In their latest round of funding, Standard Life Foundation is delighted to announce eight organisations have been selected for support. The organisations will share a total of £728,000 for work on issues which tackle financial problems and improve living standards.
The organisations awarded grants are:
Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM), University of Birmingham - £77,000
CHASM leads research on financial well-being and the role of income and assets in people's lives. The team will undertake a one-year project which aims to better understand decision-making experiences for people on low-to-middle incomes in the new retirement landscape. It will investigate the effectiveness of current consumer protection strategies and make recommendations for improving consumer outcomes.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) - £133,000
CPAG undertakes policy work, advocacy, welfare rights and strategic litigation to prevent and end child poverty. It will undertake a two-year project undertaking research and advocacy work to build consensus and support for government-backed emergency assistance schemes to reduce reliance on food banks and high cost lenders.
Demos - £97,000
Demos is a cross-party think tank. This fifteen month project will see Demos develop guidance from public deliberation on how to raise the tax needed to preserve public services given the UK’s ageing population, and how to communicate this effectively.
Fabian Society - £74,000
The Fabian Society is a left-leaning think tank. It will undertake a nine-month project to examine and better understand the public’s views towards changes to social security through a citizen’s jury, public polling and policy modelling.
Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde - £68,000
The Fraser of Allander Institute is a policy-orientated economics research group based at the University of Strathclyde. It will undertake a one-year project to examine changing patterns of working hours to better understand what drives these changes, how it affects poverty/inequality, and how policy might be able to respond.
The High Pay Centre - £62,000
The High Pay Centre conducts research on levels of executive pay and undertakes policy work to achieve fairer pay distribution. It will undertake research and related policy work analysing pay gaps between high, low and middle earners at the UK’s biggest companies, based on forthcoming pay-ratio disclosures.
Jubilee Debt Campaign - £180,000
Jubilee Debt works to end poverty, inequality and exploitation caused by unjust debt. This three year joint project by Jubilee Debt Campaign and the Centre for Responsible Credit will support people with lived experience of problem debt to influence and improve credit regulation and debt solutions.
Refuge - £37,000
Refuge supports survivors of domestic violence, helping them to rebuild their lives, free from fear and violence. It will undertake a one-year campaign to secure changes to Universal Credit in order to reduce the prevalence of welfare-based economic abuse.
Mubin Haq, Chief Executive of Standard Life Foundation, said:
“We are excited to be commencing a further eight new partnerships with some vital and highly effective organisations. Covering a range of issues which affect people on low-to-middle incomes, from problem debt to reducing pay gaps, these projects aim to make real improvements to the lives of people who are struggling to make ends meet.”
The Foundation expects to make a further £2m in grants in 2020.
