**CAST & The Clothworkers’ Foundation —

grantmaking collaboration**

Photo by Digital Buggu, via Pexels

At CAST, we explore how digital tools, and more recently, responsible uses of emerging technologies like AI, can strengthen the work of funders and charities. Over the past few years, this has included work across the grantmaking spectrum: from leading explorations with our AI for Grantmakers peer group, designing AI tools, our partnerships with IVAR and collaboration with TAG.

For this post, we want to focus on how CAST have supported The Clothworkers’ Foundation’s Open Grants Programme and specifically their grants for digital infrastructure. We’ll share what we’ve learned together and encourage other funders to join us in exploring a bigger collaborative fund this year.

Our partnership with The Clothworkers’ Foundation came about following their decision to continue grantmaking uninterrupted during a period of strategic change. To maintain momentum, they chose to delegate some decision-making to partners and as a result, CAST took on the management of digital infrastructure applications to their Open Grants Programmes fund in February 2025 for an initial year, work I’ve been project managing alongside the CAST team. This work is essential as it provides the building blocks of digital maturity across the sector, especially as differing levels of AI adoption threaten to widen digital inequalities.

Some reflections so far

So far, we’ve supported The Clothworkers’ Foundation to allocate almost £700,000 to strengthen the sector’s digital infrastructure. Along the way, we’ve refined our approach and learned some lessons.

1. Grounding assessment in people

We’re following Clothworkers’ assessment process which is rigorous and ensures that all applicants are given a fair assessment. Each application is reviewed by two assessors, then discussed by an internal panel before final decisions are made by The Foundation. It’s a thoughtful, people-driven process, one that takes time and ensures balanced, transparent decisions.

2. Testing and refining our tools

To make the process work smoothly day to day, we’ve been exploring the right mix of tools. Airtable proved an effective way to get up and running quickly, helping us coordinate assessments and manage information efficiently. Its flexibility has been invaluable, though there’s still room to develop and streamline further and we’ll be drawing on our Shared Digital Guide resource on Airtable for inspiration.

3. Considering how technology could support funders

While AI tools are not part of our work with The Clothworkers’ Foundation as yet, in other areas of our work, CAST continues to explore how emerging technologies might complement the human side of grantmaking. Through our AI for Grantmakers peer group — which includes more than 400 people from over 300 trusts and foundations — we’re learning collectively where AI could add value across the sector. We know many grantmakers nationally are currently overwhelmed by the increase in application numbers and AI provides opportunities to streamline the process.

There have been some experiments using AI to improve efficiency in due diligence and reporting as well as some tests exploring how AI can be used with grant assessments. Often these tests are quite light touch due to privacy concerns about uploading applications into external tools. CAST is also experimenting with building a sector-owned AI tool (currently at MVP and testing stage) which will support grant assessment through a safe, privacy-centric platform.

4. Considering lived experience in the programme

Building on the theme of learning and reflection, The Clothworkers’ Foundation has also been reflecting on the needs it aims to meet, and the impact it wants to enable. This led to The Foundation introducing an Impact Framework to its wider Open Grants programme that allows it to prioritise between eligible applications on lived experience and projects that enable significant organisational change. CAST worked with Clothworkers’ to apply this framework to the digital infrastructure applications and Clothworkers’ are continuing to gather feedback to understand how well the framework is working in practice.

What’s next — Digital Fund Collaboration

This partnership has provided an opportunity for CAST to further explore practical questions around digital grant making — as well as to see, and confirm the huge demand for funding in this area.

We are now exploring, with The Clothworkers’ Foundation and others, the opportunity of a bigger, and dedicated, collaborative fund to meet growing demand and to respond to new needs within the sector around digital, and in particular AI.

Reflecting on the work, Jenny North, Foundation Director at Clothworkers’ shared, “We introduced funding for digital infrastructure because we know the right tools and capacity drive reach, impact, and sustainability for charities and social businesses. Working with CAST has brought us extra capacity and expertise at a critical time. But it’s also opened our eyes to the potential for a bigger, and more flexible fund which can keep up with — and even anticipate — the changing opportunities and risks of new technology. We are keen to have funding work as effectively as possible in this space, and to talk to other funders who share this ambition”

We are currently discussing this idea of a bigger and more flexible fund with a number of funders. If you'd like to find out more, email Dan Sutch, Director dan@wearecast.org.uk and Jackie Brennan Project Manager jackie@wearecast.org.uk