Paul Hamlyn Foundation Publishes ‘Review of UK Grant-Making’

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) initiated the review, as part of it ongoing programme of analysis and learning, to see what it could learn from its six strategic priorities for work in the UK, and it has decided to share the review with ‘others who may be interested in our learning’.

The review focuses on its six strategic priorities for funding which are:

• Supporting imaginative people to nurture exciting ideas.
• Widening access and participation in the arts.
• Improving people’s education and learning through the arts.
• Showing that the arts make a difference to people’s lives.
• Supporting the development and growth or organisations investing in young people and positive change.
• Improving support for young people who migrate and strengthening integration so that communities can live well together.

According to the summary of grant-making activity during the 2016-17 financial year:

• A total of £65 million was requested resulting in 216 grants that totalled to £18.1 million.
• The mean average grant awarded was £84,000 and the median was £58,000.
• Overall 965 decisions were made on applications, of which 749 were declinations.
• As at 1 April 2017 there were 454 grants ‘live’ (under management) which include those made under the current strategy as well as those awarded before its launch in June 2015.

Grants were awarded to projects in the following geographic locations:

• 60 (the highest number) were for England (excluding London).
• 48 were UK-wide (covering all four UK countries)
• 36 were for London
• 9 went to Wales
• 9 went to Scotland
• 8 went to Northern Ireland.

PHF says that the review will continue to inform its thinking and planning, but that it is not reviewing or changing its strategic priorities at this point in its current strategy.

Tom Wylie, Trustee and Chair of PHF’s Evidence and Learning Advisory Group, said:

“The analysis and insights in this report will help PHF to understand how we can work more effectively with grantees and other partners to make a difference to people’s lives.”

The full report can be found on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website.

Source: Paul Hamlyn Foundation, 21/08/2017