IVAR’s Open and Trusting Community in 2023-24

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Author: Ben Cairns, Director, Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR)

Every time I listen to charity leaders talk about what their job feels like in today’s climate, I find myself wondering the same thing. 

What would it take for more funders to adopt the simple changes in behaviour, processes and assumptions that will help charities do the work they exist to do – the work so essential to a fair, vibrant and resilient society?  

I recently met with a group of 14 charity leaders – from Woking via Dudley to Fife – and I heard firsthand about the very real stress and strain of trying to keep going when local authorities are on their financial knees, public services are decimated, demand for frontline support is rising, and foundation funding feels more squeezed and disrupted than ever before.

“It’s all so terrible at the moment: I’m torn apart by it.”
“How can we be asset-based when all of our assets are dwindling.”

These are not just words; they are the lived realities of those working day-in and day-out to hold communities together. 

Yet amidst that fragility, these leaders are crystal clear on what really makes a difference. It’s not short-term, restrictive funding. It’s not endless requests for lengthy reports on small grants. What they need – and what they deserve – is flexible and respectful funding that gives them the room to breathe, adapt, and innovate.

This is at the heart of why the Open and Trusting community exists. Now entering its fifth year, this movement brings together funders and charities in an unprecedented collaboration to rethink how funding happens. Over 150 funders have signed up to the Open and Trusting approach, committing to eight commitments that reflect patience, empathy, kindness, and urgency.

The IVAR Open and Trusting community in 2023-24

As of March 2025, over 150 funders had signed up to the Open and Trusting community’s eight commitments, making grants worth over £1 billion in 2023-24. The table below shows these funders, with an aggregated total across the 20 Postcode Lotteries.

