Summer AI Series Ep.2

AI and Grantmaking: Ask the Expert (Q&A)

Register now: SGM Member Meeting - AI and Grantmaking: Ask the Expert (Q&A) – Fill out form

This interactive session will explore how AI is reshaping governance for grantmaking organisations, with a focus on practical opportunities, proportionate risk management, and real‑world application. Through expert‑led discussion and open Q&A, we’ll remove the ambiguity and examine where AI can genuinely add value. The session is designed to be highly participatory, and attendees are encouraged to come prepped with all their AI questions and challenges to make the most of the discussion.

The session will be led by Zoe Amar, a leading expert on AI, digital transformation, and governance in the charity sector. Zoe works closely with charities and funders across the UK, advising on how to lead digital change with confidence, increasing impact, skills and sustainability through her agency and as co‑chair of the Charity AI Taskforce. With 16 years’ experience as a charity trustee and deep involvement in sector‑wide frameworks and policy, Zoe brings a strong governance lens to helping grantmakers use AI effectively and responsibly.

Agenda:

• Introduction (5 minutes)

• Pre-planned questions (25 minutes)

• Open questions (30 minutes)

Pre-planned questions:

• How is AI changing charity and foundation governance?

• What examples have you seen of smaller organisations maximising impact through AI?

• What AI tools currently exist that could support funders? For example, an AI agent that engages with fundraisers pre-application to assess fit and save time on both sides.

• What should organisations expect to do with the time AI saves them?

• What should a sensible, proportionate AI policy include for grantmaking organisations?

• Do you have any specific advice or watch-outs for grantmakers adopting AI?

• How would you recommend approaching this in practice - building bespoke AI tools vs buying and licensing existing solutions?

Summer AI Series Ep.1

Register now: SGM Member Meeting - Introduction to AI – Fill out form

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping how charities, funders, and regulators work; but what does it actually mean for grantmaking in Scotland? This accessible, non‑technical session is designed specifically for grantmakers at the start of their AI journey who want a clear, practical understanding of AI and how it can support everyday work.

The session will be led by Ian McLintock, a passionate volunteer of nearly 50 years and an experienced leader with over three decades in senior roles, including multiple Chair and CEO appointments. Ian founded Charity Excellence in 2018 as a self‑funded initiative to support not‑for‑profit organisations. In 2025, he launched a Learning Management System featuring 11 AI courses for the sector, helping to catalyse responsible AI adoption across charities and funders.

Date: Wednesday 20th May 2026

Time: 13:00 - 14:15

Duration: 1hr 15m

Agenda:

• Introduction (5 minutes)

• What is AI and how does it work (10 minutes)

• The different types of AI (5 minutes)

• How AI can be used to help us (10 minutes)

• Getting started with prompts and prompt writing (20 minutes)

• Demonstration (10 minutes)

• + Q&A (15 minutes)

Led by Tania Carvalho, this session will explore:

• How perceptions that gender equality has “gone far enough” influence what funders deem as necessary, legitimate, or strategic to support

• Why women’s rights organisations remain chronically underfunded despite rising demand and growing social need

• Insights from interviews with leaders, fundraisers and grantmakers across the UK women’s sector on how these dynamics shape funding decisions and organisational sustainability

• Structural features of philanthropic funding that unintentionally reinforce inequality, including short-termism, competition and power hoarding

• Emerging approaches within philanthropy that aim to redistribute power and resources

Click to sign-up: here

Session 2: Partnership, Not Paperwork: Designing Better Funder–Charity Relationships 

This session focuses on process, communication, and partnership; exploring how funders and charities can co‑create better application journeys, realistic reporting expectations, and shared goals that reduce workload and increase impact. 

• Date & Time: Tuesday 31st March 1pm (Online) 

• Speakers:  Robyn McBain and Cheryl Reid

• Register: Here

Robyn McBain 
Robyn started as a Development Officer covering Trusts and Corporate fundraising mid-2019 at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, followed by just over a year as a Trusts Officer at Leonard Cheshire during the Covid-19 pandemic. Robyn has been at Action for Children for three years, first as a Senior Trusts Officer and now as Trusts Manager. Action for Children are a UK-wide charity with an income of £163m but have been working in Scotland for 70 years and currently have 95 services across areas like family support, mental health, disability and children in care. Robyn therefore has done Trust fundraising across a wide spectrum of funders, projects and opportunities, from £5K applications to save the Scottish Wildcat to £5M Lottery applications to support children at risk of criminal exploitation. 

Cheryl Reid 
Cheryl is based in Central Scotland, with 19 years' experience in the fundraising world, the last 5 of which have been focused specifically on Trusts.  Cheryl hasgained experience across various disciplines with organisations including NSPCC, Poppy Scotland, Scottish Ballet and in her current role at Scottish SPCA, she has lead Trusts fundraising for almost 4 years.  In that time Cheryl has their Trusts fundraising programme and seen income increase ten-fold. 

Session 1: What We Wish Funders Knew: Understanding Impact Beyond the Criteria 

This session aims to lift the lid on how charities work behind the scenes and what funders often don’t see when reading an application. We’ll be exploring the realities of delivering community impact under tight criteria and how different types of funding are vital. 

