The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance is a leading centre of dance, blazing a trail of ground-breaking training that defines generations of dancers across the globe. It has nurtured some of history’s most celebrated dancers and choreographers, and today is world-renowned for developing talent, partnering with dance schools in Australia, the USA, and Japan. From its centre in the UK, it trains the next generation of world-class dance professionals and stars of dance.
Photo credit © James Keates/Rambert School.
The Brief
When Rambert School approached us, they had outgrown their training and performance spaces, and needed help to meet an ambitious fundraising target for a major capital improvement project. They were approaching their 100th anniversary but cramped studios and outdated facilities threatened to undermine their global reputation for excellence, one that has been nurtured and established over a century. With no fundraising or development team in place, the challenge of securing major grants could have been overwhelming.
Our Response
Working with the Rambert School’s executive team and closely with a volunteer fundraising committee, we wrote the Case for Support, and built the capital campaign plan which formed the bedrock of the School’s centenary anniversary fundraising. The campaign plan included a critical path of fundraising stewardship, trust application submissions, cultivation opportunities, CRM data-base integration, and an expertly researched pipeline of major funders. We also worked closely with the outreach team to identify funding for bursary programmes, and community outreach, enabling young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to follow their ambitions.
Impact
The Case for Support underpinned successful applications to major UK trust funders such as the Garfield Weston Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation and The Linbury Trust, which set in motion the creation of new rehearsal and performance spaces. We were delighted that our work resulted in six-figure major gifts towards the campaign target, ahead of the 100th anniversary year celebrations, enabling the School to build new state of the arts facilities and retain its global reputation of excellence.
‘When it came to reviewing our fundraising strategy Philanthropy Company were a good match in advising us and understood us straight away; their strategic advice, hands-on guidance and practical support, was invaluable. They helped us set the course for our 100th anniversary capital campaign, and their knowledge and understanding at bid writing helped to secure large grants from trusts and foundations, renewing our confidence in the future of the Rambert School and its continuing role as a global centre of dance excellence’.
Clare Buckle, Finance Director
‘The Philanthropy Company laid the foundations to our capital campaign. Their expert management resulted in a bespoke, multi-phased approach to our fundraising. They helped us articulate what we were setting out to achieve, developing our case for support. Their work will continue to be influential to our fundraising in the future’.
Galina Wilkinson, Head of Development