Every two years, we commission nfpResearch to find out about people’s experiences of working with us, how that compares to other funders, and what we might need to improve.
Whilst we’re pleased that this year’s survey shows areas of positive progress since 2024 and 2022, it also highlights challenges that organisations still face when applying to us and the need for us to be clearer about the decisions we make. Read more about the key findings below.
Starting with the positives…
It’s clear from the research that the quality of our relationships with the organisations we fund is one of our key strengths, with fundees valuing our trust-based approach and understanding of their work.
Incredibly accessible funder and staff. Genuinely feel like they care about the work they fund. They understand organisational challenges and are supportive of the work organisations do. Easy reporting that does not feel like an inquisition.
There have been improvements in how applicants rate the speed of our decisions and the ease of our application process, and growing recognition and support for our approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) amongst those we fund.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation backs organisations that are deeply rooted in communities and tackling some of society's most long-term and difficult, complex and overlooked challenges.
Beyond our funding, organisations also appreciate opportunities to learn and meet other organisations we fund, and there is appetite for us to play more of a convening role. This is something organisations often tell us, and we will keep exploring different ways that we can bring organisations together, depending on what they want to get out of it.
I went to the lived experience leadership convening at Esmée's offices and I thought it was great. We had some challenging and productive conversations.
Where we need to do better
We still need to help organisations understand whether it’s worth their time applying. We know organisations are finding it more competitive to raise funds. This is reflected in our own funding data with 40% more Expressions of Interest (EOIs) submitted in the first quarter of this year than in the same period last year.
Our funding priorities and criteria are not always clear enough, and we need to be more explicit about what we’re looking for when we make decisions, particularly at EOI stage, as well as what we’re not interested in funding.
They are notoriously difficult to receive funding from - but present themselves as a body that funds a great deal. More honesty and transparency about what they will fund would help, and would avoid charities wasting time and energy applying for funds they have no hope of getting.
The majority of unsuccessful applicants who responded are still not finding the feedback we provide useful, and some don’t know whether to reapply. This has been a consistent theme in previous surveys and despite us making changes, it’s clearly something we need to keep looking at.
Felt rather generic 'not the strongest fit with strategy'. It wouldn't help me to understand how the decision was made or how things may change over time.
We take this feedback very seriously and understand how important transparency about our decision-making processes is. At the same time, we do have to be honest about our capacity and the level of feedback we can offer, particularly given the rise in applications we’re seeing.
What next and our thanks
Over the coming months, we will be looking more closely at what we can do in the following areas:
- Applicant guidance: how can we be clearer about what we’re looking for when we assess EOIs and what we’re unlikely to fund?
- Feedback: how can we improve our standard feedback, and give applicants more clarity on whether it’s worth reapplying?
- Convening and leadership: what more can we do to connect organisations we fund, and use our position to help influence other funders and advocate for the issues we support?
We always report back on the actions we take in response to feedback, and will do so early next year. For now, if you’d like to know more about the research or share your thoughts on the findings, please email communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk. There are also other ways you can leave us feedback.
A big thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute to the research and share their experiences. Thanks also to nfpResearch for all their work gathering and providing a comprehensive analysis of all the data.
