Funder practice

Publications
Best practice guidance for local authorities and the VCS
NCVO report and recommendations for local authorities on ways they can support the VCS adapt to changes in funding. It includes case studies from councils that have been creative in supporting the VCS. 

Beyond money - a study of funding plus in the UK 
Institute for Voluntary Action Research on how far funders add value to funded projects with a 'funding plus' approach, i.e. offering projects extra support beyond just money.

Commissioning and procurement-ACEVO factsheets and publications 
Guides to assist the VCS with commissioning and procurement, including introductions to the subject, a “dictionary”, how to write winning tenders, involving small groups in public service delivery. A couple of these are particularly aimed at commissioners as well as VCS:

• Really Intelligent Commissioning - A “thinkpiece” by Hilary Barnard.
• Involving small groups in public service delivery and engaging with procurement and commissioning opportunities - Actions smaller groups can take to overcome barriers

Communities in the driving seat - A study of participatory budgeting in England 
Communities and Local Government findings on the costs of participatory budgeting processes, what works in the operation of participatory processes and the results and outcomes achieved. 

Does Your Money Make a Difference?
Revised and updated second edition of CES’ good practice guide on monitoring and evaluation for funders originally developed from a study for the National Audit Office. It covers issues such as proportionate monitoring, intelligent funding and “funder plus” activities, with examples, links to further reading and a good practice self-assessment model. London Funders’ Research and Evaluation project group assisted with this edition.

European rules on state aid 
This guide aims to clarify the European rules applicable to the organisation and financing of services by public authorities, especially at local level, in a user-friendly way. It explains that public authorities can use public procurement rules and, at the same time, ensure good quality, innovation, continuity and comprehensiveness of services; and it clarifies the conditions under which the provision of social services can be limited to non-profit providers. It is an update of the FAQs on State aid and public procurement.

Funder collaboration – Fear and Fashion
Independent evaluation of a major collaborative initiative to understand and devise practical responses to the problem of knife crime involving young people. Supported by five foundations - City Bridge Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Lyon’s Charity, Trust for London and The Wates Foundation - it funded four projects and the evaluation identifies some significant achievements. 

Funder network: Evaluating the pilot knowledge-sharing website
NPC, 2012
Report on a six-month pilot website to improve learning and knowledge-sharing among charitable funders. The pilot site has over 300 users from 150 foundations and is run by the Association of Charitable Foundations and funded by the City Bridge Trust. See the website here. 

Funding communities: adding value
Community Development Foundation's report gives practical advice for third sector and statutory funders designing and delivering grants.

Heritage Lottery Fund's work with London boroughs
How HLF’s London Development Team approached work in specific boroughs helping potential applicants develop their project ideas and raising awareness of local heritage to increase the quantity and quality of applications.

Briefing on Heritage Lottery Fund development priority work with Harrow
Briefing on Heritage Lottery Fund development priority work with Kingston

How to decommission public services delivered by civil society organisations and maintain value for money
Designed for commissioners (in local government and health), with messages based on research conducted for the National Audit Office by the Office for Public Management and NCVO. 

Is Grantmaking Getting Smarter? A National Study of Philanthropic Practice
Grantmakers for Effective Organisations, 2012
This study finds that the economy has done little to persuade foundations to change practices in areas that support non-profit success. The survey of 755 foundations found that 83% of foundations said they devote money to general support, compared with 80% in 2008 and the median amount of foundations’ budgets devoted to unrestricted support held steady at 20%.

Learning from the Commissioning Improvement Programme
Institute for Voluntary Action Research report with findings from the Commissioning Improvement Programme.

Leveraging limited dollars: how grantmakers achieve tangible benefits by funding policy and community engagement
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, 2012
Report examining 110 organisations in 13 states over a five-year period and finding that groups leveraged $231 million in funding from grantmakers into $26.6 billion in benefits to low-wage workers, BME communities, rural residents, and other marginalised groups.

Social return on investment for funders
SROI is a type of economic analysis that focuses on listening to stakeholders, identifying outcomes and giving these a financial value. This report from New Philanthropy Capital aims to help funders understand its role and how funded organisations might be helped to use it as a reporting tool. 

Story of a merger and Merger as strategy
IVAR, 2012
Two reports based on feedback from staff and trustees involved in the respective mergers of DTA and bassac. The reports provide an insight into the planning, discussions and challenges of merger, as well as some of the critical success factors.

Supportive to the Core
Report from the Institute for Philanthropy subtitled Why unrestricted funding matters and looking at how core support can increase grant potential, addressing rationale and methodology, with case studies from the perspective of funder and beneficiary.

Thinking about… merger
From the Institute for Voluntary Action Research with Bates Wells and Braithwaite solicitors, for organisations considering merger and bringing together the experience of a wide variety of voluntary organisations and advisers: reasons for thinking about merger, stages in the process of merger (including legal aspects) and what can help to make a merger work.

Tough Times
Audit Commission, November 2011
Analysis of local authorities’ responses to the challenging financial climate, summarising the extent of cuts, the immediate impact and risk factors.