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Grantee Perception Report 2024: Our Partners at the Center of our Work
At the Hempel Foundation, we are committed to continuously improving our work to create greater impact in the areas we support. A key part of this effort is listening to the partners we work with and understanding how they perceive our grantmaking processes and what we can do to make these processes both efficient and supportive of the change we are aiming for.
For our 2024 Partner Surveywe partnered with the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP). CEP specializes in collecting grantee feedback for philanthropic organizations and was able to benchmark our results against more than 300 other foundations worldwide.
The survey was shared with 113 of our national and international partners, and we were pleased to receive a high response rate of 80%. Overall, the survey results show a very positiveperception of the Hempel Foundation among all our partners. Below, we will share what we learned from our partners’ feedback in more detail.
INSIGHTS:
The survey offered valuable insights into how our partners experience working with us — and how we can evolve to deepen our impact. Results were rated on a 1–7 scale (7 being the highest) and benchmarked against peer foundations to provide context.
What works well:
- Partners described the Foundation as approachable, responsive, transparent, and compassionate.
- They appreciated the clarity of our approval processes and found our reporting requirements to be relevant, manageable, and framed as opportunities for learning.
- We were also pleased to see that many partners feel we have a strong understanding of their goals, strategies, and the broader context of their work.
What We’ll Focus on Next
Based on what we heard, we have identified three key areas where we will focus our improvement efforts. Each reflects a desire to increase both the value and the impact of our collaboration with partners.
Strengthening Support Beyond the Grant
A clear majority of our international partners reported receiving assistance beyond the grant - such as communications support, program-related assistance, or help with fundraising - which they found highly valuable.
While assistance beyond the grant is primarily offered to international partners, it was especially encouraging to see that the few national grantees who received such support rated its value very highly – clearly indicating its positive impact and potential relevance across our portfolio.
We will build on this by expanding our non-financial support where it’s most needed. This includes hosting more convenings and events that foster peer learning, visibility, and knowledge exchange among our partners. We’ll also explore tailored support for organisational development, fundraising, and communications to further strengthen our partners' impact.
Improving Grant Processes for Greater Efficiency and Value
Partners shared a desire for simpler, more time-efficient approval processes. In response, we are currently reviewing and streamlining our approval and reporting procedures.
Our goal is to reduce complexity while ensuring that processes remain meaningful, transparent, and rigorous. We aim to make approval and reporting tools that support reflection, learning, and alignment - offering clearer guidance, templates, and timelines that work for both sides.
Increasing Our Visibility and Strategic Communication
We see communication as a vital tool for achieving impact. In the survey, we asked our partners which types of communication support would be most valuable. The top priorities included showcasing their work, building networks, and facilitating events—all areas that align well with our existing strategic focus.
Partners also voiced a strong desire for increased collaboration and peer learning among international grantees, as well as more support for organisational development. These are key priorities in our international work, and we are committed to creating more opportunities for connection, knowledge exchange, and shared growth.
Looking ahead, we will also focus on sharpening the Foundation’s public profile and increasing our recognition among peers—particularly in the areas of international education, biodiversity conservation, and social initiatives in Denmark. In doing so, we aim not only to raise the visibility of our own role but to amplify our partners’ work and contribute to broader learning and collaboration across the field.
In the survey, partners rated various aspects of our work on a scale from 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest. These scores were also translated into percentile rankings from 0 to 100, where the 0th percentile represents the lowest rating given to any funder in the dataset and the 100th percentile the highest. This provides a broader context for understanding how our work is experienced across different areas.
For a quick overview, see the visual summary of key findings below:
Our partner’s input not only guides our work but also shapes the way we collaborate. We will continue to listen, learn, and act to make our partnerships even more impactful.
Download the full report.