Reflecting on our learning

Published: 31 January 2022 
Young male dancer with long blond hair wearing a burgundy t-shirt stretches backwards. He stands in a leafy setting outdoors beneath a pink sunset.
Photo credit: Dani Bower Photography / Brian Slater

As 2022 begins, we look back at what we’ve learned through our grant-making over the last year.

2021 was a year of uncertainty and unprecedented challenges. These publications bring together learning across the areas in which we work and some of the insights we would like to take forward in the year ahead.

A year like no other

Cover of report for 'A year like no other'. A young male dancer stretches with one foot on the ground and arms reaching out against a bright pink background. The report features the publication title and Paul Hamlyn Foundation logo.
DanceEast Centre for Advanced Training. Photo credit: Alicia Clarke

This review explores what we learned through our UK grant-making over the past year in the context of the challenges of Covid-19. The case studies share how some of the inspiring organisations and individuals we support adapted their work in the pandemic. This work will inform our thinking about how best to support those we fund to respond to the ongoing challenges, and develop our grant-making practice.

Shared Ground Fund: Theory of Change

Quote in white text on a dark blue background that reads: "We want to see a system in which everyone who migrates gets the support they need to flourish."

Our Shared Ground Fund supports organisations to influence migration system reform, improve access to support services, strengthen civic participation and inform public understanding of migration and integration narratives. Developed with the support of our learning partners, Sophie Ahmad and Shelley Dorans, this updated Theory of Change outlines the aspirations of the Fund, our analysis of how positive change might happen, our role in facilitating that change, and the types of work we’re keen to support.

We also want to open up a dialogue with the migration sector and the wider social justice movement about how, together, we might achieve change – to encourage people to give us their feedback, we invited colleagues working in and beyond the sector to share their thoughts on the Theory of Change in the blogs below:

Racial Justice Audit Analysis of PHF’s UK Grant-making 2020/21

Red report cover with white text that reads: Racial Justice Audit Analysis of PHF’s UK Grant-making 2021/22. The cover also features white Paul Hamlyn Foundation logos.

We applied the Funders for Race Equality’s racial justice audit tool to all our grant-making in 2020–21. This analysis looks at our portfolios in terms of the proportion of grants and funds awarded in support of Black or minoritised-led organisations and projects. The tool has given us a new perspective on our grant-making and will inform shifts in our practice towards our commitments to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Asset-based working with young people

Our Youth Fund supports organisations that work with young people in a way that embraces their capability and potential – part of asset-based working.” To help youth organisations to understand how this approach works and what it looks like in practice, we asked Cloud Chamber to develop case studies with three of the organisations we fund: GirlDreamerOTR and The Warren Youth Project, illustrated by Hazel Mead.