Who have Which? funded?

The Which? Fund is our way of working with a diverse range of UK charities, universities and not-for-profit Community Interest Companies (CICs) to explore the harm facing diverse and disadvantaged communities, and investigate potential solutions.

Consumer harm takes many different forms, and is often difficult to spot. In the internet age, data-driven personalisation and automated decision making make this ever more true.Different groups of consumers can have very different experiences, and that some groups - for example, women, people living with disabilities or health conditions, low-income households and members of diverse ethnic communities - might be more exposed to harm than other groups, or experience different types of harm.

Over the last three years, we have funded six charities and three universities to undertake projects exploring a wide variety of consumer challenges, affecting consumer groups who are disadvantaged in different ways.

Here’s a recap of our Which? Fund grant holders so far.

2023/24

• University of Leeds, to assess the quality, sustainability, and accessibility of commercial foods for infants and young children, focusing on low-income families.
• University of Warwick, to explore the impact of online defaults and drip-pricing on cognitively vulnerable consumers.

2022/23

• The Bevan Foundation, to explore the risks and opportunities of Open Banking money management apps for people on low incomes. 
• London South Bank University, to examine how accessible online shopping is to people with learning (intellectual) disabilities. 
• Samaritans, to look at retail protections which could reduce access to means of suicide.

2021/22

• The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, to explore and tackle unfair discrimination against people with mental health problems in key insurance markets.
• National Energy Action, with a project strengthening energy advice and support networks for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
• The Pensions Policy Institute, to assess and address the pensions policy impact of inadequate ethnic minority coverage in national data sets.
• The Social Market Foundation, exploring whether there is a gap in the take up of financial products among consumers from an ethnic minority background, why this might be and what would help.

Each of these projects has or is in the process of producing valuable insight and ideas for tacking the challenges facing diverse and disadvantaged consumers. We love working with this wide range of organisations, learning from each other and often providing support beyond the simple provision of cash, for example access to our Which? experts, support with complex methodology design, introductions to stakeholders or hosting events. 

Could you be next?

So we’re really excited that the Which? Fund is now open again to new applications. Could your organisation be on this list next year? If you work for a UK-registered charity, not-for-profit Community Interest Company or university and have an idea for work to tackle consumer harm facing diverse and disadvantaged communities, we’d love to hear about it. Check out our Guidance for Applicants for more details and information on how to apply.