New free online tool allows easy access to over 180,000 UK grants in one place
Finding detailed information about UK grantmaking – who is funding, what, where and how much – has become much easier today with the launch of a new online search tool, called GrantNav. Free to use, the platform lets users search, explore and download grants data from some of the UK’s largest charitable funders. By making a wealth of grant information available in one place GrantNav will save time and money, allowing funders to be more informed, and those seeking funding to make more targeted applications.
All grants included in the online platform are published to the 360Giving Standard – a shared format that makes the data available in an open and comparable way. To date, over £8 billion of grants have been shared by a range of UK grantmakers including the Big Lottery Fund, BBC Children in Need, City Bridge Trust, Comic Relief, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Gatsby, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Paul Hamlyn and the Wolfson Foundation. The 360Giving Data Standard is also used by local and government grantmakers, including early adopters Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Macc and Trafford Council. Information from all of these funders can be found on GrantNav. As each new organisation opens up its data the information will become available to search and download via GrantNav; building a more complete picture of grantmaking in the UK.
Fran Perrin, Founder and Chair of 360Giving said:
“In a time of austerity and increased financial pressure on charities, it is imperative that the funds available are deployed as effectively as possible. 360Giving was founded to give greater visibility to where and how funders spend their money, making it easier to identify shared opportunities and challenges, and work together. Today with the launch of GrantNav we have made an important step towards realising our vision for UK grantmaking to be more informed, effective and strategic. We are excited to see the initiative develop as more organisations publish their grants openly to the 360Giving Standard.”
Caroline Mason, Chief Executive of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation said:
“We are proud to support the development of the GrantNav search tool and open up our data so it can be shared and compared more easily. This new tool makes it possible, for the first time, to explore our grants in context with other grantmakers and to build a fuller understanding of the UK funding ecology and where our funds can make the most impact.”
Geoff Mulgan, Chief Executive of Nesta said:
“We’re very excited to see the progress 360Giving has made since Nesta incubated it in 2014. GrantNav opens up thousands of grants worth billions, and makes grant-giving more accountable and easier to interrogate and analyse – another great example of the power of open data standards.”
Notes for Editors:
- About GrantNav: The search tool is easy and free to use, allowing searches of all grants published to the 360Giving Standard and filtering by location, recipient, award amount or funding organisation. All information is fully downloadable in spreadsheet format. The development of GrantNav was supported by funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Indigo Trust and Nesta.
- About 360Giving: 360Giving helps funders make better decisions by publishing grant data in a way that can easily be compared, contrasted and analysed by all. The 360Giving approach puts grants data in a standard spreadsheet form and then publishes it openly where others can find it. This ‘open data’ approach enables large scale analysis of grants or just a simple search without having to trawl through dozens of annual reports and laboriously type up findings. It’s easier for grantmakers to find out who is funding whom and for people who want to apply for grants or know what funding is being provided to a certain region, sector or community.
- The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people and communities throughout the UK both now and in the future. It does this by funding the charitable work of organisations with the ideas and ability to achieve positive change.
The Foundation is one of the largest independent grantmakers in the UK. It makes grants of £30-£35 million annually towards a wide range of work within the arts, children and young people, the environment, social change and food. It also commits up to £35 million in social investments in organisations that aim to deliver both a financial return and a social benefit. - Nesta is an innovation foundation with a mission to help people and organisations bring great ideas to life. It is dedicated to supporting ideas that can help improve all our lives, with activities ranging from early stage investment to in-depth research and practical programmes.