London Funders is proud to be a partner on UKGrantmaking, a collaborative project published by Funders Together, which brings together a partnership between 360Giving, The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF), The Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO), UK Community Foundations (UKCF), and Pears Foundation.
The latest edition shows that more than 14,000 grantmakers distributed £24 billion in grants during 2024–25, with total grantmaking increasing by 4% compared with the previous year. While the level of grantmaking outpaced inflation, it comes against a backdrop of continued economic pressures facing communities and civil society organisations.
UKGrantmaking brings together data from across the funding landscape, including trusts and foundations, community foundations, lottery distributors, corporate foundations, donor-advised funds and statutory funders. By providing an evidence-based picture of who is making grants, where funding flows and how grantmaking is changing over time, the publication enables funders, policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations to make better informed decisions.
The research is widely recognised as the definitive annual publication on UK grant funding and demonstrates the value of funders sharing high-quality, open grants data.
Key findings from UKGrantmaking 2026 include:
- Overall, grantmaking is up: Total grantmaking increased by 4% compared to 2023-24 to over £24bn, marginally exceeding inflation.
- Philanthropic grants from Trusts & Foundations and DAFs totalled over £10bn, with Government and National Lottery grants totalling £9.5bn.
- Trusts and Foundations grantmaking increases steadily: Grantmaking for Trusts and Foundations (excluding Wellcome Trust) remains the largest category and grew by 5% to £7.4bn
- The rise of Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): DAFs are becoming a substantial part of the voluntary and community sector's income with grantmaking in 2024-25 at £2.4bn, an 8% increase since 2023-24 and 29% increase since 2022-23
- The majority of grantmakers are small, distributing under £1 million a year.
- Endowments remain flat: Endowment levels have remained relatively flat over the past five years, representing a decline in real terms since 2020-21.
- Average grant size increased: The median size of published grants has increased from £13,194 in 2023-24 to £19,635 in 2024-25. This reflects changes by the National Lottery Community Fund, which raised its 'Awards for All' maximum limit to £20,000.
- Funding reaches the most deprived areas: Available data shows grants are disproportionately awarded to organisations based in more deprived areas (18% of grants to local or regional organisations are awarded to organisations based in the most deprived areas, compared to 4% to organisations in the least deprived areas). For grants to individuals and families, 55% of recipients were in the most deprived areas with less than 0.05% in the least deprived areas.
That common understanding enables better decisions, strengthens accountability and helps organisations identify where they can make the greatest contribution.
Sir Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair, Pears Foundation
Understanding the UK's funding landscape
While total grantmaking continues to increase and outpace inflation, it comes amid ongoing economic pressures on communities and civil society organisations. The latest data from Charity Commission for England & Wales shows expenditure has grown by 5.4%. Charities are facing increased costs, rising demand for services, and pressures on other income streams. While grantmaking has grown, demand for funding continues to increase, creating challenges in meeting funding needs.
The publication is particularly timely as government, funders and civil society partners seek new ways to unlock philanthropic giving and strengthen local communities. By tracking trends across funding sectors and over time, UKGrantmaking helps inform funding strategies, policy development and future investment decisions.
The report also highlights the importance of open data. The information we have about funding flows is made possible by funders who share their grants data, demonstrating how greater data availability can reveal gaps and opportunities, support more effective decision-making, and strengthen coordination across the sector.
As the publication goes live, Funders Together Chief Executive, James, reflects on how we can use these insights collectively:
"We’re delighted to launch this year’s UKGrantmaking and be part of the collaborative approach that underpins it alongside ACF, UKCF, ACO, the Pears Foundation and many other partners who’ve shaped this year’s publication. UKGrantmaking shows how sharing data and working together can create a more complete understanding of grant funding across the UK. These collective insights not only help us understand where we are today, but also enable funders to evolve and strengthen our response in the future." James Banks, Chief Executive, Funders Together
The data we have about grants and grant recipients in UK Grantmaking is only possible because of the growing number of funders publishing their grants data. Head of 360Giving Katherine Duerden shares why this is so important.
"This openness creates a richer understanding of the UK's funding landscape – from geography and grant size to the profile of recipients, providing a trusted evidence base for anyone seeking to understand how funding reaches communities and where future investment is needed. We’d encourage any grantmaker who is not yet part of this open data movement to contribute to the collective picture so we can build on these insights in future editions”.
UK Grantmaking is a collaborative project and we're grateful for the support and input of Pears Foundation for over the past three years.
"We are very proud to continue our support of UKGrantmaking. The platform is becoming one of the most important shared resources for the sector, helping funders, charities, policymakers and researchers develop a common understanding of the UK's grantmaking landscape. That common understanding enables better decisions, strengthens accountability and helps organisations identify where they can make the greatest contribution. We're delighted to support a resource that makes data, analysis and insights openly available to everyone." Sir Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair, Pears Foundation
Find out more, explore the data, and see the full findings on UKGrantmaking 2026 website.
For a first look at this year's findings, sign up to our Insight meeting on Wednesday 24th June