Funding Ecology - Practical Tools and Resource

We would like to find a suitable provider to do a piece of work which enables us, other funders and charities to collaborate more effectively and understand our place in the wider funding ecology. A key part of our new ways of working under our 'People in the Lead' strategic framework and new England Portfolio 2016-21 is to be more collaborative. We want to fund more partnership working, get involved in more funder collaborations and support local organisations in the right way to work together for the collective good. We recognise that this is not always simple in practice, and therefore we would like to co-produce tools and resources which enable better collaboration in the social sector. We also want to be an intelligent funder and ensure that our portfolio development process is undertaken with the key aim to add value in the sector, and understand our place in the funding ecology. Our England Portfolio 2016-21 will enable people to take the lead by supporting: • Happier and stronger relationships in and across communities • Shared and sustainable places and spaces • Early action to prevent future problems and tackle disadvantage As we continue to develop and shape these funding priorities in terms of what impact they will have on our funding decisions and the people we work with, we need to have a more complete understanding of the current context and what other funders are providing in this space. This will enable us to direct our resources to the right people, in the right places, at the right time. We invite research partners to bid with an idea for how to achieve this, with expectation that the Fund will work closely with the provider to ensure that the plan meets our objectives. It should cover the following: 1. Produce practical tools and resources using collaborative co-production methods which are useful and widely accessible for the wider sector. • What practical tools do funders and social sector organisations need in order to be able to collaborate effectively? • How can a social sector organisation undertake mapping work to better understand the funding ecology around a particular issue or theme? n.b. We expect that the co-production will involve a diverse mix of funders and practitioners from across England with varying specialisms and particular attention paid to involving both large and small organisations. 2. Undertake mapping work for the Big Lottery Fund which helps to inform one of our England Portfolio funding priorities (Relationships, Places, Early Action) so that we can understand our place in the funding ecology, utilising the tools co-developed with the sector. • What is the funding ecology and how can our funding add the most value? • What are some of the ways we can achieve our aims in a collaborative way? We will work closely with the research partner throughout the process to ensure alignment with portfolio goals.