Mark Pierce,  Associate Director of Knowledge and Research at the Community Foundation

At the Community Foundation we like to think we have a fairly close relationship with our grantees, and that they wouldn’t be too shy to tell us where we could be doing better. And a bit of constructive criticism is genuinely appreciated. But we also know it can be difficult, particularly if you are a new grantee or have been unsuccessful in applying, to raise concerns about how a funding partner conducts their business.

Tim Harrison-Byrne

When we first announced our Small Charity Research Award in December of last year, we were blown away by the response from the sector. Our offer was to provide a bespoke research project to a charity in the UK or Ireland with an income of under £1m – a testament to our belief in the power of research to build charities up.  

Tim Harrison-Byrne & Rosie Burrells

"Why would you get involved with our bureaucratic funder in order to fund your social action or your change?”
This question was asked by a participant in our Spring 2021 research with leaders in the grantmaking sector. It introduces our blog for this week, which summarises what this audience perceive as the biggest challenges currently facing this sector, and their outlook on the future.

This blog highlights some of the key findings from our research on the impact of Covid-19 with the John Ellerman Foundation's grantees and unsuccesful applicants. 

Earlier this year nfpSynergy surveyed 143 grantees and 218 unsuccessful applications from The John Ellerman Foundation to understand how charities have been impacted by Covid-19, and the overall effectiveness of the foundation. In this week's blog, Tim Harrison-Byrne discusses some of the insights from that research.

Our new report with the People's Postcode Lottery highlights how fundraising limits affect charity lotteries- and ultimately hurt smaller charities. It explores the fundraising environment for small charities, examines charity lottery regulation and its impacts, as well as analysing attitudes toward charity lottery limits among MPs and the general public.

Some key figures:

Joe Saxton looks at what CEOs need to understand about grant-making.

Our latest research into the relationship between a charity and a grant maker.

This free report gives an overview of grant-making trusts, with a specific look at relationships between grant givers and grantees. Discover the role of grants in the UK, and the viewpoint of the grantee in regards to the grant maker and the processes involved.

Key Facts: