We are seeking proposals for evaluations of an intervention, policy or programme relating to one of our priority areas which use a quasi-experimental design (QED). This call is open to our Evaluation Partners and others (e.g. universities, freelancers, research organisations).
At Foundations, our mission is to generate and champion actionable evidence that improves services to support family relationships in order for vulnerable children to have the foundational relationships they need to thrive in life. We know that QEDs are a powerful but underused tool in our sector, and are keen to work with partners to enact change.
Applications must be related to our priority areas and match at least one of the following criteria:
Our priority areas are as follows:
This funding call will require expertise in several areas, including:
We welcome proposals from individual organisations or partnerships. While applicants do not need to hold all areas of expertise in-house, proposals should bring together the appropriate skills and experience to deliver a high-quality evaluation. The application timeline allows sufficient opportunity to develop meaningful collaborations, and we particularly encourage partnerships that demonstrate clear, complementary strengths.
We anticipate awarding up to five evaluations, awarding £200,000 per evaluation. Applicants are welcome to propose multiple evaluations; in such cases, the budget would be adjusted accordingly.
If you have questions about what expertise may be needed for your proposal or would like suggestions on where to begin looking for suitable partners, you are welcome to get in touch with us at evaluation@foundations.org.uk. Please also see the FAQ document below for more information. We’ll be updating our FAQ document regularly based on the questions we receive, including after each webinar, and we’ll share any key updates with all known interested applicants by email and via our website.
Application Contact:
This funding call will be open until 12pm (noon) on Tuesday 1 July, 2025. You can find a detailed timeline in the application guidance document.
To help us plan for application review and ensure we have the right expertise in place, we’re asking anyone intending to submit an application to complete a short Expression of Interest (EOI) form. This will also give us a better picture of the types of evaluations in development and help us plan relevant updates to our FAQs and support.
The deadline to complete the form is Monday, June 21st.
While we strongly encourage you to complete the EOI form if you’re planning to apply, please note that it’s not a requirement. You’re still welcome to submit an application even if you do not fill in the form.
To apply for this funding call, please download the application form and budget template below and once completed, please upload them along with a Gantt chart illustrating your project timelines to the online portal by following the link below.
To give applicants an opportunity to ask questions about the funding call and share frequently asked questions we have received, we will be hosting three webinars. These will take place on:
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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