Foundation Practice Rating (FPR)

Thank you to everyone who attended last week's webinar. We had a few questions about assessment criteria and exemptions. This list of criteria shows the relevant exemptions: buff.ly/nKAUG8kThe next webinars take place on 4 Nov (1-1.45pm) and 23 Nov (11-11.45am). Register to attend: buff.ly/lvViCc9

We’ve added another date to the upcoming webinars to give more opportunity to attend and ask the questions you have about the Foundation Practice Rating: - 12-12.45pm – Wednesday 21 October 2026 - 1-1.45pm – Wednesday 4 November 2026 - 11-11.45am – Monday 23 November 2026 buff.ly/zABKz9j

Join us later this month or in November for a webinar where we'll share information about the Foundation Practice Rating and provide an opportunity to ask your questions: - 12-12.45pm – Wednesday 21 October 2026 - 1-1.45pm – Wednesday 4 November 2026 Register to attend: buff.ly/YIBz3WB

A chance for you to find out more about the Foundation Practice Rating. Join us in October or November to find out more about the aims and approach and ask any questions you have: - 12-12.45pm – Wednesday 21 October 2026 - 1-1.45pm – Wednesday 4 November 2026 Register to attend: buff.ly/YIBz3WB

Year Six research is now underway. The research team have so far assessed and moderated around 30 of the 100 foundations. Coming soon: look out for info about webinars in Oct & Nov where you can find out more and ask questions about the FPR. foundationpracticerating.org.uk/current-year/

Interested in how the Foundation Practice Rating assessment of diversity, accountability and transparency could support your grantmaking practices? You can opt in for £1,200 (incl VAT) to guarantee your foundation’s inclusion in Year Six: buff.ly/yMCt3Xb #FPR #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

Transparency around reporting requirements for grant holders is part of the Foundation Practice Rating assessment. FPR Funders Group member, John Ellerman Foundation, has just published a blog post introducing their new reporting process for grant holders. Find out more:

Interested in the Foundation Practice Rating assessment of diversity, accountability and transparency in grantmaking practices? You can opt in to guarantee your foundation’s inclusion in Year Six. Find out more: buff.ly/7qSykUJ #FPR #Foundations #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

Year Six of the Foundation Practice Rating is underway. You can find out about how we draw the cohort of 100 foundations in a new document from @carolinefiennes.bsky.social, Director of Giving Evidence - the independent research organisation that undertakes the assessment.

The latest episode of the Philanthropisms Podcast is an interesting conversation with Jen Ford Reedy from the Bush Foundation. Jen talks about philanthropy’s “ability to understand and explain itself and the impact it’s having.” Listen here:

Is your foundation working towards stronger diversity, accountability and transparency practices? Guarantee your inclusion in Year Six of the Foundation Practice Rating by opting in for a fee of £1,200. Find out more: buff.ly/vDuX2W4 #FPR #Foundations #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

UKGrantmaking 2026 is now live. This annual publication on grant funding in the UK contains data and insights on over 14,000 UK grantmakers. As we move into Year Six of the FPR, we'll be using this dataset to select the foundations that will form the Year Six cohort. www.ukgrantmaking.org

A new podcast, Inside Grantmaking, launched today. The first episode features an interview with Jim McCormick from our Funders Group member, @therobertsontrust.bsky.social. Listen to find out more about The Robertson Trust’s application process and approach:

We’ll soon be starting Year Six of the Foundation Practice Rating. In the coming weeks, we’ll be selecting and contacting the cohort. Find out more about the selection process in the short video on our website: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/methods/ #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

Inspired by other foundations to use the Foundation Practice Rating criteria to do your own review of your practices in diversity, accountability and transparency? To help with that you can see all the criteria on our website:

Thank you to everyone who attended the evaluation tender briefing session earlier this week. The slides used and responses to the questions asked are available online: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/evaluation-t... The deadline for the evaluation tender is 5pm, 10 June 2026.

