IVAR Flexible Funder

We respect your time

• Our application guidelines are written in plain English.
• Our grant criteria are clear.
• You can get advice via our telephone helpline or funding surgeries.
• We regularly review our reasons for rejecting applications and use our findings to improve our published criteria.

We ask only relevant questions

• We only collect the information we need to make decisions.
• We test our application forms rigorously to make sure our questions are clear and don’t overlap.
• The amount of information we ask for is proportionate to the size of the grant.
• When delivering funds on behalf of others, we discuss good practice and make recommendations to simplify application forms.
• We ask applicants for feedback on the process and build-in improvements.

We accept risk

• We make sure risk measures are proportionate to the size of the grant and the size of the applicant.
• We are flexible enough to support groups and grants requiring a ‘light touch’.
• We recognise the impact of the pandemic on the sustainability or financial stability of many organisations, and seek to support those whose financial position might ordinarily exclude them from consideration.
• We strive to support impactful new approaches, new groups, and new ideas.
• We strike a balance between supporting new applicants and making it safe for us to fund.

We are open

• We provide tailored individual feedback on the majority of funding programmes.
• We publish an Annual Impact Report that includes application and grant analysis.
• We report on our progress in meeting our chosen Sustainable Development Goals.
• We publish our grant information on 360Giving and make our grant making available to all.

We are flexible

• Whenever we can we provide unrestricted funds through Point North programmes.
• Where possible we contribute towards the essential operating costs of an organisation, not just to direct project costs.
• Our guidelines reflect where grants can be used for any aspect of the cost to deliver the project, including overheads.

We communicate clearly and with purpose

• We are clear about the terms of a grant, the reporting requirements and time commitments.
• We ask applicants about their needs and offer support, which can include supported applications.
• We always recognise organisational expertise, and build relationships with applicants based on respect and trust.
• We are open to conversations about the changing circumstances of recipients that could impact delivering or reporting on their funded project. 
• We describe what we do with the information we collect from funded organisations.

We are proportionate

• Our reporting requirements are proportionate to the size of the grant but allow the applicant to show the impact of their project.
• We let applicants know reporting requirements at the beginning of their project.