November, 2025

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Here's a little taster of what we've been reading, sharing and saying online. We'd love you to hear your views!

Foundation aims to be a friend to grantseekers

A UK charity has moved to reduce wasted effort by grantseekers by allowing for more informal applications and loosening up funding restrictions.

Friends Provident Foundation’s simplified grants system allows interested parties to:

Visit its website to “say hello” and asks for funds via writing, video or voice message
Hold casual conversations about their project
Get help with the formal application process
Expect resulting funds to be unrestricted.

It’s hoped the more open approach will reduce rejection rates, improve the quality of applications and allow grant recipients to spend funds where they are most needed.

The foundation, which formed in 2004 with funds from the demutualisation of a Quaker-formed friendly society, distributes upwards of £1 million each year in its mission “to create a fair and sustainable economy”.

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Greater integrity needed in grants assessments

The deployment of third-party grant assessors can reduce the risks to funders of corruption, conflict of interest and reputational damage, according to a professional grants management expert.

SmartyGrants managed services leader Stephen Foxworthy (right) said his team’s recent in-depth review of grants audits demonstrated the need for further reform in the area.

SmartyGrants Managed Services general manager Steph Foxworthy

Foxworthy said the use of independent assessors could reduce reputational and political risks linked to assessments by those with perceived or actual conflicts of interests.

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Councils seek to move beyond compliance in grant measurement

A snapshot of the Miro from the Local Government roundtable

Fragmented data systems, inconsistent wellbeing metrics, and pressure from central government timelines are among the challenges faced by local government grantmakers across the UK and Ireland, as they look to evolve from compliance-driven reporting to more meaningful measurement of outcomes and systemic impact.

These themes emerged during an online roundtable hosted by SmartyGrants, which brought together around 30 grantmakers from local authorities across the UK and Ireland.

The session, Measuring What Matters, was designed to surface shared challenges, showcase international practice, and explore practical ways forward for councils grappling with the complexities of impact reporting. Participants collaborated via a live Miro board to capture current practices, roadblocks, and aspirations for the future.

While many councils reported well-established systems for tracking outputs, financial compliance, and collecting grantee feedback through surveys, several acknowledged the difficulties of standardising qualitative and wellbeing data. Others noted internal barriers, including lack of alignment across departments and limited staff understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks.

“There’s a real appetite to move beyond the basics and develop measurement approaches that are not just about accountability, but about learning and making better decisions,” said the event host, Vicky Coutts, who is UK/Ireland Engagement and Support Manager at SmartyGrants.

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‘Build it’: Calls for bold action as Philanthropy Ireland charts the next phase

There is not one single way to do philanthropy – everyone can find a place in the evolving ecosystem.

That was one of the themes that emerged during Philanthropy Ireland’s ninth annual symposium, held in Dublin on October 16.

“What you can’t do is find the single right way to do philanthropy,” the founder of the UK’s landmark 360Giving grants data initiative, Fran Perrin, told the Symposium.

Perrin, a fifth-generation Sainsbury’s supermarket heir and benefactor, said she had found the world of philanthropy “impossible to navigate”. Enter 360Giving, through which more than 300 funders now publish their grants data in the UK.

Perrin urged anyone considering working in philanthropy to first gain some experience in the types of organisations they would be seeking to fund (it would make them a better funder, she said), and to seek out “critical challenge” to their strategies and views.

“Nobody will tell you the truth when you’re holding the chequebook,” she warned.

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Charting the field of philanthropy in Ireland

A landmark Philanthropy Ireland study has revealed the current state and trajectory of philanthropy in Ireland.

The snapshot study suggests key levers for growth to unlock philanthropy as:

Making giving easier by normalising different giving vehicles and mechanisms
Scaling pooled and challenge funds
Blending grants with finance
Telling impact better
Dedicating a percentage of funding to multi-year, unrestricted support
Growing place-based giving
Investing in capacity and data
Mobilising philanthropy stakeholders

The report findings were presented by Philanthropy Ireland head of communications and relationships Hazel Hennessy during the Philanthropy Ireland Symposium in October.

Click above to watch the Impact Map overview, which was presented at the Philanthropy Ireland conference by head of communications and relationships Hazel Hennessy.

Read the Symposium Report

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Local government grants stagnating: study

Local authorities are cutting or stagnating funding for voluntary and community groups, according to new research from the Directory of Social Change (DSC). Its latest Grants for Good report, based on freedom of information (FOI) requests to all 378 UK councils, shows that grant spending failed to keep pace with inflation in 2023-24 and fell sharply among financially distressed authorities.

Councils who responded to the FOI request reported issuing 35,554 grants worth £461.9 million last year, but the true figure is likely closer to £600 million, DSC suggests. Even so, the report warns that pressure on council budgets is eroding local grant funding, with an increasing number of councils at risk of insolvency, and 71% of those reducing spend, often dramatically.

Transparency remains weak. More than a quarter of councils failed to fully answer FOI requests, and data provided varied significantly in quality. Despite this, the report finds little evidence of legal risk: nearly 80% of grants were awarded through open processes and only one council faced legal action over a grant decision.

The average council grant was £13,000, with half of authorities distributing less than £520,000 in total. DSC says too many councils are still failing to meet basic transparency standards and is calling for consistent, accessible publication of grant data and stronger compliance with FOI rules.

"Local authority grants provide essential financial support that enables voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to deliver services and make a difference in the communities they serve," the report says.

"They sit alongside income from service delivery contracts, public donations, trading, and grants from grantmaking charities and corporates. Any reduction in this funding is likely to have a detrimental impact on the people who depend on these organisations."

