CAP Bursary Programme
Finance for Growth Review
A fully funded review of your charity's finance function, worth £2,000, awarded to growing charities that need their financial operations to catch up with their ambition.
£2,000 value
Fully funded
Two 45 minute meetings
Over two weeks
About the programme
Charity Accounting Partners established the CAP Bursary Programme to give growing charities access to senior finance expertise they would not otherwise fund from restricted budgets. Many charities reach a stage where their income has grown faster than their financial operations, and the cost of independent senior advice is difficult to justify against programme delivery.
A limited number of Finance for Growth Reviews are awarded each quarter. There is no cost to the recipient charity and no cash is transferred. The award is delivered as professional services to the value of £2,000.
Awards are made on the basis of the criteria set out below and the information provided in your expression of interest.
Who this is for
The programme is designed for a specific stage of charity. Recognising yourself in the description below matters more than any single metric.
- Your income is growing but your finance team has not evolved with the charity
- As CEO you are wearing multiple hats and finance is one of the hats you did not ask for
- You lack real confidence in the numbers you are presenting to your board
- Your monthly reporting tells you what happened but not what it means or what to do next
- Board meetings spend time interrogating the figures instead of discussing financial strategy
If this describes your charity, the review is designed to change it.
Eligibility
Primary criterion
Annual income between £500,000 and £2,000,000
Further criteria
- Registered charity or CIO in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland
- Chief Executive or equivalent senior leader committed to attending both meetings
- Board support for participating in the review
- Willingness to share management accounts and access to your accounting system for the duration of the review
Expressions of interest from charities that fall just outside the £500,000 to £2,000,000 income range are welcome and will be considered on their merits where the remaining criteria are met. If you recognise your charity in the description above, please apply.
What the review covers
The review looks end to end at your finance function, assessed throughout against a single question: is your finance function enabling income growth, or constraining it.
Your accounting system
How your system is configured, whether your chart of accounts and fund structure reflect how the charity actually operates, and whether it is capable of producing the information your board needs.
Turning data into insight
Whether your reporting produces high trust insight that drives confident decisions, or simply reports history. We look at your management accounts, forecasting, restricted fund tracking and the story your numbers currently tell.
Processes and controls
How money moves through your charity, where the risks sit, and whether your controls give you and your trustees genuine assurance without creating unnecessary friction.
Operating efficiency
Where effort is being spent, what is being done manually that should not be, and what your current finance capacity can realistically support as income grows.
What you receive
- 1A written report setting out findings, risks and prioritised recommendations across all four areas of the review
- 2A presentation of the findings delivered to you and your board
- 3A clear view of what your finance function needs in order to support your growth plans over the next three years
The review is independent and comes with no obligation to purchase any service from CAP.
Time commitment
Two 45 minute meetings across two weeks, plus access to your accounting system and your recent management accounts. Everything else is done by CAP.
Discovery meeting
A 45 minute conversation covering how your finance function currently operates.
Follow up meeting
A 45 minute conversation to test findings and understand your growth plans.
Report and board presentation
Findings, risks and prioritised recommendations delivered in writing and presented to your board.
Who delivers the review
Carl Wakeford, Founder of Charity Accounting Partners
Carl is an ICAEW chartered accountant and charity finance specialist. He trained at KPMG in charity and public sector audit, has led over 100 charity audits, and has held senior finance roles in the sector.
Carl personally conducts every Finance for Growth Review and presents the findings to the board.
How to apply
- 1
Submit an expression of interest
Complete the form below with details of your charity and what is prompting your interest.
- 2
A short conversation to confirm fit
A brief call to confirm the criteria are met and that the review will be useful to you.
- 3
Confirmation of the award
Successful charities receive written confirmation and dates for the two meetings.
Expressions of interest are reviewed on a rolling basis and places are limited each quarter.
Submit an expression of interest
The form takes around three minutes to complete.
Frequently asked questions
Finance should give you confidence, not doubt.
If your charity is growing and your financial operations need to catch up, the Growth Readiness Review is a considered place to start.