Nuffield Foundation

We need bold and ambitious ideas💡  Can you help? Our Strategic Fund has officially reopened, and we’re seeking original and transformative ideas that have the potential to reshape policy and/or practice to improve people’s lives. Our five priority questions focus on some of the most pressing issues facing the UK today. Through this fund, we will support research that anticipates and addresses the risks – and opportunities – that they pose. Key themes covered by our priority questions: • A fair and prosperous society • An inclusive society • Science, technology and society • Climate change and society • Trustworthy institutions If you think your research might be a good fit, apply here: https://lnkd.in/e3NCVWbf

We're delighted to sponsor the Society of Black Academics (SBA) annual conference in September. The partnership highlights our support for projects that advance racial equity, fairness, and inclusion. The SBA’s goal of increasing the number of Black academics in professorial and senior leadership roles within UK higher education aligns closely with this priority. We fund research through both our Racial Diversity UK fund and our main grants fund, with themes including racial inequalities, discrimination, and pathways to racial justice. Liz Gilfillan, who manages our RDUK fund, said: "The Foundation’s sponsorship of the Society of Black Academics conference is part of our new strategic commitment to collaborate with a broader and more diverse range of partners. It also reflects our priority interest in funding initiatives that improve the understanding of barriers and pathways to a racially just and inclusive society."

⚖️ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲? That’s a central question behind the Nuffield Foundation’s new Strategic Review. We’re committing £150 million over five years to address the risks and inequalities facing people in the UK today, and future generations tomorrow. From the implications of climate change to the fragmentation of public services, we’ll fund research and innovation grounded in evidence. 🗣️ Our CEO Gavin Kelly puts it simply: “𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦” 🔗 Read more about the review: https://lnkd.in/ePHncaia 📰 And in the media: Times Higher Education: https://lnkd.in/eCS-VjsN Civil Society Media Ltd: https://lnkd.in/eMqkiS3c

𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬! 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 £𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊’𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. As current global and domestic pressures reshape UK policy and politics, we’re committing to an ambitious agenda that aims to use sound evidence to improve people’s lives and create a fairer future. Our Strategic Review identifies some of the big social challenges holding back the country's future prosperity and well-being. It sets five interlinked questions that will guide our funding and the work we do. Some build on our existing strengths. Others – like climate change – are newer themes. The Foundation will commit £30 million annually over the next five years to achieve its aims. One major pillar of our next chapter is the return of our Strategic Fund, offering grants between £1 - £3 million for original, transformative research proposals that target the most significant developments shaping the UK public policy agenda. ⬇️ Take a look at our priority themes and read our Strategic Review: https://lnkd.in/eretug6w

📢 Published today: The first report in the From Payslip to Pension: Life Course Impacts on Retirement Saving Among Low Earner series — an evidence-based deep dive into the long-term challenges faced by low earners in building retirement savings – funded by The Nuffield Foundation. Part One: Persistent Low Earning, authored by John Upton , explores the hidden patterns, revealing how factors like gender, motherhood, self-employment, and qualifications shape lifetime earnings and pension outcomes. Based on longitudinal data, this research lays the foundation for a new approach to more inclusive pensions policy. Key findings from the report are: 👩💼 Women are particularly likely to be persistent low earners: A 22 year old male low earner has a projected 8 years of low earning in their future career, while a 22 year old female low earner has a projected 16 years of low earning. 🔁 Low earning itself is a predictor for future low earning. The definition of low earning affects the degree to which this is true, but this suggests that low earning is a result of underlying factors, rather than a random event that the whole population is equally susceptible to.   👩🍼 Key risk factors for low earning, and persistent low earning, among women are motherhood and low qualifications. 👷♂️ A key risk factor of low earning for men is self-employment. This is distinct from other risk factors because the self-employed are not automatically enrolled in Defined Contribution workplace savings schemes. 🧑🤝🧑 Other factors are explored, namely living with a partner and youth. These are shown to have less bearing on persistent low earning. This does not necessarily mean that these risk factors are not important for determining whether different groups can afford to save. 🔗 Download now and be part of the conversation shaping the future of retirement for all: https://lnkd.in/eQEb6zCm #Pensions #RetirementSavings #LowEarners

Our latest report looks at how local rules on social contact affected pupil absence from school, during and after the pandemic. "Pupil absence and the Covid-19 pandemic" by Stephen Gibbons , Sandra McNally and Piero Montebruno, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that the tier regulations introduced in autumn 2020 to restrict the spread of the virus led to disadvantaged pupils in England missing more school than their wealthier peers. Tier 1 had the lowest restrictions and tier 4 had the highest. The researchers found that when comparing areas under the same tier restrictions, pupils in more disadvantaged areas missed more schooling than those in more advantaged areas. They estimate that spending 16 days in tier 2 or 3 induced half a day of absence over a term for a pupil in the least deprived areas, but 2.25 days of absence for a pupil in the most deprived areas. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5_fJ3fR

