360Giving Challenge Fund

In the first phase of our Challenge Fund – Quest for Questions – a panel of experts chose three questions about grantmaking from the 67 we received.

The questions:

Thematic trends: Who has funded what over the years?
User-led organisations: Who funds them, in what thematic area, how much funding do they receive and what type of organisation are they (e.g. CIC, charity, co-operative, community group)?
Where are the geographical and/or sectoral funding gaps due to reduced availability or termination of statutory funding? What can the current 360Giving dataset tell us about the funding being provided in those areas?

In this phase of our Challenge Fund – Digging the Data – we will try to answer these questions using open data in two ways: through a Data Visualisation Competition and Data Journey programme.

Data visualisation competition

Data can create powerful insights and stories that have the potential to influence policies, actions and ideas. However, digging out the insights hidden in the data is a challenging process. We want to facilitate new ways of thinking about grants data by inviting businesses, not for profit organisations and individuals to use the 360Giving dataset to develop and visualise innovative solutions to help grantmakers make more informed funding decisions.

All submissions will be judged by a panel of sector experts. They will award prizes of between £2,000 and £6,000 to the top three entries. Find out more about our Data Visualisation competition and read the terms and conditions for entering.

Data journey programme

In the second stream of Digging the Data, we are inviting a group of funders to explore and analyse the third question in more depth. It will be led by our expert data analyst, Edafe Onerhime, who will provide the group with any help and guidance they need.

The programme will explore the impact of 360Giving data and provide a hands-on opportunity for the participants to learn how to draw insights and actively use data in their decision making. Together, through a series of online check-ins and workshops, we will discover what data is available to address the question, what aspects can be answered, and what technological solutions might need to be built to further enhance our understanding of the issue. You can track the programme’s progress via our blog.

Want to know more? Read our blogpost or contact us at labs@threesixtygiving.org.