CASE STUDY
What funded partners think of Comic Relief, compared with 17 other funders
nfpFunders partner perception survey for Comic Relief
At a glance
Challenge
Comic Relief funds hundreds of organisations in the UK and internationally and describes itself as a trust-based funder. It surveys its funded partners every two years and this was the first year Comic Relief had commissioned nfpFunders to do this. The Funding team wanted an honest, independent picture of how funded partners experience their funding in practice: the application process, reporting, relationships with grant managers, and the additional support offered alongside money. They also wanted to know how Comic Relief compared with other funders, and which parts of the offer partners valued most.
We ran an online survey in January and February 2026 using the nfpFunders questionnaire, which lets a funder compare its results with a benchmark of 17 other UK funders, with additional questions on Comic Relief's own priorities. All 219 funded partners were invited and 143 responded, a response rate of 65%. Responses were anonymous to Comic Relief. We analysed the results by UK and international partners and by grant size, and presented them to the Funding Leadership including the Director of Funding.
Approach
Outcomes
Where the research has been published
Challenge. Understand how funded partners in the UK and internationally experience Comic Relief as a funder, and where to improve.
Approach. Online survey of all 219 funded partners, with 143 responses, benchmarked against 17 UK funders.
Outcome. Comic Relief published the findings, committed to making its processes as straightforward as possible, and commissioned further research to inform its strategy.
Partners described Comic Relief as a highly trusting, flexible and collaborative funder, and many cited it as a sector leader in grant management. The application process outperformed the benchmark, and recent applicants were among the most satisfied. 96% of partners felt comfortable approaching Comic Relief when problems arose and 89% said they felt no pressure to adjust their organisation's priorities. The survey also showed where to improve: smaller organisations found reporting duplicative, around one in five found the grant management system difficult to navigate, and partners wanted more transparency about funding cycles. Comic Relief published the results on its website in August 2026 and committed to making its funding processes as straightforward as possible. The survey has since been followed by further research to support Comic Relief's funding strategy and operations, including depth interviews with funded partners.
Comic Relief, "Trusting, flexible and collaborative: feedback from our funded partners", 24 August 2026: https://www.comicrelief.com/news/trusting-flexible-and-collaborative-feedback-from-our-funded-partners/
Third Sector, "Comic Relief pledges to make funding processes as straightforward as possible", September 2026: https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/comic-relief-pledges-funding-processes-straightforward-possible/fundraising/article/1968988
“It was great working with Tim and Peter at nfpResearch – they were easy to collaborate with, always on hand to answer questions, and delivered insights that were easy for us to use. We’re always grateful for the feedback we receive from Funded Partners and were really pleased with the results but also valued the insights into what we could improve. It’s also been useful to see how we compare with other major funders in the UK.” [Corinna Philpott, Head of Impact and Learning, Comic Relief]