Mike Spencer won the Innovator of the Year award at the Global Search & Rescue Excellence Awards, recognising his work pioneering the use of Eurasian otters in UK search and rescue.
By Mike Spencer, 2026
Governance and public provision
About this theme
This theme covers all aspects of the functioning and services of the state, including public services, governance and political processes, rule of law and international relations. It is one of the eight universal themes which form our grantmaking framework and allow us to address every aspect of society. Fellows’ stories
Terri-Anne Hamer (CF 2025) featured on the Trauma Informed Consultancy Services (TICS) podcast, discussing parenting as a care-experienced mother and the relationship between trauma, healing, and family support.
By Terri-Anne Hamer, 2026
We spoke to Lucy Peake, Churchill Fellow and CEO of Kinship, about how her Fellowship is shaping support for kinship carers in the UK. Travelling to the USA, she explored kinship navigator programmes and found strong parallels with Kinship Connected, the support model developed by her organisation. Her learning is now informing new trials and partnerships, with the aim of building stronger evidence and securing long-term investment in kinship care – helping to shape a more consistent, better-supported system for kinship families.
By Lucy Peake, 2026
Ananya (CF 2025) spoke at the Singapore University of Technology and Design on accessible systems, sharing insights from her Churchill Fellowship research on how accessibility is experienced and applied in practice, including in AI systems used by vulnerable populations.
By Ananya Rao-Middleton, 2026
By Mark Brookes, 2024
Sabrina Matani (CF 2023) has been nominated for a Webby Award for the Women Beyond Walls podcast she hosts, which shares the experiences of women who have been in prison and advocates working to reform the justice system.
By Sabrina Mahtani, 2026
By Ella Hancock, 2018
By Niketa Sanderson-Gillard, 2024
By Mike Spencer, 2025
During her Churchill Fellowship in Ghana, Dr Chiedza Ikpeh explored how teacher wellbeing grows through community, adaptability, and shared responsibility. Speaking with teachers, she how collective approaches help educators thrive, even in challenging conditions. Witnessing this resilience reshaped how she understands teaching and what allows careers to be sustained over time, and Chiedza is now bringing this learning into her research and development work with teachers across the UK.
By Chiedza Ikpeh, 2026