A new report by Collaborate CIC in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) and Big Lottery Fund will be launched today at our offices.

Supporting Social Change: A New Funding Ecology argues that great ideas and bottom-up social change initiatives are undermined by a lack of strategic collaboration between funders.

This launch event will bring together leaders in the independent funding community, with a focus on debating how to make a fundamental shift from collaborating on projects to collaborating on ‘whole systems’ change.

The report, authored by Collaborate’s director Dr Henry Kippin, advances the view that there should be greater consideration about the role, purpose and interdependence of the independent funding community.

Key arguments from the report include:

1. Good initiatives are hindered by lack of capacity-building support, blocking the transition from pilots to sustainable projects.

2. Grantmakers need to take greater risks for projects with long-term potential.

3. Many funders fail to collect evidence on effective interventions. As many new initiatives seek to improve on existing provision, lack of evidence of effective services makes demonstrating improvements a challenge.

4. Systemic change inhibited by funders failing to coordinate more effectively. There should be greater use of information-sharing, co-development of strategy, and the development of a more holistic understanding of the broader drivers of social change.

5. There needs to be a new body of creative thinking about what sort of funding mix will give the best ideas the opportunity to make a lasting difference.

With the scale of current challenges and the limited resources available to foundations, it is important that funders contribute to the strengthening of the ecosystem of support for social change ensuring resources are deployed in the most effective way.

We are very pleased to have co-commissioned this report as we are interested in supporting a healthy funding ecology that supports organisations through the different stages of their life cycles. Read the full report here.