Why Justice Matters essay features in the Big Issue 📣 We're delighted that an article by Public Law Project Chief Executive Shameem Ahmad has been published in the Big Issue. It's a short version of a piece - How the justice system can build a fairer society - which Shameem has written for our Why Justice Matters essay collection. The essays are all authored by leading experts from academia, policy, and practice. They set the scene for the Foundation’s new Public Right to Justice programme, which asks if the justice system in England and Wales is delivering a fair and effective service, and considers ideas for reform. Our Director of Justice, Robert Street, manages the Public Right to Justice programme. Read Shameem's article in the Big Issue here: https://ow.ly/gWQp50Wr8jV Read all the essays here: https://ow.ly/qY3l50Wr5kn

⚖️ Why Justice Matters: new essay collection launched With the justice system under strain, we’re proud to announce the launch of a new collection of essays exploring "Why Justice Matters", authored by leading experts in law and beyond the legal world. The series sets the scene for the Foundation’s new Public Right to Justice programme, which asks if the justice system in England and Wales is delivering a fair and effective service, and considers ideas for reform so it works better for everyone.    The essays shine a spotlight on a range of current challenges facing the justice system – especially in the civil courts and tribunals - which threaten to undermine efforts to build a fair, prosperous, and inclusive society.   They identify key areas of concern - including declining public confidence, delays, limited legal access, and deteriorating infrastructure - and make the case for investment and change. Nuffield Foundation Chief Executive, Gavin Kelly, said: “The justice system underpins our society and upholds the values upon which it depends, but is facing profound and urgent problems. This collection of essays brings these challenges into sharp focus and warns of the wider social consequences of a justice system not working as it should. We invite policymakers and the legal profession to read the essays and engage with us on ideas for change, so we can work together to shape reforms that will ensure it serves those who need it." Many thanks to our authors Professor Dame Diane Coyle at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Dame Hazel Genn at UCL Faculty of Laws, Shameem Ahmad, Chief Executive of the Public Law Project, Dame Karen Buck, former MP, Professor Sir Michael Marmot at UCL Institute of Health Equity, David Allen Green, lawyer and journalist, Professor Judith Resnik at Yale Law School, The Rt Hon Sir Ernest Ryder, Master, Pembroke College, University of Oxford, and Dr Frederick Wilmot-Smith, academic and barrister, University of Oxford.  We'd also like to thank Tom Clark for editing the collection. Our Director of Justice, Robert Street, manages the Public Right to Justice programme.  Read the essays: https://ow.ly/qY3l50Wr5kn

A civil justice system in a 'palpable state of distress' is threatening both the functioning of the government and harmony in our society, writes Tom Clark in a new article for Prospect Magazine. Tom's piece stems from work he is doing with the Foundation, editing a collection of essays authored by leading experts and published later this week, as part of our Public Right to Justice programme. The programme is managed by our Director of Justice, Robert Street. It highlights the urgent need for reform in the justice system in England and Wales, with a particular focus on the civil, family, and tribunal systems. Read Tom's article here: https://ow.ly/2K0I50Wp6b8 

Ensuring young children have the care, services, and education they need to thrive has been a long-standing interest of the Foundation. We welcome the government’s new Best Start in Life strategy and are pleased to note that findings from #NuffieldFunded work align with elements in this week’s announcement. 👶 In the final report from our Changing Face of Early Childhood project, which was led by Carey Oppenheim, we presented a strong case for bringing together key services and support around young children. We are delighted to see this in the new Best Start Family Service.  👶 The commitment to Best Start Family Hubs reflects groundbreaking research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing the long-term, cost-effective benefits of Sure Start. 👶 Funding the NELI - Nuffield Early Language Intervention for four more years is an endorsement of the programme as a proven way to help young children who need extra support with their speech and language development. Our Director of Education Josh Hillman, has been involved in NELI’s development and evaluation for many years. 👶 A pledge to increase the number of early years teachers builds on research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) showing the importance of highly qualified nursery staff in improving children’s attainment. 👶 Fixing recruitment and retention in the early years workforce is also a focus. A joint report by the EPI and the National Centre for Social Research made recommendations to tackle the crisis. 👶 The government will also work with local authorities to increase the take-up of the 15 hours of free childcare for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, with a recent report from the Centre for Evidence and Implementation setting out exactly what needs to be done to achieve this. 👶 Looking ahead, we have several new projects that will provide findings directly relevant to these policies. Eleanor Ireland and Ruth Maisey lead our grant funding for early years and primary education. https://ow.ly/a2gG50WnuQk