions and budgeted project fees
- :• Phase 1 (Immediate Commercial Commission): You will receive an immediate 20% commission on gross revenue from all corporate sponsorships and brand collaborations you secure, and a 10% commission on B2B retail orders for our LFD Reworked line. All commission is paid legally through the CIC
- .• Phase 2 (Fixed Retainer/Salary): In compliance with UK funder rules, institutional grants cannot pay percentages. Instead, every grant proposal you write will budget for your ongoing position as a fixed project cost at a targeted bracket of £40,000 – £45,000 pro-rata. Once a bid lands, you transition immediately to a secure, fixed contract
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