In Autumn 2024, a group of UK trusts and foundations came together for a collaborative learning journey focused on their various approaches to spend-down philanthropy and the intentional winding down of their financial resources. This experience has been documented on a microsite, sharing honest reflections, data insights, and sector context.
The site was initially kept private for the group but has now been made public to contribute to the growing conversation around time-limited philanthropy. It’s a cross between a report, diary, data book, and resource library, designed to provide practical insights beyond well-known case studies or generic advice. Created in a spirit of openness and humility, the project aims to support other funders exploring, or even questioning the idea of spend-down philanthropy, and to help grow a broader, supportive community of practice.
We have been participating in this informal spend down group since early 2024. Here, we have found a community willing to share openly and honestly, which helped us feel supported during a complicated process as we developed and implemented our wind-down strategy for GoPhilanthropic Foundation.
The decision to begin a wind-down process for GoPhilanthropic Foundation in the summer of 2023 was rooted in care and intentionality. After over a decade of supporting community-based organizations, often with unrestricted grants or funding for the hardest-to-raise budget lines, we knew we had a responsibility to close in a way that centered our partners’ needs, not just our internal processes.
As we set out to design a thoughtful closure strategy, we began looking for stories from others who had walked this path. Reports and case studies from already-closed foundations were helpful, but we still found ourselves navigating alone through the many unknowns. The emotional and practical weight of ending something built with so much care was real. That’s why it was such a relief – and a gift – to join a group of funders who were at different stages of their own spend-down journeys, all learning from each other and providing mutual suppport. Too often, funders operate in silos. This group reminded us how valuable it is to come together, share what’s working (and what isn’t), and challenge the instinct to “figure it out” alone or “reinvent the wheel”.
The conversations touched on everything from the philosophical: why spend down at all? to the deeply practical: how to structure final grants, how to support grantee sustainability, and how to honor relationships during transition. Most importantly, it gave us space to reflect on what responsible, equity-aligned closure can look like, and how our remaining resources might be used to strengthen the movements and communities we care about.
The group was convened and facilitated by Oliver French. We’re excited to share his microsite, which beautifully captures the learning from this collective journey:
👉 https://ukspendouts.my.canva.site
For more information, please get in touch with Oliver: ojfrench@gmail.com
In collaboration with:
Oliver French
He is a freelance consultant supporting philanthropic foundations and non-profit organisations. You can learn more about his work on his LinkedIn Profile and contact him at ojfrench@gmail.com.