Open and Trusting Grantmakers Grantmaking Spend

2023-24

2023-24 Rank	Name	2023-24 Grantmaking Spending (£m)	2022-23 Rank	2022-23 Grantmaking Spending (£m)	Percentage change
1	People's Postcode Lottery *	204.1	1	177.0	15
2	City Bridge Foundation	82.9	2	60.0	38
3	Esmée Fairbairn Foundation	58.0	6	36.9	57
4	Paul Hamlyn Foundation	56.9	4	39.1	45
5	Henry Smith Charity	46.4	1	65.2	-29
6	Wolfson Foundation	45.3	5	38.1	19
7	Corra Foundation	38.3	3	44.5	-14
8	Comic Relief	33.5	7	25.2	33
9	Robertson Trust	29.3	12	19.1	53
10	Pears Foundation	23.6	8	23.6	0
11	Impetus - The Private Equity Foundation	23.1	10	23.1	0
12	Foundation Scotland	22.4	9	23.4	-4
13	Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales	19.7	11	19.1	3
14	Association of NHS Charities	16.0	13	16.8	-5
15	John Lyon's Charity	15.9	14	15.0	6
16	Community Foundation for Northern Ireland	14.5	24	12.5	16
17	Waterloo Foundation	12.7	26	10.6	20
18	UK Community Foundations	11.1	33	7.0	59
19	Steve Morgan Foundation	11.1	18	14.2	-22
20	National Foundation for Youth Music	10.0	28	10.5	-5
21	Clothworkers' Foundation	8.9	32	7.4	21
22	London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited	8.3	55	3.7	123
23	Co-Operative Community Investment Foundation	7.7	49	4.2	82
24	Point North Community Foundation	7.5	42	5.3	40
25	Dunhill Medical Trust	6.6	80	2.2	205
26	Access to Justice Foundation	6.6	35	6.7	-1
27	A B Charitable Trust	6.4	38	5.7	11
28	Legal Education Foundation	6.3	25	11.2	-44
29	UK Youth	6.2	51	4.1	51
30	John Ellerman Foundation	5.2	37	6.2	-16
31	Norfolk Community Foundation	4.9	40	5.6	-12
32	Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation	4.7	43	4.7	1
33	Quartet Community Foundation	4.7	34	6.8	-31
34	William Grant Foundation	4.6	46	4.6	0
35	Cambridgeshire Community Foundation	4.6	62	2.9	59
36	Essex Community Foundation	4.4	48	4.4	0
37	Bank of Scotland Foundation	4.4	41	5.5	-20
38	Architectural Heritage Fund	4.2	82	2.1	97
39	Kent Community Foundation	3.8	45	4.6	-17
40	ShareGift	3.7	63	2.7	37
41	Community Foundation for Leeds	3.7	54	3.9	-5
42	Barrow Cadbury Trust	3.7	47	4.5	-18
43	The Community Foundation for Staffordshire	3.6	56	3.6	2
44	Ballinger Charitable Trust	3.5	86	1.8	91
45	Barnwood Trust	3.2	58	3.3	-2
46	Leathersellers' Foundation	3.2	57	3.3	-4
47	Blue Thread	3.0	44	4.7	-35
48	Cornwall Community Foundation	3.0	72	2.4	23
49	Smallwood Trust	3.0	77	2.3	30
50	Northamptonshire Community Foundation	3.0	66	2.5	18
51	Mercers Charitable Foundation	3.0	92	1.7	76
52	Oglesby Charitable Trust	2.9	64	2.7	11
53	Walcot Educational Foundation	2.8	52	4.0	-31
54	Sir John Fisher Foundation	2.7	102	1.3	111
55	Berkeley Charitable Foundation	2.7	60	3.0	-9
56	Sussex Community Foundation	2.7	59	3.3	-18
57	Global Charities	2.6	68	2.5	3
58	Battersea Dogs' and Cats' Home	2.6	79	2.2	16
59	London Legal Support Trust	2.4	107	1.1	124
60	Devon Community Foundation	2.3	75	2.3	1
61	Two Ridings Community Foundation	2.3	81	2.2	6
62	Cripplegate Foundation	2.2	87	1.8	24
63	Lincolnshire Community Foundation CIO	2.1	116	0.6	252
64	Pilgrim Trust	2.1	61	2.9	-28
65	Community Foundation for Surrey	2.1	76	2.3	-10
66	Nisbet Trust	2.0	94	1.6	26
67	Buckinghamshire Community Foundation	2.0	78	2.3	-11
68	Landaid Charitable Trust Limited	2.0	69	2.5	-20
69	Bolton Community and Voluntary Services	2.0	65	2.6	-23
70	Gower Street	2.0	97	1.5	33
71	Charity of Richard Cloudesley	1.9	95	1.5	26
72	Rayne Foundation	1.9	99	1.4	38
73	Shears Foundation	1.8	124	0.5	262
74	Forever Manchester	1.7	96	1.5	13
75	One Community Foundation Limited	1.7	105	1.1	56
76	Sported Foundation	1.6	90	1.8	-8
77	Action Together CIO	1.6	83	2.0	-22
78	Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland	1.5	100	1.4	11
79	Young Westminster Foundation	1.5	98	1.5	1
80	Cattanach	1.4	110	1.0	37
81	Nationwide Foundation	1.4	84	1.9	-27
82	United St Saviour's Charity	1.4	101	1.3	6
83	Fusion21 Foundation	1.4	126	0.4	231
84	Friends Provident Charitable Foundation	1.3	88	1.8	-25
85	Hyde Charitable Trust	1.3	104	1.1	15
86	British Association for the Advancement of Science	1.2	74	2.4	-48
87	The Fore	1.2	113	0.9	26
88	Grocers' Charity	1.1	111	1.0	11
89	Hubbub Foundation UK	1.1	85	1.8	-40
90	Joffe Charitable Trust CIO	1.1	108	1.1	4
91	East End Community Foundation	1.0	93	1.6	-36
92	Bromley Trust	1.0	112	1.0	2
93	GSR Foundation	0.9	152	0.0	0
94	Hilden Charitable Fund	0.9	125	0.5	92
95	John Moores Foundation	0.9	109	1.0	-15
96	Haberdashers' Foundation	0.9	103	1.1	-20
97	Walton on Thames Charity	0.8	115	0.7	8
98	Lightbulb Trust	0.7	120	0.5	37
99	Allen Lane Foundation	0.7	114	0.8	-4
100	Rosa Fund	0.7	91	1.7	-61
101	Energy Saving Trust Foundation	0.7	148	0.0	0
102	Lake District Foundation	0.7	123	0.5	35
103	National Benevolent Charity	0.6	117	0.6	6
104	Social Business Trust	0.6	133	0.3	85
105	Bishop Radford Trust	0.5	119	0.6	-3
106	Ennismore Foundation	0.5	134	0.3	71
107	Northern Ireland Community Development Health Network Ltd	0.5	121	0.5	0
108	County of Gloucestershire Community Foundation	0.5	122	0.5	-2
109	Southwark Charities	0.4	135	0.3	37
110	BGF Foundation	0.4	150	0.0	0
111	Tony and Sheelagh Williams Charitable Foundation	0.4	130	0.3	4
112	Sir George Martin Trust	0.3	128	0.4	-12
113	Spirit of 2012	0.3	89	1.8	-81
114	McCarthy & Stone Charitable Foundation	0.3	151	0.0	0
115	London Catalyst	0.3	131	0.3	-2
116	Badur Foundation	0.3	129	0.4	-10
117	Plymouth VCSE (POP+)	0.3	132	0.3	-21
118	Brian Mercer Trust	0.3	106	1.1	-76
119	Hymans Robertson Foundation	0.2	136	0.3	-9
120	Barking and Dagenham Giving	0.2	147	0.0	1,729
121	Charterhouse-in-Southwark	0.2	140	0.1	78
122	Peter Minet Trust	0.2	127	0.4	-55
123	Anthem. Music Fund Wales	0.2	138	0.2	-30
124	Commonweal Housing Limited	0.1	142	0.1	94
125	Northern Consortium	0.1	143	0.0	279
126	Millfield House Foundation	0.1	139	0.2	-34
127	Worshipful Company of Information Technologists Charity	0.1	137	0.2	-56
128	Young Hammersmith and Fulham Foundation	0.1	141	0.1	-6
129	Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities	0.1	144	0.0	153
130	Postlethwaite Music Foundation	0.0	145	0.0	63
131	Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust	0.0	146	0.0	6
132	Skinners' Charity Foundation	0.0	153	0.0	0
133	Hull Community and Voluntary Services Ltd	0.0	149	0.0	0
134	National Emergencies Trust	0.0	118	0.6	-102
135	Bradford Producing Hub**
136	Collective Futures**
137	Hope Floats project CIC, The**
138	London Funders**
139	Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund**
140	Rocket Science**
141	Team London Bridge**
142	Texel Foundation**

