With over 20 years of experience writing bids, assessing them, and managing what happens after the money is awarded, Vantage brings a perspective that is genuinely rare — and a rigour that gives trustees the confidence to fund well.
Does this organisation's work advance what we exist to fund? And what are the risks if we say yes?
Mission fit is the foundation of good grantmaking. A well-run organisation doing vital work in the wrong area is still the wrong grant. Our assessments are built around your priorities — helping you direct funding to where it will make the greatest difference.
Risk is always present in grantmaking — but not all risk is equal, and not all of it should stop a grant. Our job is to identify the risks that matter, weigh them honestly, and present them clearly so your trustees can make informed decisions with confidence.
Governance concerns, leadership instability, safeguarding gaps, reputational issues identified through thorough desk-based due diligence.
Unsustainable finances, dangerously low reserves, or a grant disproportionate to the organisation's management capacity.
An organisation without the capacity, track record or realistic plan to deliver on what it is proposing.
Funding carries risk. The question is whether it's a risk worth taking — and why.
Most grant assessors have built their careers inside foundations and funding bodies. Our founder comes from somewhere different.
After more than 20 years as a specialist fundraising consultant, Amie has successfully secured grants from some of the UK's most respected foundations — including the National Lottery Community Fund, Esmée Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn, Garfield Weston, Henry Smith, City Bridge and many others. Her experience also extends beyond charitable funding — she has assessed bids for district councils, public health bodies and the Ministry of Defence, and has performance managed statutory sector service level agreements with voluntary organisations.
This means she brings something to every assessment that is genuinely hard to find: a deep, practical understanding of what separates a compelling application from a weak one — and a sharp eye for whether an organisation can actually deliver what it proposes.
We know how applications are constructed, where strong ones earn their recommendation, and where weak ones paper over the cracks.
Having managed statutory contracts in delivery, we assess not just whether a proposal sounds compelling — but whether the organisation can do what it says.
Our approach is grounded in the ACF's Stronger Foundations framework and IVAR's Open and Trusting Grant-making principles.
Vantage operates completely separately from our fundraising consultancy. We maintain a documented Conflict of Interest Policy and share it openly with every client.
No obligation. No hard sell. Just a straightforward conversation about whether we're the right fit for your foundation.
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