Fair and transparent grant-making

Over recent months, we have been involved in a range of initiatives designed to improve practice in the grant-making sector.  Here is some background on each of them.

We signed up to the Open and Trusting grant-making initiative

We know how much time, resource and commitment it takes for organisations to apply for funding, and we are committed to making the process as fair and equitable as possible.

This is why we have signed up to the IVAR Open and Trusting Grant-making initiative, which aims to shift the power balance in the grant-maker–grantee relationship.

We have committed to the initiative’s eight principles, including:

• Don’t waste time – We encourage eligible organisations to speak to us before starting an application. is helps avoid applications that are unlikely to succeed, saving time for both applicants and us. Where expressions of interest do not meet our criteria, we provide feedback and, where possible, signpost alternative funding or support.
• Ask relevant questions – We regularly review our application guidance and forms to make sure we only request information that is necessary for assessment. We don’t set strict word limits. Our guidance on length is a suggestion only.
• Be open – We aim to be clear and transparent throughout the application process. Where organisations need to strengthen their applications, we provide practical feedback and support where possible.

Find out more about the IVAR Open and Trusting Grant-making initiative

We were independently assessed on diversity, accountability and transparency in our grant-making

The Foundation Practice Rating is an initiative that assesses UK charitable foundations on diversity, accountability and transparency. Each year, 100 foundations are reviewed and rated across these areas.

This year, we were included and received an overall rating of B, with A ratings for both accountability and transparency.

The report highlighted that: “Hampton Fund asks grantees not only for their perceptions of the funder, but the extent to which the funding/funder has helped them achieve their various goals. It is clearly on a journey of increasing sophistication in thinking about its effectiveness and how best to engage with grantees.”

Overall, the report found continued progress across UK charitable foundations in diversity, accountability and transparency, marking the strongest results in the initiative’s five-year history.

Find out more about the Foundation Practice Rating

We have published open access data on our grants

360Giving supports funders to publish open access data about their grants so that this information can improve charitable giving.

For the first time, we have published data about our grants through 360Giving. We believe that better information helps funders make more effective and strategic decisions.

This means all of the grants we’ve awarded since 2023 are available in Excel spreadsheets. This covers both:

• grants to community organisations
• anonymised grants to individuals

The data is published using the 360Giving Data Standard, a common format that allows funders to share information in a consistent and comparable way. It helps charities, funders, researchers and policymakers better understand the funding landscape, identify opportunities for collaboration, and strengthen support for communities.

Download the spreadsheets of our grants since 2023