Scottish Grantmakers’ Annual Conference took place on Thursday 15 September 2022 in Perth Concert Hall, Perth.

This year Scottish Grantmakers travelled outside the central belt to host its flagship annual conference in  Perth. As a new delegate, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet so many members from the network, with 40 delegates taking part, representing 28 organisations from across the country.

Ali Maclachlan, Chair of Scottish Grantmakers, gave a very warm welcome to all and encouraged members to chat, network and discuss throughout the day what they would like the future to hold for Scottish Grantmakers. A collective sigh of relief could be felt around the room as attendees realised that they were no longer muted on Zoom!  Throughout the day members’ voices were heard in discussions with colleagues enjoyed over a cup of coffee and during lunch.

“For me, the Grantmakers network is still most valuable in these opportunities to meet and talk with other Grantmakers, and I was glad to renew acquaintances and meet some new people.”

– SGM Delegate

Presentations at the conference reflected on the role of grantmakers in Scottish communities, effective collaboration, new and developing practices in funding, as well as learning from the emergency response programmes and other challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sessions for the day started with Maureen McGinn CBE, Honorary President of SCVO, reflecting on her experience in the world of grantmaking. Maureen highlighted the impact of community focused funding observed throughout her career and utilising resources as and when they are available to move forward.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can” – Arthur Ashe

Jim Cooke, Head of Funders Collaborative Hub, ACF explored the topic of funder collaboration and considered how grantmakers may benefit when in collaboration with others. This presentation covered many topics form access to resources, emerging collaborative opportunities to the key aspects of the funders collaborative hub collaboration toolkit. Members were encouraged to consider the benefits of collaborative work as well as acknowledge potential challenges facing funder collaborations, giving SGM members some food for thought.

Leading into the afternoon, Jo Anderson, Director of Influence and Change, SAMH presented on thematic funding, providing the national approach to mental health and well-being projects post pandemic as an example. This presentation also gave members an insight into the practicalities of running a government funded project.

Julie Hutchison WS, Charities and Governance Specialist, abrdn, transported members to the courtroom and set the scene for the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts High Court case to consider possibly emerging investment principles for custodians of charity investment portfolios and the context of this judgment for Scotland.

To conclude the day, the presentations were complemented by roundtable discussions as members brainstormed answers to the following questions:

• How can we apply best practice, including collaboration, from the pandemic in the current cost of living crisis?

• Having been fully stretched by COVID-19, how confident are funders of their capacity to continue responding in what feels like an ongoing crisis?

• What could you achieve by working with other funders, that you couldn’t do alone?

• How can the grant making community create investment pots (distinct from usual funding models) that support societal issues, such as mental health? How do funders feel about supporting charities that get the majority of their funding from local authority contracts or other statutory sources?

• The Funder Commitment on Climate Change – a useful tool to re-shape what you do and how you do it?

“First of all thank you again for being so welcoming at the Scottish Grantmakers Conference last week.  It was the first time I had been and was feeling a bit apprehensive as I sit somewhere been grantmaker and grantseeker so the warm welcome from you and the other members really made it a good day – plus the dinner was really good (I wish I could say I’d been so full I didn’t eat much the next day – nae luck)”

– SGM Delegate

Overall, through both the speakers’ focused presentations and the willingness of members to engage in discussion and share ideas, the conference was a great opportunity to connect, and learn from peers, with no patchy internet or mute buttons!

Samantha Sloan

September 2022

Samantha is a trainee solicitor with the WS Society, focusing on charity governance and administration.

Scottish Grantmakers are interested in hearing your thoughts. Please get involved with this discussion by leaving a comment below with any answers to these questions that you wish to share.