About me

I’m Matthew Cock, a freelance trusts and foundations fundraiser / fundraising consultant. From November 2023 I am working for Disability Rights UK, which works with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), public bodies, businesses and UK Government to influence regional and national change for better rights, accessibility, benefits, quality of life and economic opportunities for disabled people.

Background

I was CEO of an arts access charity, one of Arts Council England’s national portfolio organisations (NPO) from 2015 to 2023. Previously, I worked in digital (as Creative Editor, Content Manager and Head of Web) at the British Museum, before starting my career in a curatorial training role at the V&A, working on a range of collections, interpretation and gallery projects.

Trusts and Foundations

Between 2015 and 2022, I raised restricted and unrestricted grants from 39 different trusts and foundations, accounting for around 21% of the charity’s voluntary income. Half gave multi-year grants or multiple grants during the period. These included:

• A three-year grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation which helped establish the organisation’s museum and heritage programme, and was instrumental in an uplift of the Arts Council England NPO funding from 2018 onwards.
• A three-year grant from the John Ellerman Foundation to help grow the organisation’s marketing and audience development activity.
• Annual grants over seven years from a private family trust to support accessible performances for touring theatre in towns and cities across the UK.

Funds raised contributed significantly to organisational and professional development of freelance practitioners, as well as subsidising service costs for smaller, diverse-led organisations and those based outside London.