Giving Compass' Take:

• Elizabeth Parker, at NPC, discusses how one fund has adjusted its use of grant money for research and evidence collection during COVID-19.

• Why is it important to continue evidence collection towards important issues during COVID-19? How can you work to fund organizations and research programs during the pandemic?

• Look for vetted funds to direct your giving during the coronavirus.

The Building Connections Fund was launched in December 2018 as the first ever government fund dedicated to reducing loneliness in England, with NPC as an evaluation partner. Over 120 organisations have been awarded grants to work with people from all age groups and backgrounds, from young care leavers to the elderly, LGBT+ and those with disabilities. Typical services included face to face befriending, mentoring or peer to peer support, advice and signposting, providing safe spaces in the community and arts leisure activities such as music, gardening and painting.

Before Covid-19, we were working with a really committed group of grant-holders to capture evidence and understand how the fund tackled loneliness.  We were collecting longitudinal quantitative data in the form of surveys; and these were going to be supported by qualitative interviews with service users and staff. The research was underpinned by the theory of change that provided a framework for linking the activities to the intended outcomes and longer-term impact.

When the lockdown hit, our first thought was ‘what now?’ We wanted to make sure we could use the valuable data we’d collected, but it was also clear that it no longer made sense to continue as previously planned. The dramatic lifestyle changes imposed by social distancing meant survey responses about loneliness and well-being could no longer be fairly compared to any follow ups after March 2020. Moreover, services themselves were changing dramatically.

We are facing an unprecedented situation, which means we have no existing studies or research to show us the best path to take. We hope that by adopting a transparent and collaborative approach we can help support grant-holders and others in the same boat to share useful insights as quickly as possible.

Read the full article about research and evidence collection during COVID-19 by Elizabeth Parker at NPC.