Think back to a grants programme that you have run. What did you need to know to make it a success? What did you learn from it? Who else benefited from the knowledge you developed? Knowledge is essential to charitable funders. It helps them to understand social issues and how to tackle them, which initiatives to support, and how to fund effectively. By learning from their own work and that of peers, funders can make better decisions; by sharing what they know, they can create wider influence — ensuring that the best approaches are adopted by government, other funders and charities.