Wakefield District Funders Forum have released their 2025 Report, sharing insights from regular meetings that bring together local and national funders.

The report has identified 4 key forecasts for the year ahead.

1. More funders are interested in using AI in the grant making and funding cycle.

2025 marked a significant knowledge shift around AI, but also an appetite for innovation. The Forum remains committed to exploring technology that supports fair, equitable processes and reduced the resource lost through unsuccessful applications.

2. TNLCF’s new community missions will havea big impact on local funding.

The National Lottery Community Fund is one of the top 3 funders of the VCSE sector in Wakefield District (MyCake, 2024) so changes to their funding priorities and how they will make decisions relating to grant awards is significant. In recognition of this, Nova and TNLCF organised a Meet The Funder session for local VCSE organisations in July 2025. We’d encourage you to read more about the new missions, awareness and alignment with them is essentil when planning applications as the process is time consuming and competitive.

3. More funders are moving away from unnecessarily complex processes and requirements.

Funders have been taking time to reflect on how their approaches can better support the VCSE sector. “Discussions centred on building stronger, more equitable relationships with grantees, making more purposeful use of data and learning, and reducing unnecessary complexity in applications and reporting.”

4. Visibility of funding opportunities willcontinue to key.

Finding suitable funding opportunities is a challenge for local VCSE organisations. The Forum has highlighted several platforms where funding is “visible”, informed by a local VCSE leader. Don’t forget to check our funding page and newsletter, where we regularly share new and varied opportunities.

Download the report to read more > download a copy

Going Forward

The Funders Forum will continue to meet and work towards astrategic and joined up approach to funding for the VCSE sector in WakefieldDistrict. This might look like:

• Continuing to make the case for multi-year funding andfunding for core costs.
• Continuing to explore the use of data to complement localknowledge, plot trends and maximise the value of assets available.
• Improved scheduling of grant programmes throughout the year.
• Promoting local streamlining approaches such as YorkshireFunders Common Application and Monitoring Form.

We’ll continue to share insights throughout 2026.

Scott Copeland, the Contracts & Grants Manager at Nova, said “Individually, our members contribute significant funding and wider support to the VCSE sector in Wakefield District each year. Much of our work goes on behind the scenes, and this report has been designed to inform the wider VCSE sector of some of that work. At Nova Wakefield District, securing funding for the VCSE sector is a key business plan priority, and we see the work of the Funders Forum as an essential part of achieving that. Ultimately, the Forum is about everything that sits alongside the financial investments; how we work together, share insight, and align our approaches to maximise impact. Making a real differenceto people’s lives and positioning Wakefield District as an appealing place for all types of investment.”

In the meantime, our Adviser Team are here to help if you would like advice about funding. Request support by completing our form or calling 01924 367418.

If you’d like to discuss Wakefield District’s Funders Forum,please contact Scott at scott.copeland@nova-wd.org.uk