Read the Report

UK grantmaking rises to £23b, new data reveals

UK grantmakers distributed more than £23 billion in grants last year, according to the 2025 edition of UKGrantmaking, which its publishers describe as the most comprehensive annual overview of UK funding.

The platform, produced by 360Giving in partnership with the Association of Charitable Foundations, the Association of Charitable Organisations, UK Community Foundations and London Funders, reports that grantmaking by trusts and foundations increased by 12%, compared to the previous year, to £8.2 billion.

According to the analysis, donor-advised funds grew their awards by 20% to £2.1 billion, and National Lottery distributors awarded more than £2.4 billion. The authors note that endowment levels across the sector remained flat over the past five years and have declined in real terms.

The figures are drawn from data supplied by more than 14,000 grantmakers, including over 320 organisations that publish to the 360Giving Data Standard.

Data supplied by the Charity Commission for England and Wales enabled what 360Giving describes as a “more comprehensive understanding” of grants to individuals and families. The platform revises previous estimates from £400 million a year to around £850 million in 2023-24, which the authors emphasise reflects improved data rather than increased grantmaking.

The publication says that government bodies are no longer the largest source of grant income to the sector, though government remains the main provider of contract income.

The 2025 edition introduces a dedicated section on National Lottery distributors, improved access to downloadable data and expanded commentary, including contributions from sector partners.

The full dataset and analysis are available online.

Explore the UKGiving Data

Grants news digest

A roundup of recent grants-related news

A screen snap of information on The List

New online tracker launched to monitor changes in UK grantmaking practice

The List, a crowd-sourced monitor of UK funder behaviour, has launched as a standalone website tracking shifts such as sudden round closures or strategy pauses. It offers a practical transparency tool for civil society and grantmakers.
Read more: https://the-list.uk/

Head of Reparations to be appointed at Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
JRCT will recruit a head of reparations as it continues its response to evidence that its founder’s wealth was linked to colonial-era trade and enslaved labour.
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Government to establish Office for Impact Economy
The UK Government will create a new Office for Impact Economy to provide a single entry point for impact investors, philanthropists and purpose-led businesses.
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Call to modernise Gift Aid and philanthropy advice
An advisory group has urged government to simplify Gift Aid, update legacy-giving processes and modernise wealth advice on philanthropy to unlock funding. The recommendations aim to reduce friction in giving and support a more resilient funding environment.
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CIFF withdraws funding from US organisations
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, a London-based grantmaker, is pulling its funding of United States-based organisations, citing the changing political environment as a deciding factor.

Collaboration Circle launches first pooled long-term fund for London
Collaboration Circle has launched its first pooled fund, holding £34 million from the National Lottery Community Fund and City Bridge Foundation to support London’s communities over seven years. The model is designed to ease cross-funder collaboration and embed shared decision making.
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Survey finds two-thirds of charities cutting staff and services
A survey of 100 UK charities reports widespread financial strain, with almost two-thirds reducing staff or services due to falling income, burnout and declining public donations.
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International Non-Profit Accounting Standard published
The first global accounting standard for non-profits, INPAS, has been released, offering a consistent framework for financial reporting.
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Data for London Library launched
A new open data platform, the Data for London Library, aims to make London’s data ecosystem more accessible and usable.
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Warning issued over post-Brexit funding cliff in Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action has renewed calls for clarity on future UK Government funding as thousands of vulnerable people, 650 jobs and 64 organisations face risk without confirmation of the Local Growth Fund’s delivery.
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Foundation transfers endowment
The Pye Foundation has transferred its £2.3 million endowment to Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, creating a significant local philanthropic fund.
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BBC Children in Need adopts place-based model
BBC Children in Need has announced a long-term, place-based funding approach developed with local partners to shift power to communities and strengthen local infrastructure. It emphasises community-led decision making and long-term investment for deeply disadvantaged children.
Read more

Government launches Pride in Place programme for 330 communities

Local communities will be handed new powers to revitalise their high streets and restore pride in their towns, the UK government says. The nationwide Pride in Place programme, which was unveiled in September, will support 330 communities to tackle deep-rooted deprivation and regional inequality.

Scottish charities facing “slow-motion apocalypse”

Scottish charities are facing acute financial strain driven by rising demand, flat public funding and escalating core costs, with many organisations warning they may not survive without structural change. Sector leaders argue that short-term, competitive funding is undermining essential local provision and are calling for longer-term, sustainable investment.

Arts sector in limbo after Arts Council England portal crash

Arts organisations and artists have said they are in “funding limbo” with mounting bills and uncertain futures after this summer’s crash of Arts Council England’s grant processing platform in July. In a November 21 update, the council explained that a spike in traffic, combined with some “essential security system updates” had put pressure on the system. “Our teams inside the Arts Council are still able to use the system, but we’ve made the decision not to reopen it to external users, to avoid it becoming overloaded again,” the statement says.

Article

Arts Council statement

Research highlights barriers to innovation in civil society
New research finds that finance constraints and risk-averse cultures prevent charities from investing in innovation, with many seeing it as incompatible with charitable duties. The National Centre for Social Research and Behavioural Insights Team report calls for government to share good practice and encourage investment.
Read more

NPC and Beacon Collaborative confirm merger
NPC and the Beacon Collaborative have merged in a move it says will strengthen UK philanthropy, combining advisory capacity, data expertise and market insight.

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Want to find out more about our world-leading technology solution? Contact our SmartyGrants UK/Ireland Engagement and Support Manager Vicky Coutts.
- Email: vickyc@smartygrants.co.uk
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