Board Member & Head of Grants

What will you be doing?

• Films for Humanity has produced six films since 2019, on mental health, domestic violence, drunk driving, kindness, Black history and conversion therapy. In 2026 we rebranded from Filming for Humanity and are now forming a four-person leadership board for 2027: a Head of Legal & Governance, a Head of Grants, a Head of Brand & Industry Partnerships and a Head of Education & Community Partnerships, working alongside our founder, who leads creative direction and marketing.
• We have strong films, a clear model and a first funding success: a Kensington Olympia grant that bought our filming equipment. What we need now is a steady, well-run grant pipeline. That is where you come in.
• As Head of Grants, you will own how Films for Humanity is funded by trusts, foundations and public bodies. You will:
  - Shape and lead our 2027 grant strategy, matching funders to our film slate, schools programme and core costs
  - Research and prioritise the right funders: film and arts bodies, local funders in Kensington and Chelsea, and social impact trusts and foundations
  - Write or lead strong applications at a realistic pace, typically 2–3 a month
  - Keep a simple grant tracker (identified, in progress, submitted, won or lost) and share it with the board each month
  - Build relationships with funders, and learn from every decision, including the declines
  - Make sure every grant we win is reported on well and on time
  - Build and lead a small volunteer team, starting with a grant researcher
  - Use our CRM (GoHighLevel) to manage funder contacts, deadlines and follow-ups
  - Work closely with the Head of Education & Community Partnerships on impact evidence, and with the Head of Brand & Industry Partnerships so we never approach the same organisation twice
  - Join one online board meeting a month (60–90 minutes)
• How our structure works: Films for Humanity currently operates as a Community Interest Company (CIC), and we are registering a charity alongside it in 2027. Many funders only support registered charities, which is one reason the charity matters so much. Until it is registered, you will pursue funders open to CICs and prepare a ready-to-go pipeline so the charity can apply from its first day. You will sit on the CIC's advisory board from day one and be invited to become a founding trustee of the charity once it is registered. We will keep the two roles clearly separated, and you will never be asked to act for one organisation at the expense of the other.
• This is a rare chance to build the funding foundations of a young film studio at the moment it steps onto a bigger stage.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a self-starter: someone who finds the right funders, writes with clarity and conviction, and follows through, without waiting to be asked. Our founder leads the creative direction; you will lead our grant funding, with the freedom and trust to shape it your way.

Most important:
- A proven self-starter who can work independently, set their own priorities and deliver on what they commit to
- A track record of successful funding applications to trusts, foundations, lottery or public funders
- A clear, persuasive writer who is comfortable with project budgets and impact reporting
- Confidence working in a CRM every day (ideally GoHighLevel, or similar such as HubSpot or Salesforce) to track funders, deadlines and follow-ups

Also valuable:
- Knowledge of UK film, arts or charity funding
- The ability to build and lead a small volunteer team, such as a grant researcher
- Experience preparing a new charity for its first funding applications
- A calm, organised approach, and a commitment to the dignity of the stories we tell

You do not need to have been a trustee before; we will give you a full induction. We warmly welcome applicants with lived experience of the issues our films address, such as mental health, domestic violence or conversion therapy, and people from backgrounds under-represented in film and media.

What difference will you make?

Small charities do extraordinary work, but most cannot afford to tell their story on film. Films for Humanity changes that: we make free, professionally produced films for charities with an income under £150,000, and we take those films into schools to start conversations with young people.

Every free film has real costs: crew, actors, locations, editing and sound. Grant income is what makes those films possible, and it is the most reliable way to grow from a handful of films to our ambition of supporting twelve charities a year.

Your work will turn our stories into sustainable funding. Each grant you secure means another small charity with a film it could never have afforded, another school screening, and another audience moved to understand an issue they had never thought about.

You will also build something lasting. As we register our charity and form our first full board, you will design the funding approach, the tracker and the bank of application material that Films for Humanity will rely on for years to come.

And you will see the results: funders who say yes, films that exist because of you, and charities whose stories reached people because the money was there to tell them.