Since October 2021, we have asked applicants and organisations already in our funding portfolio to complete a DEI monitoring form, based on the DEI Data Standard. We use the information gathered to classify our data and help us track progress on the diversity, equity and inclusion of our funding practice.
See the results of our analysis of data gathered about our funding and applications decided in 2023. On this page, we share more about the data we collect.
What we ask organisations
Using the categories identified in the DEI Data Standard, organisations we fund and those applying to us are asked to complete a DEI monitoring form. You can download a sample form here.
We ask them about the communities their work supports, their leadership, and their mission and purpose:
- Communities the work supports
Where 75%* or more of the people receiving support or are intentionally being targeted share a particular identity or lived experience. Organisations can also select sub-categories within each category where relevant. Those that did not select a category are classified as 'no specific group' for that category.
- Leadership (the key decision-makers)
Where 75% or more of the Board/Management Committee AND 50% of senior staff sharing a particular identity or experience). We use this to classify organisations as being ‘led by’.
Organisations can also select sub-categories within each category where relevant. Organisations that do not select a category are classified as 'no specific group' for that category.
- Mission and purpose
Where the organisation’s mission and purpose specifically targets a specific group or community (for instance, they might be included in their constitution). Organisations could also select sub-categories where relevant. Those that did not select a category are classified as 'no specific group' for that category.
* This figure of 75%, or 3 in 4 people, was decided on after working with a wide range of groups. We know this can only be an estimate.
Intersectionality
Organisations may be led by groups which share more than one characteristic. Those that do will be reflected in the data for the relevant characteristics. For example, an organisation led by Latin American migrant women will appear in three categories: ‘communities experiencing racial inequity’, ‘migrants’, and ‘women and girls’.
Improving our data
We're aware there may be some over- or under-reporting of organisations identified as being led by a specific group. There are also a number or organisations we have funded who have not yet submitted data. So that we have as accurate a picture of our funding as possible, we are:
- Following up with organisations we fund who have not yet submitted their DEI data to ask them if they can complete the DEI monitoring form. Organisations will also have the opportunity to update their data if things have changed by getting in touch with us.
- Working with the DEI Data Standard to identify actions to improve the data we collect.
We are also jointly commissioning research into the equity of UK funding using the DEI Data Standard with City Bridge Foundation, The Henry Smith Charity and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. This work is due to begin this May and we hope to publish the findings in September 2024.
What would you like to know about our funding?
We're also really interested in what you would like to know about our funding data. So, if you have any feedback or questions, you can send us an email to: communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk.
We also publish our funding data onto 360Giving.
Learn more about our funding data including how to search our grants and social investments.