The 360 Giving project, which campaigns for greater transparency in grant-making, has launched a prototype standard to improve transparency of UK grant data.

The initiative’s aim is that 80 per cent of grants made by UK charities, foundations and other grant-makers, and 50 per cent by number and/or volume, will be reported as open data to agreed standards within five years.

The standard, which was developed by the data scientist Tim Davies and published yesterday, is a prototype and organisers have called for feedback from users.

It provides a template for funders to present the data they publish to 360 Giving and will help join up grant information from different trusts and foundations.

The standard was informed by a range of existing data standards, including the International Aid Transparency Initiative standard.

360 Giving was launched last year by Fran Perrin,  director of the Indigo Trust, and chair of Publish What You Fund.