A funder, which was founded in 1628, has pledged to focus on more flexible and longer-term grant giving to good causes.

The promise has been made in the latest five-year strategy for up to 2030 for the Henry Smith Charity, which has also announced it has rebranded to become the Henry Smith Foundation.

It says it wants to focus on “building long-term partnerships with the people driving change”.

This will be through “flexible funding that adapts to what partners need” as well as offering more “long term support” to “help organisations thrive and deliver lasting impact”.

In addition, it promises to put in place simple processes for recipients that “save time and remove barriers”.

It also promises to tackle inequality in funding and involve communities that are impacted by grants.

“We recognise that not everyone starts from the same place,” said its report.

“That’s why we’re working to remove barriers in our processes, make our funding more accessible and shape our support around the realities our partners face.

“We’ll ensure people with direct experience of the issues we fund are involved in shaping our decisions. Their insight helps us stay relevant and focused on what matters most.

“We’ll also keep listening and learning, so that our approach continues to reflect the diversity of the people and communities our funding aims to support.”

Its strategy also revealed that in 2024 it distributed just under £62m in grants to support more than 970 organisations. It estimates that its funding has supported more than 410,000 UK wide.

Projects supporting young children, people with housing issues, and helping young people build their skills and confidence, are among the charities funding priorities.

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