Reflecting on feedback from grant applicants and partners is an important part of our work and helps us to work towards our processes being as fair as possible. By sharing our feedback publicly, we’re holding ourselves to account in acting on the feedback we’ve received.
This is an overview of the feedback received from applicants and partners in 2025.
The key takeaways
- Partner experience is positive across the grant cycle, with most satisfaction scores being above 4 out of 5.
- Partners value support beyond their grants, including: flexible and responsive emergency funding (grant uplifts), wellbeing grants, convening spaces (events) and consultancy support.
- Increasing recognition for partners’ work with other funders and changemakers remains the most popular request from partners for how we can improve our offer to them.
- Variations in scores between grant programmes are minimal, reflecting consistent quality, even where processes differ.
- The response rate to our surveys was 16%, with understandably lower engagement from unsuccessful applicants (7%). We're exploring ways to increase these figures.
- Word‑of‑mouth and existing relationships remain the main way people hear about Blagrave, reflecting the strength of our informal networks and reputation.
Themes from the feedback
Consistent themes emerged from partners’ feedback, with partners highlighting positive experiences with Blagrave staff, with appreciation for the clarity and care provided by the team.
Many partners felt Blagrave understood and took an interest in their work, valuing more than just the practical parts of a grant relationship.
There was appreciation for proportionate reporting, which strengthened trust in the grant relationship and reduced burden on partners.
We don’t ask unsuccessful applicants if they’re happy with the decision for their application, but we do ask them if they are satisfied with the explanation for it. While a few felt rejection reasons could be clearer, satisfaction with these explanations improved had compared to 2024, which was good progress as we had an increased number of rejections in 2025, demonstrating that our process improved even though there was an increased volume of applications.
What we’re doing in response
Based on the feedback we’ve received from applicants and partners, we will continue to offer …
- Proportionate, flexible reporting for partners which respects their time and isn’t a barrier to them doing their work.
- Support beyond grants: including wellbeing grants, flexible and responsive emergency funding (grant uplifts), convening spaces (events) and consultancy support where applicable.
- Clarity and care from staff engaging with partners — feedback shows that partners feel valued and respected as a result.
Based on the insight and constructive feedback received, we’ve identified some key areas where we have room to grow. We’re committed to improving in the following areas:
- Continuing opportunities for partner collaboration and peer learning
- Offer more guidance and signposting to other funding opportunities (e.g. through our newsletter)
- Provide clearer support and information around strategic shifts
- Strengthen ongoing connection with current and former partners