Visionaries
The Visionaries programme supports people whose practice and thoughts might guide society to hopeful futures for all.
Funding
We fund and work in partnership with a range of organisations, collectives and individuals in pursuit of our mission.
Our current approach to funding
JRF’s external grants are largely tied to specific projects under our 3 focus areas. In 2025 we want to make more unrestricted grants, putting an additional £50 million to £100 million behind our mission-focused work over the coming 5-10 years.
Most of our funding is by invitation but we occasionally issue calls for proposals below.
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Call for proposals: Landlord profits in the UK private rental market
We're inviting proposals for a short piece of economic analysis to explore the nature, extent and distribution of profits in the UK private rental sector (PRS).
About the project
Debates around private renting often hinge on assumptions about how profitable being a landlord really is. Opponents of stronger regulation argue that margins are tight, while advocates assume there’s room to redistribute excess profit without harming the market.
To date, there has been no empirical attempt to assess whether landlords make supernormal profits — returns significantly above normal levels. This project will fill that gap, helping to inform future JRF policy development on housing and the private rented sector.
What we’re looking for
We’re seeking an organisation or research team with strong quantitative and economic analysis skills, familiarity with PRS data, and experience producing policy-relevant work to tight deadlines.
The analysis should determine whether profits in the PRS are at, above or below normal levels, estimate the scale and sources of any supernormal profits (rental yield vs capital gain), and explore how they are distributed across landlord types, geographies and market segments.
Budget and timeline
- Budget: up to £40,000 (including VAT)
- Draft findings due: December 2025
- Final outputs due: February 2026
How to apply
Submit a short proposal (maximum 4 pages) setting out your approach, timeline, delivery team and budget breakdown. Please read the invitation to tender for full details, including project objectives and key dates.
Deadline for proposals: 5pm, Tuesday 28 October 2025
For questions about this opportunity, contact Rosie Worsdale, Senior Policy Adviser (Housing), at rosie.worsdale@jrf.org.uk before Wednesday 22 October.
Call for proposals: Evaluation and learning partner, Storytellers Fund
JRF is seeking an evaluation and learning partner to help us understand the impact of our Storytellers Fund, a pilot programme designed to support storytelling for social change.
About the project
Launched in 2023 as part of our Movement Effectiveness programme, the Storytellers Fund has supported 13 projects across the UK, including plays, podcasts, films, games and exhibitions. The fund aimed to help creators share stories that inspire hope, compassion and empowerment, and to diversify who gets to shape our cultural and political conversations.
We now want to assess what impact this pilot has had on the people and organisations we funded, and what we can learn to inform the design of future initiatives that support storytelling for social change.
What we’re looking for
We’re seeking an individual or organisation with expertise in evaluation, learning and impact assessment, ideally with experience working across grant funding, narrative change, social change and creative arts projects.
The work will involve:
- designing an approach to impact data collection suitable for a diverse range of projects
- gathering and analysing qualitative and quantitative data
- producing a clear evaluation and learning report.
Budget and timeline
- Budget: up to £30,000 (including VAT)
- Delivery: December 2025 – March 2026
How to apply
Submit a short proposal (maximum 2 pages) outlining your approach, methodology, and examples of similar work (up to 3). Please read the invitation to tender for full details, including project objectives and key dates.
Deadline for proposals: 5pm Wednesday 12 November.
If you have any questions about this opportunity send an email to storytellers@jrf.org.uk.
Accreditations