Can you help us evaluate the FPR’s operation and possible impact to date to inform how the FPR develops to better support philanthropy in UK? The deadline for proposals is approaching: - 5pm on 10 June 2026 You can find all the details online:

If you’re interested in submitting a proposal for our evaluation tender, we’re holding an online briefing: - Date: 1 June 2026 - Time: 12:30pm - No need to book – the Zoom link is online with the tender information:

Over the first five years of the Foundation Practice Rating, we've generated a unique dataset and influenced practice across the UK foundation sector. We now want to undertake an independent evaluation to inform future developments. Find out more:

Modern Grantmaking recently published a collection of short articles packed with practical advice for grantmakers. Topics include grantmaking fundamentals, governance and leadership, and learning and reflection. You can download Modern Grantmaking Writes for free:

Over the last five years, we’ve seen the pay-out rate of the FPR cohorts increase. In Year Five, the average pay-out rate was 6.1%, which exceeds the level of 5% that some in the sector have called for. Read the full blog post from Caroline Fiennes:

Transparency is one of the domains we assess. But when we’re in a time of volatility and uncertainty there’s a real dilemma between transparency and safety. Read this insightful blog post from Sufina Ahmad MBE & Asif Afridi that explores this debate: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/transparency...

Missed the launch of the Foundation Practice Rating Year Five report? Don’t worry – there's an opportunity to catch up with the recording from the online event: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/cohort-2024-... #FoundationPracticeRating #FPR #Foundations #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

Congratulations!

Congratulations to three foundations who achieved an A in each domain (diversity, accountability, transparency) and an A overall: bsky.app/profile/miss..., Cheshire Community Foundation, and Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation. Read the report:

Thanks to everyone who attended the Year Five launch today. Special thanks to Caroline Fiennes, Dr Shalu Jain, Danielle Walker, Sacha Rose (City Bridge Foundation) & Hannah Brown (bsky.app/profile/miss...) for their expertise & insights. See the report

The Year Five results are now live: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/cohort-resul.... We've seen statistically significant improvements since the FPR began five years ago and the results are the strongest in our five‑year history. #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency

If you’re joining our launch event tomorrow and haven't attended one of our events before, you can find out all about the method behind the Foundation Practice Rating assessment in this short video, edited from a previous event: vimeo.com/1171782301?f...

As part of the Foundation Practice Rating, the top five foundations (by giving budget) are always included in the cohort for assessment. You might be surprised how much change there is among the top five. Read for more detail: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/surprising-c...

Have your say on what it’s like to apply for, receive and manage grants from independent foundations. IVAR, home of the Open and Trusting community of 170+ funders, is running its biggest ever funding experience survey:

One for your diary – 18 March 2026 (14:00 to 15:30) is the online launch of the Year Five Foundation Practice Rating (FPR) report. Book your free place today:

As 2025 draws to a close, we wish you a restful festive season. March 2026 brings the launch of the Year Five report. This will be an opportunity to look at the Year Five results and also reflect on five years of assessing foundations’ practices on diversity, accessibility and transparency.

What do our researchers do with comments foundations send us about their draft data? In short, we consider them all. We look at every document, statement and policy that foundations cite. Find out more in our latest blog post:

Thanks to everyone who attended our recent online info sessions. If you missed them, you can: - watch the recording - foundationpracticerating.org.uk/past-webinars/ - read the Q&A - foundationpracticerating.org.uk/past-webinar...

The latest blog post on the Foundation Practice Rating website - looking at what we mean by a Trustee recruitment policy, with an example of what good can look like from John Ellerman Foundation.

"...but the current state-of-the-art AI technology is prone to some errors." says Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a BBC interview. This is why we don't currently use AI to gather data about foundations. More in our blog post: foundationpracticerating.org.uk/why-we-do-no... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Positive news about improving trustee diversity, though the need for further progress is noted: acf.org.uk/acf/ACF/Blog.... This mirrors our results where diversity has been the weakest domain. If you want to make progress on your practices on diversity, ACF has resources: acf.org.uk/ACF/Research...

Join us on Thursday for your chance to find out more about the Foundation Practice Rating and to ask @carolinefiennes.bsky.social and Danielle Walker-Palmour your questions about the initiative. Join us at midday on Thursday 23 October. Register today: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/foundation...

Join us on 23 October (12 noon) or 5 November (12 noon) for one of our webinars on this year’s Foundation Practice Rating. Familiarise yourself with our aims and approach and ask any questions you have. Register today:

Today's your last chance to opt-in to Year Five of the Foundation Practice Rating. The £1,200 fee (incl. VAT) covers the research and analysis needed. Contact us for more info: enquiries@friendsprovidentfoundation.org.uk #FPR #Foundations #Diversity #Accountability #Transparency