As part of a scheme funded by Lewisham Council, from September 2022 to April 2026, LEAN hosted a fundraiser that helped groups and artists operating in Lewisham with a free programme of fundraising support for projects incorporating the arts. This programme has now closed and will be replaced with a new structure developed by Lewisham Council organised around 4 neighbourhood area structures. More details are available from Lewisham Local Some additional fundraising support for artists and arts organisations will be available from The Albany and further details will be published shortly. LEAN will be updating this page with a series of online resources to help you navigate the different stages of your fundraising journey. LEAN will no longer be able to offer 1 to 1 fundraising advice surgeries but we can offer bid review sessions to those who sign up to our Freelancer Forum
- Sign up for the WhatsApp Friday group for Funding run by Lewisham Local
- Find more funders and funding opportunities on Lewisham Local funding opportunities page
****Below, is an archive of the recent Fundraising Support Programme which has now closed****
LEAN will refresh this fundraising page shortly.
Previous Events
Free! Developing Your Fundraising Strategy Workshop with LEAN and the Albany.
Date: 24 September 2025
Time: 9.30am-12.30pm
Place: The Albany Theatre, Deptford, SE8
Join LEAN and Fundraising Development Consultant Chloe Booth and Hayley Murphy, Development Director/ Deputy CEO at the Albany to learn how to create a fundraising strategy for your organisation or charitable enterprise.
A written fundraising strategy can help you take a birds-eye view of your situation, assess which tools can help you, and prioritise your fundraising actions when time and resources are limited.
1.Learn about different ways of creating a fundraising strategy
2.Understand where you’re starting from and where you’re going
3.Practice thinking strategically
4.Construct a clear action plan for your fundraising strategy
5.Network Mapping
6.Tools and Resources
For queries and access needs please contact julia@leanarts.org.uk
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Training Resources
June 2025, LEAN in partnership with the Albany, ran a How to Access Arts Council England (ACE) Grants Workshop.
At this morning session we welcomed India Crawford, ACE Relationship Manager for Lewisham, who presented an overview of ACE’s two main funds – Project Grants and Developing Your Creative Practice. We heard the latest information about both funds, with a Q&A getting to the root of what ACE is looking for in an application.
India Crawford shared her slides here: PG and DYCP presentation 2025
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March 2025, LEAN ran a Getting Your Governance Right workshop at Lewisham Local.
In this workshop we looked at some of the most common governance and enterprise structures available in the UK, learning about their different elements, responsibilities, and opportunities. Speakers included Mark Berbeck, Lewisham Principal Small Business Officer, Reuben Thurnhill, General Manager, Lewisham Arthouse, Sharon Trotter, Director of LEAN.
Claire Pritchard C.E.O at GCDA shared her slides on setting up a cooperative: LEAN Co-op Presentation
LEAN’s slides from the event can be viewed: Getting Your Governance Right March 2025
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In November 2024, Chloe Booth and LEAN ran a Developing Your Fundraising Strategy workshop. You can find the presentation which includes useful links here:
Developing a Fundraising Strategy Nov 2024 – Presentation Slides
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October 2023, LEAN in partnership with the Albany ran a workshop exploring Arts Council England Project and Developing Your Creative Practice Grants. We were delighted to be joined by Jessica Antwi-Boasiako (Relationship Manager: Combined Arts – CYP). Jessica’s presentation is here:
ALBANY_ACE-NLPG and DYCP_11 OCT 2023 (003)
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Many small organisations start out run by volunteers, then with a few small donations or grants they start to grow. At a certain point, it’s time to start thinking about “diversifying” where you get your money from. Relying on one or two income streams can be risky, especially at the moment when we know competition for grants is really high, so it’s worth exploring your options. This resource will help you start to think about where else you could source money from, and how to prioritise when time and energy is limited!
For the help sheet, please click here: Diversifying your organisation’s income 2023
