Invitation to Tender: Capturing lessons from Closure

Local Trust is seeking an external partner to undertake a learning review of our approach to organisational closure, capturing lessons, reflections and practical insights less than a year before our planned dissolution in 2027.

There is little practical evidence on how foundations, endowed organisations and other time-limited institutions should plan and implement organisational closure. Most published materials focus on governance, legal processes or financial spend-out. Far less has been written about leadership, culture, workforce planning, decision-making, communications, organisational identity, legacy and the emotional dimensions of organisational endings.

We want this learning review to help fill that gap. We are seeking an independent partner to use Local Trust as a live case study to answer a broader question: ‘What does good organisational closure look like?’.

We are looking for someone that has:

• Experience of organisational learning and research
• Understanding of philanthropy and foundations
• Expertise in qualitative research and facilitation
• Excellent written skills
• Relevant experience or demonstrable interest in the closure of voluntary/community organisations or funders.

Submitting a proposal

To express interest in this work, please submit a short letter outlining relevant skills and experiences in line with the criteria above and attach a summary project plan by midday on Friday 4th September 2026, to info@localtrust.org.uk. Please include the name of a referee, and links to any relevant examples of your work. Please also include ‘Lessons from Closure’ in the subject line.

For a more detailed outline of the work and required skills and experiences, please download the full ITT below.

Download the ITT