The Which? Fund

Charity Number: CUSTOM_4CC38F30

Annual Expenditure: £0.1M

Stay updated on changes from The Which? Fund and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £75,000 (2024/25 round)
  • Success Rate: Data not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Stage 1 - 6 weeks; Stage 2 - 10 weeks
  • Grant Range: No minimum or maximum specified
  • Project Duration: Up to 12 months
  • Geographic Focus: UK only

Contact Details

Funding Contact: Raveene-Jonelle Dompreh

Email: funding@which.co.uk

Website: https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/the-which-fund

Guidance Notes: https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/which-fund-guidance-notes-ao6Sf3m0qYan

Overview

The Which? Fund is administered by the Consumers' Association (registered charity no. 296072), the charitable arm of Which?, the UK's leading consumer champion. Established as a funding programme, the Fund makes grants totaling £75,000 annually to support research into consumer harms affecting diverse and disadvantaged communities. The Consumers' Association itself has total annual income of £83.2 million (year ending June 2024) and employs 673 staff across offices in London and Cardiff. The organization operates independently through commercial revenue from Which? Limited, accepting no government funding or charitable donations, which allows it to maintain complete independence in its consumer advocacy work. Under CEO Anabel Hoult's leadership since 2018, Which? has taken an increasingly activist stance on consumer protection, recently launching major legal actions against Apple and Qualcomm worth billions of pounds in consumer compensation claims.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Programme A: Consumer Harm Research

Research exploring consumer harms experienced by diverse and disadvantaged communities, aligned with one of Which?'s four impact themes:

  • Ensuring Fair Financial Services
  • Fighting Consumer Rip-Offs
  • Enabling Sustainable Choices
  • Fair and Safe Digital Goods and Services

Programme B: Digital Markets Investigation

Investigation of consumer harms in digital markets, addressing issues like algorithmic bias, manipulative design, and data misuse affecting vulnerable groups.

Grant Characteristics:

  • No minimum or maximum grant amount specified; applicants should “cost your project based on what you need”
  • Projects expected to complete within 12 months
  • Total funding pool: £75,000 per annual round
  • Fund anticipates awarding “a small number of high-quality projects”

Application Method: Two-stage process with fixed deadlines (not rolling)

  • Stage 1: Outline applications (typically June-September)
  • Stage 2: Full applications by invitation only (typically October-December)

Priority Areas

The Fund supports research that:

  • Improves understanding of consumer harm affecting diverse, minority, or disadvantaged groups (women, people with disabilities or health conditions, low-income households, diverse ethnic communities)
  • Tests innovative solutions using rigorous methodology
  • Drives systemic change through policy, regulation, or practice at scale
  • Actively engages with affected communities (Programme A) or demonstrates strong grasp of digital market mechanisms (Programme B)
  • Builds on existing evidence, identifying gaps and bringing novel contributions
  • Uses innovative methodologies to uncover consumer harm across a wide range of markets

The Fund will consider rigorously evaluated pilot programmes if they demonstrate wider policy impact potential, though they do not fund direct service provision to individuals.

What They Don't Fund

Ineligible Applicants:

  • Individuals
  • Unregistered charities
  • For-profit organizations (as lead applicants, though they may be contracted for specific project elements like surveys, provided they don't consume the majority of grant funds)

Financial Exclusions:

  • Organizations with significant unrestricted reserves (exceeding 12 months operating costs)
  • Organizations in serious financial deficit
  • Organizations funded by the Which? Fund in previous 12 months
  • Overseas travel (typically not funded)

Governance Requirements:

  • Charities must have at least 5 independent trustees
  • CICs must have 3+ independent directors
  • Organizations must have own bank account
  • Charities must have published annual accounts on Charity Commission website

Costs Not Funded:

  • For universities/CICs: Indirect costs (estates, central services) are not funded; direct project costs only
  • VAT must be identified and included in budgets where applicable
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The Which? Fund?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive: Anabel Hoult (appointed October 2018) - Brings extensive experience from retail, charity, consumer services, and fintech sectors. Under her leadership, Which? has pursued major consumer protection litigation, stating: "We're showing big corporations like Apple that they cannot rip off UK consumers without facing repercussions."

Chair of Council of Trustees: Sam Younger CBE (appointed January 2020) - Extensive regulatory and governance experience including former Charity Commission chief executive, chair of Advertising Standards Authority Advertising Advisory Committee, and inaugural chair of the Electoral Commission.

Council of Trustees (11 members):

  • Christopher Woolard CBE: EY partner, chair of Global Financial Services Regulatory Network; former Financial Conduct Authority Board member and interim CEO who led FCA consumer protection initiatives
  • Sharon Grant OBE: Chair of Haringey Circle; OBE awarded 2014 for services to community and arts; extensive health, social care, and consumer representation background
  • Christine Forde: CEO of Solihull Action through Advocacy; 25+ years commercial expertise and professional regulation experience
  • Adam Shutkever (Deputy Chair): Former CFO of Accord plc and founder of Riverview Law
  • Cindy Rampersaud: Chartered accountant with senior finance roles at Virgin, Warner Brothers, EMI
  • Mélanie Griffiths: Director of leading wealth management organization; 20-year financial services career
  • Additional trustees with expertise in engineering, law, corporate governance, and strategic talent management

Organizational Philosophy: “Everything Which? does has one overriding purpose: to tackle consumer harm by making life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.” The organization maintains independence through its commercial funding model, accepting no advertising in Which? magazine and no government funding.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Process:

Stage 1 (Outline Application):

  1. Review guidance notes at https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/which-fund-guidance-notes-ao6Sf3m0qYan
  2. Email funding@which.co.uk to request application form
  3. Complete Stage 1 form (MS Word, Arial 11pt, single spacing)
  4. Submit by deadline to funding@which.co.uk

Stage 1 Requirements:

  • Section 1 (Organization): No word limit but separate from project details
  • Section 2 (Project): Follow word count guidelines (100-500 words per question)
  • Project aims (~100 words)
  • Evidence gaps (~100 words)
  • Plain English methodology summary (~500 words)
  • Engagement strategy (~100 words)
  • Impact plan (~150 words)
  • Team capacity (~250 words)
  • Timeline and budget
  • One A4 reference page permitted
  • No CVs, logos, or pictures

Important: Applications exceeding suggested word counts will not be reviewed. One application per organization per round.

