Supporting foundation staff wellbeing

Foundations will in the main fulfil their charitable mission by working with others outside their organisation. But the wellbeing of their own staff matters - not just for their responsibilities as a good employer but also to achieving their mission, living out their values, and supporting applicants and grantees.

Social isolation, grief, erosion of physical and psychological safety, changes to ways of working, uncertainty, caregiving responsibilities and financial strain, exacerbated and amplified during the Covid-19 pandemic, are likely to negatively impact staff resilience and wellbeing for many employees, whatever sector they work in.

But while few foundation staff are operating professionally at the front line of the crisis, there are some impacts on foundation staff specifically that foundations should take into account. These include the surging demand from applicants seeking emergency funding, increasing frequency of rejecting applications, and interacting with grant-seekers who are under immense strain due to the pandemic and may be desperate for financial support. Foundations are rarely set up to respond to emergencies, yet most have operated on this basis in recent months.

We are bringing together resources and information to help foundations think about how best to support their staff, and what questions they should consider in addressing staff resilience and wellbeing. In putting together this resource, it is important for us to hear from foundation staff about what issues or concerns are impacting their resilience and wellbeing, and how they could best be supported through this. We would also welcome examples of how your foundation is supporting staff through the pandemic.

If you have any questions, please email joanna@acf.org.uk