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Visible, practical and lasting changes

Our analysis of the benefits of an Open and Trusting approach is clear: it allows funding to flow to where it’s most needed, with the flexibility that these times demand. It reduces wasteful bureaucracy. It fosters stronger, more equal relationships. It builds resilience and trust. 

At a time when funders too are under increasing pressure, these benefits apply to grantmakers as the organisations they support. As Philippa Charles, former CEO of Garfield Weston Foundation, put it: 

‘Trustees’ fundamental belief is in valuing the expertise of people doing the funded work. Then the question for us is “how do we help them to do what they do and do it better.’

In short: it’s a win-win.

We’ve seen encouraging progress: more funders are simplifying application processes, reducing unnecessary reporting, and opening conversations about risk. But there is still much to do – particularly around multi-year and unrestricted funding. While many understand their value, these remain minority practices in the sector. We need funders to push further, to listen more deeply, and to trust more fully. Over the next year, in collaboration with 360Giving, we will be encouraging funders to openly share their grants data and include information about duration of these grants whenever possible – as part of our ongoing push for more flexible funding.

Our group of over 150 Open and Trusting grant-makers – alongside the charities who help shape and challenge this work – are proving that a better way is not only possible, but already happening. Together, they’re turning principles into visible, practical and lasting changes in funding behaviour and culture.

What next? 

If you’re a funder who sees the cracks in the current system – who believes that charities deserve trust, respect and the freedom to lead – we would love you to join us. 

At a time when public funding is stretched to breaking point, demand for services is rising, and the people on the ground are carrying heavy burdens, how we fund has never mattered more. The needs are clear, the evidence is compelling, and the urgency is undeniable. 

Find out more about IVAR’s Open and Trusting commitments, and join the community here: www.ivar.org.uk/open-and-trusting 

We’re continuing to develop and evolve UKGrantmaking with each annual edition, so please do share your feedback and ideas for future development, and sign up to 360Giving’s newsletter for updates.