POLICYfinder – Because Policy Matters

POLICYfinder is GRANTfinder’s new complementary information service that provides a one-stop-shop for policy information, from European to local level, necessary to:

• understand/link the contribution of projects to local, regional and national policy;
• make applications;
• keep track of funding trends;
• follow policy changes in specific areas; and
• make, influence and respond to local/national policy etc.

Policy information provides clients with an opportunity to view the bigger funding picture. The service includes a Policy Search housing over three thousand policy documents which cover a range of policy topics from Housing, Health and Social Welfare to International Development and other global issues.

This type of information is critical to successful applications, a key factor in ensuring an organisation’s sustainability, and also enables all sectors - and their users – to be included in the processes and decisions that affect them.

POLICYfinder results are presented at two levels of detail: a short description of the policy document, which briefly summarises its content; and a long description that provides a more detailed account, including the location, source and topics covered.

Alongside the search facilities, POLICYfinder provides its members with daily news feeds, a glossary of policy terms, email alerts, a monthly Newsletter and an upcoming deadlines listing for consultations.

Testimonials

"POLICYfinder is an excellent resource and there's so much information on there! It makes for interesting reading and colleagues across the Council use it to keep up-to-speed with Government and funder policy." Sue Douglas, Senior Economic Development Officer, Derbyshire County Council.

“POLICYfinder was the main reason we chose to subscribe to GRANTfinder rather than continue with our previous grants database. I've found POLICYfinder most useful from a professional development point of view. Being able to print off a comprehensive extract on a White Paper or other policy document has not only aided my own understanding but means that I am able to speak with more confidence at meetings about issues such as cancer and palliative care." Joanne Edwards, Head of Fundraising and Communications, Ashgate Hospice.

“GRANTfinder and POLICYfinder have been really useful here at the Fire and Rescue Service. I have seen rapid and client-requested development to all of their products over the past four years. Recently the company has excelled itself in not only providing real-time external funding information direct to my inbox, but also allowing me to search across thousands of different funding streams as well as being able to track and store all UK and European Policy.” Tanya Wainwright, Formerly Business Development Manager, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

“POLICYfinder is a very useful tool to have at hand when making bids. It saves so much time to be able to have so many wide-ranging policies and strategies all in one place. It works really well as a research tool." Lindsey-Jane Buxton, Marketing and Central Services Manager, Groundwork Creswell, Ashfield & Mansfield and Crestra Ltd.

"Origin Housing has been subscribing to both GRANTfinder and POLICYfinder since January 2011. We have found GRANTfinder invaluable for identifying potential funders for our Community Development activities, and the resource has been used primarily by our Consultant Fundraiser. The regular bulletins and updates are also particularly useful in signposting the team to funders that might match our activities. We have found POLICYfinder to be particularly helpful in keeping the Community Development team up-to-date of changes in both national and local policy. Prior to subscribing to POLICYfinder, we primarily used Housing publications, which, although useful, were not nearly as comprehensive as POLICYfinder. I would strongly recommend both resources to anyone seeking up-to-date information, but are strapped for time, as both systems are easy to use and quickly bring relevant results." Esther Archer, Head of Community Development, Origin Housing