We’ve added blogs to the UKGrantmaking platform. Here’s what to expect when you browse this new section of the site.

The background to UKGrantmaking

In 2024, we published the first full edition of UKGrantmaking – an annual publication on grant funding in the UK, shared through this interactive platform (the one you’re on right now!) so people can easily find and use the data that is most relevant to their work. 

The concept is simple: we wanted to present an overview of grantmaking not only from trusts and foundations, but from the full range of organisations that award grants to the voluntary sector: government, National Lottery distributors, Donor Advised Funds, charities and more. We hope this helps charities, funders, policymakers and researchers to better understand the grantmaking ecosystem and context.

While there were reports into areas of grantmaking before, they were inconsistent and fragmented. So 360Giving joined together with the Association of Charitable Foundations, Association of Charitable Organisations, UK Community Foundations and London Funders,  supported by Pears Foundation and CCLA Investment Management, to bring together a more comprehensive picture. Read more about our partners here. 

Learning from 2024

In our first year, we shared data in charts and tables with a running commentary about what it meant, and with reflections from different organisations on the implications for their community. While the platform was accessed by over 10,000 people in its first year, some found the volume and format of information overwhelming. Those who enjoy diving straight into the data wanted fewer words, and those who prefer a narrative wanted more. 

Our intention

Meet our blog. Our hope is that this addition to the platform will allow us to shine light on grantmaking in the UK for more people – whatever their experience with data or learning style. 

In UKGrantmaking, we look at grants data for the latest available financial year. Our 2024 edition looked at 2022-23, and for our 2025 edition we’ll be investigating 2023-24. This is based not only on data from the 320 funders publishing their data using the 360Giving Data Standard, but also from charity regulators, Companies House and beyond – building as comprehensive a picture as possible.  

As well as giving us a place to expand on a specific year’s data, we hope to share broader stories about grantmaking in the UK including a look at longer-term trends, deep-dives into specific issues, and wider themes. 

We’ll be sharing things like: 

• “The view from” – Exploring what the data means for different groups such as ACF members, London Funders, Community Foundations, and ACO members. 
• Deep-dives into specific issues or themes – What is ‘Total Return’ investment and why does it matter? What is the total grantmaking of different groups of funders or collaborations? 
• Case studies – Enhancing our understanding of the data through the approaches of specific groups.
• The stories we can’t tell (yet) – We’ll be upfront about the questions we’re not yet able to answer and why. This isn’t without agenda – we want you to help us grow the quality and availability of data for future editions. Find out more about why and how to publish your data using the 360Giving Data Standard. 

If there’s more you’d like to know, or if you would like to suggest other developments to UKGrantmaking, please do get in touch.

Our 2025 edition of UKGrantmaking is due to launch in early June – be among the first to hear by signing up for 360Giving’s newsletter.