The Educational Endowment Foundation has been enlisted by the government to provide evidence to local and national governments to guide decision making over public spending on education.

The grantmaking charity, which funds projects aimed at raising attainment among disadvantaged pupils will join the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence plus four new sector-specific institutions in the new What Works Network sharing and assessing evidence across a range of social and economic issues to assist governments' decision making on spending of £200bn.

This is thought to be the first time that any government has set up such a model, which was devised as part of the Civil Service Reform Plan launched last June.

Nesta and the Big Lottery Fund have been working closely with the Economic and Social Research Council over the past year to identify which sectors are in the most need of funding and found six sectors were in need of clearer communication of evidence. Each organisation in the Network will be responsible for their own sector with the new organisations focusing on local economic growth, ageing better, early intervention and crime reduction.

Funding for the Network comes in part from the government and in part from the Economic and Social Research Council while the Big Lottery Fund is to establish and will be the main funder for the centre for ageing better. 

A centre for local economic growth is in the process of being launched with a tendering process launched today. The centre will have core funding of £1m per annum with an initial three-year term. 

Speaking ahead of the launch today Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said, "It is vital that we continue using evidence-based policy making to shape decisions on public spending, particularly in this financial climate.

"The What Works Network will bring a real step-change to our evidence generating capabilities, and will further ensure government takes decisions at the spending round and future events on the basis of high quality research aimed at delivering the best possible outcomes for the public."

Other charities involved in the Network include 4Children, which has partnered with a consortium of organisations to launch the Early Intervention Foundation. 

 

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