Stage 2 (Full Application):

  • By invitation only to successful Stage 1 applicants
  • 8 weeks to complete
  • More detailed application expanding on Stage 1 content

Pre-Application Queries:

  • Consult FAQ page before submitting questions
  • No pre-submission questions answered about specific projects
  • Cannot provide feedback on draft applications

Decision Timeline

2024/25 Example Timeline:

  • Stage 1 Opens: June 19, 2024
  • Stage 1 Deadline: September 16, 2024 (5 pm)
  • Stage 1 Decision: Within approximately 6 weeks (late October)
  • Stage 2 Opens: October 21, 2024
  • Stage 2 Duration: 8 weeks to complete (deadline mid-December)
  • Stage 2 Decision: Within approximately 10 weeks of submission (late February/early March)

Next Round: Anticipated autumn 2025

Notification Methods: Email notification to applicants

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. The Fund states it anticipates funding “a small number of high-quality projects” from the £75,000 total available, suggesting this is a competitive funding opportunity. Given the relatively small funding pool and the rigorous two-stage process, applicants should expect strong competition.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations that received funding from the Which? Fund in the previous 12 months are ineligible to apply. No specific information is provided about unsuccessful applicants, but the annual cycle suggests organizations can reapply in subsequent funding rounds if they were not funded previously.

Application Success Factors

Assessment Criteria

Applications are evaluated on five key criteria:

  1. Rigorous Insight: Work demonstrates solid understanding of existing evidence and identifies novel contributions. Must build on what is already known, bringing new evidence.
  • Programme A: Active engagement with disadvantaged communities
  • Programme B: Strong grasp of digital market mechanisms
  1. Strategic Value: Potential to drive systemic policy/practice change through identified stakeholder pathways. Insight must be targeted to audiences with the power to make a difference and communicated in a compelling way.
  1. Delivery Ability: Demonstrated team capacity, appropriate milestones, risk management, stakeholder collaboration plans. Clear evidence the team can deliver the proposed work.
  1. Value for Money: Clear, proportionate costings that represent good value. Budgets should include all necessary costs without padding.

What They Look For

The Fund explicitly seeks:

  • Specific, strategic projects with potential to benefit large numbers of people by changing policy, regulation, or practice at scale
  • Innovative methodologies to uncover consumer harm across diverse markets
  • Strong evidence base: Good understanding of consumer harm and existing evidence in the area of interest
  • Clear communication: Ability to concisely and clearly summarize research within suggested word limits
  • Partnership approaches: Welcomes applications involving partnerships between organizations that bring complementary skills and unlock new opportunities
  • Focus on disadvantaged groups: Research must address harms affecting diverse and disadvantaged communities

Eligible Costs

For Charities:

  • Staff salaries
  • Proportionate overhead costs
  • Equipment necessary for project completion

For Universities/CICs:

  • Direct project costs only
  • No indirect costs (estates, central services)

All Applicants:

  • Must identify VAT implications and include in budgets
  • Overseas travel typically not funded
  • For-profit contractors permissible for specific elements (e.g., surveys) provided they don't consume majority of funds

Tips from Guidance

  • Word limits are absolute: Applications exceeding suggested word counts will not be reviewed
  • Plain English required: Methodology must be summarized in plain English (~500 words)
  • Evidence is crucial: Must demonstrate good understanding of existing evidence and articulate what's novel
  • Impact pathway essential: Must identify specific stakeholders with power to make change and explain how findings will reach them
  • Support available: Previous grantholders received support including facilitated introductions to stakeholders and expert review of research methodologies
  • Decisions are final: No exceptions for eligibility criteria; decisions cannot be appealed

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Systemic change focus: This is not about service delivery—Which? wants research that will drive policy, regulatory, or practice change at scale affecting large numbers of consumers.
  1. Know the evidence base: You must demonstrate comprehensive understanding of existing research and clearly articulate what's novel about your approach. Building on prior work is expected, not duplicating it.
  1. Small funding pool, high competition: With only £75,000 available annually for “a small number of high-quality projects,” this is extremely competitive. Applications must be exceptional.
  1. Word limits are non-negotiable: Exceeding word counts means automatic rejection. Practice concise, compelling writing that maximizes impact within tight constraints.
  1. Disadvantaged communities must be central: Programme A requires active engagement with affected communities; Programme B requires demonstrated expertise in digital markets. Token inclusion won't suffice.
  1. Impact pathway is critical: You must identify specific stakeholders (policymakers, regulators, industry bodies) who can act on your findings and explain exactly how you'll reach them with compelling evidence.
  1. Strategic alignment matters: Ensure your project clearly aligns with one of Which?'s four impact themes and addresses consumer harm, not broader social issues. Study their recent campaigns and legal actions to understand their current priorities.
  1. Partnership can strengthen applications: If your organization lacks certain expertise, consider partnering with complementary organizations rather than trying to do everything yourself.

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References