Deadline: 4-Feb-22
The Standard Life Foundation has launched its Grant Programme to contribute towards strategic change which improves financial well-being in the UK.
They are particularly interested in work that looks at both structural and external factors as well as an individual’s capabilities and how these different elements interact and can be addressed.
Objectives
Their key objectives are to:
- Fund strategic work, including policy work, campaigning and research, which has the potential to improve financial well-being at a national scale.
- • Develop partnerships, encouraging collaborative working and a more joined-up approach, convening where they can add value.
- • Share learning, knowledge and evidence widely, becoming a key organisation working in the field.
- Each year they intend to award over £2 million in funding. They aim to be an open and engaged funder that offers more than money, working closely and in partnership with those they fund.
Focus Areas
Their funding programmes are focused on three significant areas that influence financial well-being:
- Income
- Wages
- Social security
- Pensions
- Taxation
- Spending
- Cost of living
- Consumer spending
- Problem gambling
- Borrowing
- Payment problems
- Assets
- General saving
- Retirement saving
- Housing
- Taxation
Funding Information
- There is no minimum or maximum size of grant and the amount you request should be the amount you need. Their grants range between £10,000 and £200,000, with most between £50,000 to £120,000 in total.
- The amounts may be spread over one, two or three years, and sometimes for shorter periods, for example six months. For example, if you are awarded a grant of £60,000, this could be £20,000 each year over three years, or £40,000 in the fi rst year and £20,000 in the second.
What work they will fund
- They will fund a range of strategic work. This is work that benefits more than individuals and has the potential to benefit large numbers of people within the UK. This work must aim to create a step change in policy, practice, attitudes and/or behaviour.
- It includes policy work, campaigning, research, public attitudinal work, and improving practice and design.
- They are interested in funding issues, where they can add value. In particular, where there is limited funding available and there is a clear niche for the Foundation. They do not fund direct delivery of services for individual beneficiaries, unless this is testing and evaluating a new approach which has significant potential to lead to wider change and be of benefit for many people.
- They will also fund evaluations of existing initiatives that have not been evaluated.
Benefits
- They aim to address specific inequalities, differences and vulnerabilities through the work they fund.
- They aim to improve the lives of those living on low-to-middle incomes in the UK, who are struggling to make ends meet, and who are cycling in and out of hardship. Whilst it’s vital to ensure that those facing financial hardship are supported they also believe it’s important to prevent people falling into financial difficulties.
- A priority for them is work focused on younger generations.
- Some groups are more affected than others. For example, disabled people, black and minority ethnic communities and single parents are more likely to have low incomes and have few assets compared to others.
- These problems can be even greater for those facing multiple disadvantages. There are also some people facing extreme hardship.
Geographic Areas
- Their registered office is in Edinburgh, in the building where Standard Life fi rst started. Whilst their remit is UK wide and the majority of their work will be of benefit to UK residents, they are keen to support work in Scotland, including UK-wide work which has a Scottish dimension to it.
- There are specific issues relating to geography, with some regions and areas of the UK faring better than others, which they aim to address through the work they fund. It is unlikely they will fund work which is solely focused on areas smaller than a region, such as a neighborhood, borough or town.
- They are interested in learning lessons from other areas (from within and outside the UK) and how good ideas and practice can potentially be replicated in the UK, and lessons shared here.
- Their aim is not to transfer policies from one place or sector to another but to translate the learning in a way others can act upon in a way that is appropriate to the situation and circumstances in the UK. They’re also interested in international comparisons and how the UK fares in relation to other countries.
Eligibility Criteria
- They fund organisations undertaking charitable activities. You don’t need to be a registered charity.
- Organisations they fund must have a governing body with at least three non-executive directors/trustees (at least three who are not employees of the organisation or affi liated to it in any other way).
- They will fund a wide range of organisations including voluntary organisations, think tanks, campaigning groups, research bodies and universities.
- They are also able to partner with other funders, government, employers and regulators in jointly funding relevant work.
For more information, visit https://www.standardlifefoundation.org.uk/