Bean Research was commissioned by King Charles III Charitable Fund to independently review the first two rounds of its multi-year Strategic Partnership Grants programme, a £4.4 million commitment offering unrestricted, trust-based funding. The eleven partners were purposefully diverse, with work spanning land and sea regeneration, reducing isolation in older people, supporting unpaid carers and working with smallholder farmers on the climate frontline.
Drawing on evidence from all eleven partners, we identified a clear framework for how the funding had contributed to impact:
- Three distinct ways the fund strengthened partner foundations: increased capacity, improved stability and enhanced resilience.
- Five enablers through which those stronger foundations then extended and deepened impact: cross-sector influence, raised profile, expanded programmes, embedded lived experience and innovation.
The framework gave KCCF a shared language for what the programme had achieved, evidence to inform how the programme could evolve, and a structure partners recognised in their own experience.
The report was the presented at a Strategic Partnership Celebration Day, bringing partners together to share learning and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
“We commissioned Bean to conduct an evaluation of one of our grant programmes. This resulted in the production of a report and was foundational in pulling together a celebration day with our partners, providing added value for grantees. KCCF now has a much stronger understanding of the impact of the grants programme and what our funding can achieve, as well as how this can be refined and improved in the future. Bean Research went above and beyond and we’re very grateful for their genuine interest and enthusiasm for our work.”
Nikki Jeffery, Executive Director, King Charles III Charitable Trust
