A funder that has been supporting individuals in need for the last 800 years is more effectively targeting vulnerable people through deputising its funding to local schools and community groups, evaluation has found.

Evaluation of Elmbridge, Surrey, based Walton Charity’s move to ‘deputising’ funding over the last decade found it had garnered “consistently positive” feedback from fundholders.

It describes the funder’s partnership with schools and groups involved as “innovative” and “is successful in reaching local people in a way and scale that was not previously possible”.

The evaluation, carried out by The Researchery, said that individual grant making should still take place and “would be very much missed if withdrawn” but concluded that its deputised funding model “is place-based funding at its best”.

In addition, researchers welcomed Walton’s “light touch” monitoring of deputised fund adding that “many grant makers could learn from this deliberately simple approach”.

Among recommendations is for Walton to “take a stronger leadership role in strengthening local networks by sharing knowledge and best practice and ensuring that this knowledge is preserved long term.

Walton Charity can trace its origins back to 1211 working in the parishes of Walton-on-Thames and Elmbridge.

According to the charities register its income for the financial year ending March 2025 was £3.12m, while it spent £3.09m over this period.

Elmbridge is the ninth most financially unequal borough in England with some of the highest costs of living and rents on the country. Child and pensioner poverty are among particularly challenges the area faces.

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