Rachel Ireland Consultancy

I work across the grant funding process, supporting charities and social enterprises to identify the right funding opportunities, develop strong, evidence-based applications and demonstrate the impact of the funding they receive. I also work with grant-making organisations to review and assess applications, provide feedback and inform funding decisions.

Areas of work

I focus on three areas of grant funding: applications, assessment and impact:

Grant applications

Supporting charities and social enterprises to identify the right funding opportunities and develop strong, evidence-based applications that align with their priorities and funding needs.

Grant assessment

Reviewing and assessing grant applications against funding criteria, providing constructive feedback and making informed recommendations to support funding decisions.

Grant impact

Supporting organisations to monitor and report on grants, bringing together outcomes, impact data and learning to demonstrate what has been delivered and the difference it has made.

Experience

I began my career in the charity sector at The Prince's Trust, progressing to Head of Fundraising, before establishing my own consultancy. Since then, I have supported charities and social enterprises across the UK to develop their fundraising strategy, strengthen their case for support, and secure funding.

My fundraising work has included securing significant funding through European programmes, the National Lottery and trusts and foundations, including grants from a wide range of national and local funders.

Alongside fundraising and consultancy work, I have delivered training and one-to-one mentoring to more than 400 grassroots organisations and individuals, helping them develop their fundraising knowledge, skills and confidence.

I bring a calm, thoughtful and practical approach to my work. I am organised and structured, while remaining flexible and responsive to the needs of different organisations.

For information about current availability and fees, please get in touch by email in the first instance

"Rachel really helped to take the pressure off pulling together our HLF bid. She understood our project quickly and ensured that our bid linked clearly with the lottery’s new priorities. She was a joy to work with and kept us on track for our submission date. We were delighted to secure £250K of income and the project has started well, with multiple partners all understanding their roles, outputs and objectives."

Michael Devlin, Chief Executive, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

“I’ve really enjoyed working with you and have hugely valued the expertise and skills you bring for the benefit of the sector.”

Michael Pitchford, Chief Executive, Third Sector Leaders Kirklees

"I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Rachel for the last two years. She really knows her stuff! Rachel’s applications are methodical and thorough - leaving no stone unturned in her pursuit of funds - as well as ensuring that trusts and foundations are thoroughly researched to give the strongest possible chance of success. Not only that, her knowledge of the sector and the world of small charities is second to none and offers invaluable additional support. I genuinely can’t speak highly enough of her."

Julie Child, Chief Executive, Healthcare Workers' Foundation