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UKGrantmaking 2024

Overview

UKGrantmaking is the definitive annual publication on grant funding in the UK.

It is a unique cross-sector collaboration between 360Giving, the Association of Charitable Foundations, the Association of Charitable Organisations, UK Community Foundations and London Funders. 

It collates data and insight on over £20 billion of funding from across all funding sectors, using data from regulators, funder accounts and data published using the 360Giving Data Standard to provide an interactive platform for understanding grantmaking in the UK

For the first time, funders, sector bodies, policymakers, researchers, fundraisers and sector media can access this valuable data in one place.

See the highlights

Purpose and approach

UKGrantmaking seeks to provide an overview and insight into grantmaking in the UK across different funding sectors. It is a collaborative project brought to you by 360Giving, Pears Foundation, The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO), UK Community Foundations (UKCF) and London Funders.

This is our first sector-wide research collaboration and is a stepping stone towards developing an approach to longer-term analysis which will consider trends, as well as provide a platform of base data that could then be used to “deep dive” into specific areas.

It is our intention that this analysis will be repeated annually, with the ability to draw greater insights when there is a broader base of quality information available.

Published in June 2024, 360Giving compiled the analysis from the existing data available, largely on grants made in 2022-23, the most recent year that had statutory reports available. Sector partners have worked with 360Giving and provided commentary and insight on the data available to support understanding of the overall picture.

We have based the analysis on a mixture of information from regulators, statutory accounts and data published using the 360Giving Data Standard. All sources had limitations and needed some level of manual intervention due to the quality of the data. We recognise that the data and the overall approach are imperfect. We have taken a proportionate approach to the data cleaning and preparations, and learned lessons that can be applied in future years.

Please provide your feedback on the approach, content and how it could be improved or suggestions for the future. If you see any issues with the data or segmentation allocation please request an amendment. If you have a question that has not been answered in the Frequently Asked Questions, you can submit your question here.

How to navigate this platform

The platform has been designed so that it can be read as a report, with each section having a navigation button to view the next and previous pages, or so that you can dip into areas of specific interest using the chapter headings in the navigation on the left.

The visualisations and tables are interactive so they can be explored further. They can be searched and sorted within the tables, expanded in Flourish- the visualisation tool used to generate the visualisations. You can also download the data summaries to use yourself in the way that you would like to.

The data they are based on has also been shared so it can be put to other uses we might not have thought of. Visit the methodology and data page to access the full data. There you can also read more about what we have learned, our ideas for the future and provide your feedback on this work to help us build on it.

See methodology

Our partners

  • 360Giving

    360Giving helps funders publish open data about their grants and supports people to use this data to improve charitable giving. The vision is for grantmaking in the UK to become more informed, effective and strategic.

    360Giving’s aim is for more money to go to where it is needed most to support communities and causes through a more informed understanding of the grantmaking picture. It helps people to access and use the data by creating the tools to make it easy to explore, download and visualise, as well as providing training, support and research to help people get the most out of it.

    360Giving is the lead for this collaboration and manages the platform and data.

  • Pears Foundation

    Pears Foundation is an independent family foundation rooted in Jewish values, investing over £20 million each year in a wide range of charitable organisations and causes. Led by the Pears family, the Foundation’s activities are focused on understanding complex issues, engaging people in achieving social progress and promoting wellbeing. 

    Pears Foundation has supported this project to build on the previous Family Foundation Philanthropy and Foundation Giving Trends analysis which it has funded and contributed to since 2008.

  • Association of Charitable Foundations

    The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) is the leading membership association for foundations and independent grant-makers in the UK. ACF strengthens trusts and foundations so they can rise to the challenges of our times. Their vision is of diverse, vibrant and effective foundations, working together for social good.

    ACF is the lead contributor on the foundation giving section.

  • Association of Charitable Organisations

    The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) is the umbrella membership body for benevolent charities and grantmakers to individuals. ACO enables members to benefit from the collective expertise, experience and resources of benevolent/grant-making charities across their network to address common issues and develop shared solutions.

    ACO is the lead contributor on the grants to individuals section.

  • UK Community Foundations

    UK Community Foundations (UKCF) is the membership body for 47 accredited community foundations which cover every postcode of the UK, and four international members in Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Bermuda. Collectively, the UKCF network has invested over £1.6 billion into local groups and organisations that are tackling the biggest issues facing communities today.

    UKCF is the lead contributor on the community foundations section.

  • London Funders

    London Funders is the only cross-sector membership network for funders and investors in London’s civil society. They are uniquely placed to enable funders from all sectors to be effective. It is the only place that brings together public, private and independent funders to build a better London by taking action on what matters to the city and its communities.

    London Funders is the lead contributor on the London focus section.

About our partners

Our sponsors

  • CCLA

    We are the UK’s largest charity fund manager*, looking after more than 30,000 charities and not-for-profit organisations. Founded in 1958, we are independently owned by our clients and staff with £14.5 billion of assets under management as at 31 March 2024.

    All of our charitable clients are established to do some good in the world. Our purpose is to help them maximise their impact on society by harnessing the power of investment markets.

    We are working with our clients and the investment industry towards a new era of sustainable investment – pushing for change on the climate crisis, addressing modern slavery and other human rights injustices, and engaging with companies regarding the mental health of their Workforces.

    CCLA Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

    *Charity Finance named CCLA as the number one asset manager for charities in the UK in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

About our sponsors

Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the contributions and support of many people, including:

  • The 360Giving staff team, especially David Kane, the lead analyst for the project
  • Leads at partner organisations, especially:
    • Bridget Kohner (Pears Foundation)
    • Catherine Seymour & Jade Yap (Association of Charitable Foundations)
    • Donal Watkin (Association of Charitable Organisations)
    • Damilola Bamidele (UK Community Foundations)
    • Grace Perry (London Funders)
  • The UKGrantmaking advisory group members, including:
    • Rebecca Young (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)
    • Dr Jansev Jemal (Pro Bono Economics)
    • Ben Cairns (Institute for Voluntary Action Research and Open and Trusting Grant-making)
    • Jay Kennedy (Directory of Social Change)
    • Tom Steinberg (Modern Grantmaking)
    • Ciorsdan Brown (Grant Givers Movement)
    • Paul Ramsbottom OBE (Wolfson Foundation)
    • Anna de Pulford (The Dulverton Trust)
    • Nick Addington (William Grant Foundation/ Scottish Funders Forum/ Environmental Funders Network)
    • Dr Emma Horrigan (City Bridge Foundation)
    • Adam Lopardo (Community Foundation for Tyne & Wear and Northumberland/ 360Giving)
    • Jo Kerr (Turn2Us/ 360Giving)
    • James Laverty (The James Kane Foundation/ Northern Ireland Funders Forum)
    • Dr Karl Wilding (University of Kent)
    • Rhodri Davies (Philanthropy Matters)
    • Tobias Jung (University of St Andrews)
    • Chris Davis (Chartered Institute of Fundraising/ Researchers in Fundraising)

History

Intended as a step on from our snapshot report last year, this work builds on the vision and previous research supported by the Pears Foundation which started with Family Foundation Philanthropy in 2008, and later became the Foundation Giving Trends series. These reports were published by the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy, Bayes Business School, (formerly Cass Business School, University of London) until 2013 and subsequently the Association of Charitable Foundations (2014 to 2022). Previous reports are available from the Pears Foundation and ACF.

There were a variety of authors between 2008 and 2022, with the core methodology developed by Cathy Pharoah (Honorary Visiting Professor, Bayes Business School) who was the lead author, supported and implemented in more recent years by Dr Cat Walker (The Researchery).