Actions that matter most to charities

In 2022, IVAR conducted a survey of 1,214 charities from across the UK, asking them about their funding experience. We aimed to identify which changes to funder practice would have the most beneficial impact.

The feedback was unambiguous: a more open and trusting grant-making experience leads to stronger organisations that can respond more quickly to the needs of their communities are better able to plan for the future. This led to us creating a list of ten practical actions that funders could take to improve charities’ experience of applying for and managing grants.

Two years later, and with charities operating under extreme pressures – facing rising costs, huge demand for services and a highly competitive funding environment – funder actions matter more than ever. This short report reviews recent evidence about charities’ funding experience.