CEO 24/25 Round Up

As we close out the 2024/25 financial year, I’m reflecting on the work of charities across the UK that support children, young people and communities, our Foundation's priority areas. It’s been incredibly tough for the charity sector, which continues to navigate their way through a changing, and sometimes reducing, funding environment and ever-increasing demand for their services.

I’ve seen a significant rise in LinkedIn posts, particularly from fundraisers, commenting on the number of extended pauses by grant makers as they review their own grant funds, and the impact this is having on everyday operations and planning. There is a growing sense of frustration and disappointment which I understand.

Being a member of Scottish Grant makers (organisation for grant making charities) and IVAR (community of grant makers) has provided real insight into the grant making environment and has helped shape the Foundation’s ongoing financial commitment to our charity network. I’ve also spent more time talking with other funders in London and Birmingham, ensuring that we understand how and where the Foundation can work jointly, complement already established programmes and “pool” funding to achieve joint ambitions.

A good example has been the growing strength of the Wee Bursary in Glasgow, with close to 10 co-funders involved and £100k of funding secured. This pooled funding, with agreed criteria, supports 11-25 -year olds in Glasgow with hardship and development bursaries.

We’ve been able to share the Glasgow experience and build Birmingham’s future “Brummie Bursary" with other co-funders and a launch is planned for September 2025. In advance, we have agreed six-monthly reporting which provides all the funders with relevant information, with a focus on impact: what difference our funding makes to young people in securing and maintaining their chosen paths.

We’re ambitious to do more. Our next three-year Business Plan builds on the impact of our funding to charity partners in achieving our 10-year strategic ambition of supporting 10k young people and positively impacting communities throughout the UK.

For more information on our funding impact, please head to our Annual Report. If you are a grant maker, and interested in co-funding, please get in touch. Let’s find a way to work together, to support charities, young people and communities effectively.