The IFS is non-profit and non-political and receives funding from a range of sources, including the Economic and Social Research Council, UK Government departments, foundations, the European Research Council, international organisations, companies and other non-profit organisations. Funding is received either for specific research projects or via our two ESRC research centres, the Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy and the Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice. Research Councils award funding for academic research independently of government; funding is awarded on the basis of scientific excellence, through a process of peer-review. The IFS never accepts funding for a research project - or indeed funding of any kind - that relies on a specific result being found or that compromises our independence and neutrality. All of our own publications are available free of charge for the public to read.
IFS receives the highest rating for transparency in information made public about funding from Transparify (rated 5 stars - last rating in 2018).
The majority of IFS income goes directly to specific research projects. Below is a list showing income from individual funders for projects current in 2020. See the spreadsheet below for details of individual projects and notes about funders.
Funder |
2020 grant income (£) |
3ie | 4,022 |
Age UK | 12,500 |
Association of British Insurers | 136,085 |
British Academy | 29,629 |
British Heart Foundation | 19,353 |
Capita | 24,764 |
Centre for Ageing Better | 27,848 |
Citibank | 223,831 |
Cowles Foundation | 19,296 |
Department for Education | 41,591 |
Department for International Development | 1,207,979 |
Department for Work and Pensions | 75,373 |
Department of Health and Social Care | 107,484 |
Dubai Cares | 116,970 |
Economic and Social Research Council | 4,364,843 |
European Research Council | 898,056 |
Financial Conduct Authority | 3,226 |
Friends Provident Foundation | 52,060 |
Institute for Fiscal Studies | 26,117 |
International Budget Partnership Inc | 2,391 |
Jacobs Foundation | 48,208 |
Joseph Rowntree Foundation | 74,810 |
Local Government Association | 13,561 |
London School of Economics and Political Science | 22,013 |
Low Pay Commission | 57,715 |
Multiple Funders | 49,972 |
National Institute for Health Research | 199,250 |
National Institute on Ageing | 14,727 |
Nuffield Foundation | 968,130 |
Rockwool Foundation Research Unit | 137,665 |
Social Mobility Commission | 194,678 |
Social Mobility Foundation | 1,491 |
Standard Life Foundation | 90,000 |
STEM Inclusion Foundation | 16,247 |
Tax Law Review Committee | 2,473 |
The Alan Turing Institute | 66,029 |
The Health Foundation | 30,442 |
The Schroder Foundation | 25,000 |
The World Bank | 60,216 |
Trust for London | 20,000 |
UK Research and Innovation | 82,272 |
The Institute also generates a small contribution to its overall costs from its members (1.4%) including corporate members (1%), publication of the Institute’s quarterly journal, Fiscal Studies (0.6%), and its events programme (1.3%).
We are grateful to all of our members for helping to support the work that we do. Please note that none of our publications necessarily reflect the views of any of the below members.
£1,000 - £10,000
abrdn
Bank of England
Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT)
Confederation of British Industry
Deloitte LLP
Elliot Advisors (UK) Ltd
Frontier Economics
HM Revenue and Customs
HM Treasury
KPMG
Lane Clark & Peacock
National Audit Office
Pension and Lifetime Savings Association
RELX Group
Royal London
The Housing Finance Corporation
Wellington Management International Ltd
Wessex Water
Zurich Financial Services
>£100 - £1,000
House of Commons Library
Houses of the Oireachtas Service
John Swire & Sons Ltd