Digital inclusion for foundations

Every foundation wants to put more money into the hands of people and organisations who haven’t had access before. Many are rightly focused on addressing historic imbalances in who gets funded, especially smaller groups led by and for marginalised communities. But legacy digital tools and processes can get in the way.

At William Joseph, we work with many foundations to make digital systems and content more equitable from the first click. Here’s what we’ve learned from projects for Paul Hamlyn Foundation, NCVO, City Bridge Foundation, Q community, and most recently the Nuffield Foundation.

Start with the real jobs your applicants are trying to do

During our work with the Nuffield Foundation, we mapped what early career researchers, policy users and experienced grant-holders actually want when they visit a funding site. These are some of their real needs:

• Quickly understand what you fund and check their eligibility.

• Avoid wasting time chasing opportunities that aren’t relevant.

• Find example applications to understand what good looks like.

• Know how long decisions will take and what happens next.

• Access project summaries to see what’s been funded before.

• Get named contacts and responses to questions during the process.

If your website doesn’t meet these basic needs clearly and quickly, people will opt out. And those who can’t afford to waste time or navigate opaque systems – often those you want to reach most – will drop off first.

Digital practices that actually help

Based on what we’ve built and tested across several organisations, here are the changes that make a real difference.

1. Use applicants’ own language, not internal jargon

• Be specific and plain. ‘Fighting loneliness in older people’ is clearer than, for example, ‘The Henry Francis Fund’.

• Spell out what your funding covers, such as salaries, overheads and capital costs.

2. Make it easy to say hello

• Introduce a simple expression of interest step before full applications.

• Offer a named contact or short phone call for people to check fit.

• Introduce the people that will be making the decisions about funding, including their background and experience.

3. Set clear expectations

• State clearly how long the application process takes to complete, and how long decisions take.

• Make clear how much you fund and over what timeframe.

• Share who will be reviewing applications, including lived experience if relevant.

• Be honest about the level of risk you’ll tolerate.

4. Remove hidden barriers

• Don’t say that you’re focused on grassroots groups and then require multiple years of financial reports and policies.

• Consider different processes for newer or smaller organisations.

5. Show your working

• Share what you’ve funded before to help applicants understand what fits.

• Publish anonymised feedback or insights from past rounds.

• Offer feedback at all stages, not just to those who get over the line.

Good digital means showing your priorities in practice

This isn’t just about a better website. It’s about aligning your digital experience with your funding values.

Saying you’re open to new or marginalised voices but not reflecting that in your application processes, language or requirements undermines trust.

Modern digital for funders needs to be low-friction, transparent and supportive. It should treat applicants as partners, not petitioners.

That’s what we’re helping organisations like the Nuffield Foundation do. By designing the service from the applicant’s point of view, the whole experience will feel less like gatekeeping and more like true collaboration.

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If you’d like to talk about how your foundation’s digital tools could better support equitable funding, get in touch.