The 1001 Critical Days Foundation appoints Ecorys UK as long-term evaluation partner for its impact on babies
The 1001 Critical Days Foundation has appointed Ecorys UK as its independent evaluation partner for a five-year term beginning in January 2026. The appointment follows an open and competitive tender that attracted many high-quality applications from organisations across the UK and internationally.
The partnership will strengthen the Foundation’s ability to demonstrate the global impact of its multi-year charity grants, which support frontline organisations improving outcomes for babies and their families in the first 1001 days of life.
Under the agreement, Ecorys will deliver annual impact reports for every grantee as well as an aggregated portfolio-level report covering both UK and overseas grants. These outputs will help grantees secure future funding, support the Foundation’s research and advocacy priorities, and give donors confidence in the long-term impact of their investments.
Ecorys brings extensive experience evaluating early years programmes and multi-annual charitable initiatives, including national evaluations of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. Their methodology is rigorous, theory-based and aligned with HM Treasury’s Magenta Book principles. The team will be supported by Professor Jane Barlow of the University of Oxford, as an expert advisor, ensuring academic and methodological integrity throughout the partnership.
Dr Matt Price, Director of Research and Grants, at the 1001 Critical Days Foundation, said:
“Robust evaluation is essential to understanding what works for babies and families and to ensuring our funding delivers real impact. Our ambition is not only to fund outstanding organisations, but to help them grow, learn and demonstrate the value of their work over time. Ecorys stood out for its insight, expertise and strong alignment with our values. Its thorough and supportive approach, including annual grantee-level reports and portfolio-wide analysis, will be valuable not only to the Foundation and our funded charities, but to the wider early years sector.”
Commenting on behalf of Ecorys, Laurie Day, Director of Policy and Research, said:
“We are delighted to be partnering with the 1001 Critical Days Foundation at such a pivotal stage in its development. The Foundation’s commitment to babies, families and frontline charities is matched by a clear ambition to build a strong and credible evidence base. Our role is to deliver rigorous, proportionate evaluation that strengthens rather than burdens charities, working alongside grantees to capture what works, support learning and help them demonstrate their impact in ways that support their future sustainability.”