The MCS Foundation: Grants Programme Evaluation
How our independent evaluation helped The MCS Foundation strengthen its grants strategy – and increase the impact of every pound awarded
The MCS Foundation is a UK charity focused on driving systemic change to make every home in the UK carbon-free by 2050. Alongside its policy and advocacy work, the Foundation has run a grants programme since 2018 – using targeted funding to stimulate innovation, test new approaches, and build capacity across the low-carbon and retrofit sector.
Following on from our support in the development of their Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability (MEAL) Framework, The MCS Foundation commissioned an evaluation of historic grants to get a deeper understanding of the difference made by the grants – and how future funding could have an even greater impact.
The Challenge
After seven years of working closely with their grantees, The MCS Foundation team knew their financial support was making a difference, but they also thought their grants programme could be strengthened. To support the programme’s review, they needed a more structured evidence-based picture of how it was contributing to systems change and the Foundation’s long-term mission.
As a collaborative funder, the Foundation had deliberately kept reporting requirements light, to avoid over-burdening grantees and stifling innovation. This light-touch approach aligned with its values, but it also made it difficult to see patterns, monitor alignment with strategy, and concisely articulate the value of the programme at board level. Crucially, the Foundation also wanted honest feedback from grantees about what was and wasn’t working – without the funder–grantee power dynamic influencing what people felt able to say.
“We wanted to understand our strengths and weaknesses as a funder, and collect evidence to support the improvement of the grant programme. Having independent evaluators gather anonymous feedback from grantees was essential – it allowed people to be honest in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if they were talking to us directly.”
Grants Manager, The MCS Foundation
The Solution
Insley Consulting carried out an independent evaluation of grants awarded between 2020 and 2024, combining structured analysis with in-depth qualitative insight – we:
- We worked across grant documentation, interviews with grantees, and a facilitated focus group with grant decision-makers.
- We built an evidence-based picture of what the programme enabled, where it added the most value, and where changes could strengthen future impact.
- We also reviewed the wider funding landscape, clarifying the Foundation’s unique role within a crowded and evolving sector.
“The Insley Consulting team really took the time to understand the questions we were looking to answer. They involved people across the organisation, allowing more people to feed in as the project took shape, which was really valuable.”
Grants Manager, The MCS Foundation
The Result
Through this evaluation, The MCS Foundation now has a robust evidence base to support the grant programme’s accountability and strategic decision-making.
Clear evidence of value and leverage
The evaluation evidenced that the grants made a substantial and distinctive contribution to the UK’s transition towards low-carbon heating. In many cases, relatively small grants acted as a catalyst – enabling projects to scale up, attract new partners, or secure significant follow-on funding. This “multiplier effect” has strengthened the Foundation’s case for continued investment.
A stronger foundation for its grantmaking strategy
The evaluation also provided clarity on how the programme could evolve. Recommendations balanced the Foundation’s commitment to being a supportive, proportionate funder with the need for more targeted data collection, stronger learning loops and greater strategic alignment. Several recommendations – including improving data collection and facilitating peer learning between grantees – are already being taken forward.
“The report has really shaped the structure of our grant programme for the coming years. Being able to evidence the value that we have leveraged through it and the longer-term outcomes from the projects has helped us to strengthen our request for budget for the coming years.”
Grants Manager, The MCS Foundation
Further Reading
Find out more about The MCS Foundation here.