• Date & Time: Wednesday 18th March 1pm (Online) 

• Speakers: Sarah Campbell and Gregor Currie

• Register: Here

Sarah Campbell
Sarah is the Fundraising Manager at Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, where she has played a central role in the organisation’s growth over the past nine years. During her tenure, the charity has expanded from a £500K turnover with a team of nine to a £3.2 million organisation employing 47 staff. With 15 years of fundraising experience across multiple roles (including a decade running a small grant‑giving organisation in a voluntary capacity) Sarah brings a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within trust fundraising as organisations scale and evolve. 

Gregor Currie
Gregor is a Trust and Grants Fundraiser at Bethany Christian Trust, having transitioned into the role in September 2024 after a previous career as a Funeral Director. He now helps secure and steward around £1.6 million in trust and grant income each year, as part of a small team of three (a figure that includes a significant proportion of statutory income). Bethany Christian Trust delivers around 30 projects across Scotland, ranging from homelessness prevention initiatives to emergency accommodation, giving Gregor hands‑on insight into fundraising for complex, high‑impact services. 

Look ahead to 2025 and reflect on 2024 at this festive members’ meeting.

We will be joined by David McNeill from SCVO who will provide some insight into what lies ahead for the sector next year.

This is an in person event at The Social Hub, 15 Candleriggs Square, Glasgow G1 1TQ.

This Open Members Meeting we will hear from The National Lottery Community Fund and Alexander Moncur Trust about the various projects they sponsor and how the place based funding supports the communities and cultures of those living there.

An agenda will be available soon.

This event is only available to members. To learn more about member benefits, please see the Join Us page or contact scottishgrantmakers@wssociety.co.uk.

Scottish Grantmakers is thrilled to be hosting our Annual Conference at The Barracks in Stirling.

This year, we are restructuring the event to better reflect the needs and interests of our members. This exciting new approach will be announced soon.

To see more about this keynote event, visit our Annual conference 2024 page.

Scottish Grantmakers and Scottish Funders Forum are working with Migration Policy Scotland (MPS) to host a discussion surrounding migration in Scotland.

Scotland has experienced the fastest growing migrant population of all UK nations over the past 20 years with Polish people recently overtaking Pakistan-born people as the largest group. Following the end of free movement we are seeing further significant changes in the size and composition of Scotland’s migrant population. While many of us will be familiar with work supporting refugees and asylum seekers, 90% of migration is termed non-protection migration – people arriving in Scotland to work, study or for family reasons. Understanding their experiences and addressing the challenges they face is an important, but almost routinely disregarded, aspect of combating poverty, exclusion and racial inequity. Building stronger communities and a brighter future requires greater awareness and understanding of migration’s role in Scotland.

Key topics to be covered include:

• The experiences of migrants and refugees in Scotland.

• The impact of migration on Scottish society.

• The role of charities in supporting migrant communities.

• Policies and practices affecting migrants and refugees.

• Building inclusive and welcoming communities.

• How grant making can support migrant communities.

• Where grant making is required within migrant communities.

MPS are a fairly new charity in Scotland who have a really strong understanding of the Scottish context for migrants and what this means for Scotland. They carry out an annual attitudes survey to immigration and regularly inform Scottish Government on policy relating to migration. You can find out more on their website  here. This is an opportunity to learn more about the work MPS do, understand more about the current position of migration in Scotland and how this impacts the work we do and the work we support.

 Speakers

• Ali MacLachlan, Chair of Scottish Grantmakers (Event Chair)

• Dr. Sarah Kyambi, Director, Migration Policy Scotland

• Dr. Rebecca Kay, Senior Researcher, Migration Policy Scotland

Roundtable Participants

• Carol Mack OBE, CEO, Association of Charitable Foundations

• Marchu Belete, Co-director, Migration Exchange

• Elaine Wilson, Head of Learning and Development, Corra Foundation

Members’ Voice speakers will be Duncan Byatt, The Highland Society of London, and Blair Thomson, The Northwood Charitable Trust.

Chairs are invited to join us on 23 May 2024 for an evening of discussion at V&A Dundee. The event will include a guest speaker to spark discussions amongst members, networking opportunities, and a private viewing of V&A Dundee's most recent exhibition, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk.

Join us for the first Members' event of the year! This quarter's theme is 'community', a pressing topic in all of our organisations. 

For grantmakers, connecting with the communities they support isn't just about goodwill, it's about strategic effectiveness. By forging relationships with local organisations and residents, grantmakers gain a deeper understanding of the issues on the ground. This allows them to fund initiatives that truly address community needs, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Beginning with a Members' Voices session, we will hear from the Essentia Foundation, speaking on their reaction to changes in the third sector and how they are seeking to fill funding gaps as a grant maker.

This session will be followed by a presentation by Elaine Wilson, Head of Learning and Development at the Corra Foundation to talk about how funders can support human rights issues.

We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can better the communities we serve. 

SGM’s second collaborative event with SFF and SCVO about the work being undertaken on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), Fair funding and the Environment.