Social Research Builders!

In 2022, Social Research Builders was commissioned to deliver the independent evaluation of the council’s Building Thriving Communities programme funded through the Communities and Place strand of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The programme was a brilliant example of partnership working between the council, Citizens Advice Sheffield, South Yorkshire Community Foundation and Voluntary Action Sheffield. It aimed to provide emergency support during the cost of living crisis while laying foundations for stronger, more resilient communities.

SRB’s role was to evaluate impact across the programme’s two-year life cycle, using a mixed-methods approach combining strategic analysis, participatory research and case studies from local delivery partners. The final evaluation report served both as a formal accountability tool for government and a learning resource to shape future cross-sector working in the city.

Our relationship with BLCF began in 2023, when SRB was commissioned to deliver the charity’s first Vital Signs report since 2017. We led a mixed-method study that combined a survey of 236 residents and stakeholders, targeted interviews, and fresh analysis of national datasets to map local need and community resilience. The resulting publication, Vital Signs: Taking the Pulse of our Community, has since informed BLCF’s grant strategies and donor communications.

Building on this trust, BLCF has asked SRB to support its 25th anniversary year. In 2025, we started to run a Vital Signs “temperature check”, revisiting original contributors to track shifts in local needs. We are also delivering a strategic plan review, engaging trustees, staff, donors and partners to assess progress against the 2022-27 strategy and co-create new organisational goals.

SRB’s partnership with CFSurrey began in 2023 with the delivery of the ‘Strengthening Surrey’s Communities’ Impact Report - a community driven and co-created impact report which highlighted unmet needs across the county using both quantitative data and local insights. This marked the foundation’s first county-wide needs analysis since 2017.

We continued working together in 2024/25 by co-developing the foundation’s ‘20 Years of Impact’ report, tracking the evolution of CFSurrey’s approach and sharing powerful stories of local systemic change. Most recently, SRB was commissioned to evaluate the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) supported Small Grants Scheme, assessing its impact on grassroots cultural organisations and highlighting learning for future funding.

Social Research Builders was appointed as the evaluation partner for Future of the Past, a major three-year heritage engagement initiative funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Led by soundLINCS and delivered in partnership with six heritage sites, the project aims to widen access to Lincolnshire’s diverse heritage by engaging young people aged 11-25 in co-creating new interpretations of the county’s history through the work of Cultural Facilitators.

Now in year two of delivery, SRB has led on developing and implementing a robust, mixed-method evaluation framework in line with National Lottery Heritage Fund evaluation guidance. This includes baseline research with young people and heritage site staff, a portfolio of co-designed research tools, young people, friendly methodology and toolkits to build evaluation capacity among partners. The longitudinal tracking of youth outcomes - including confidence, skills and engagement - has been implemented to effectively measure long term impact on both the heritage sites and the people involved.

SRB’s evaluation work ensures that learning is captured continuously and used to shape delivery, inform funder reporting and build a stronger evidence base for inclusive, youth-led heritage practice.

Social Research Builders was commissioned to support Lives of Colour with the redevelopment of Sandford Park Lodge to become an inclusive Opportunity Hub. This project, seed supported by the Diocese of Gloucester, aims to create a welcoming and accessible space where diverse communities can access services, connect with heritage and shape their future.

Our role focuses on delivering strategic fundraising consultancy to underpin a strong, funder-ready bit to the National Lottery. We are currently in year 1 of a long term partnership developing a phased fundraising strategy, co-designing the case for support and supporting brochure, and leading a creative community consultation to gather insights from local people. Our work ensures that Lives of Colour’s vision is backed by compelling evidence, a strong delivery plan, and a funding roadmap aligned with funder expectations.

Pending approval, SRB will continue to support the project into its development and delivery phases, offering project management, fundraising, monitoring, evaluation and adaptive strategy support.

In 2024, Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery appointed SRB as the evaluation consultants for their NLHF-funded Heritage, Creativity and Community project. This ambitious plan will transform the Grade I listed Northumberland Hall into a dynamic cultural venue in the heart of Alnwick.

SRB worked closely with the museum to deliver a tailored development phase evaluation in line with National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) best practice. We developed a full evaluation framework and toolkit, ensuring it meets NLHF’s four investment principles. This included a Theory of Change model, baseline data analysis, stakeholder consultation, and creative research tools to support ongoing data collection during delivery.

Having successfully completed the development phase evaluation, we have been recommissioned (subject to funding approval) to lead the full delivery phase evaluation from 2025.