Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Strengthening Community Investment Through Strategic Grantmaking
About the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for safely and securely decommissioning the UK’s 17 legacy nuclear sites. As part of this mission, the NDA has a statutory duty to support the economic and environmental sustainability of the communities surrounding these sites.
Through socioeconomic grants, the NDA helps fund projects that create long-term benefits in communities where it works, ranging from green energy initiatives to mental health and skills programmes.
The Challenge - A Vision for Smarter, Joined-Up Grantmaking
As the NDA’s investment in communities expanded, so too did its ambition to take a more joined-up and strategic approach to grantmaking. Across its operating companies, teams were committed to supporting local communities, but each had their own processes and systems in place.
NDA saw an opportunity to align these efforts by bringing them onto a central platform. The goal was to enhance visibility, improve collaboration, and ensure a consistent, best-practice approach to managing public funds.
“We needed a system that was clear, effective and easy to interrogate. One that could bring together all of our operating companies in a unified and efficient way.”
– NDA Socio-economic Team
Pain Points
Why the NDA Wanted Salesforce To Support It’s Mission
The NDA wanted a single, flexible system to bring together its operating companies and provide greater visibility across all socioeconomic investments. By aligning processes on Salesforce, the organisation could support local communities more effectively while strengthening public fund governance and strategic oversight.
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Building Consistency Across Teams
- Operating companies each had robust processes, but NDA wanted to create a shared system that retained local flexibility while improving alignment
- A central platform would enable better cross-organisational visibility, making it easier to track progress and share insights
- Operating companies each had robust processes, but NDA wanted to create a shared system that retained local flexibility while improving alignment
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Enhancing the Applicant Experience
- The NDA is committed to making its socioeconomic funding accessible and straightforward for communities
- A digital platform would allow applicants to submit proposals easily through a single portal, ensuring a smooth and transparent process
- The NDA is committed to making its socioeconomic funding accessible and straightforward for communities
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Supporting Accountability and Oversight
- As stewards of public funding, the NDA wanted to ensure all grant activity could be easily reviewed, reported, and audited
- A central system would support governance, simplify audits, and reduce administrative time for internal teams
- As stewards of public funding, the NDA wanted to ensure all grant activity could be easily reviewed, reported, and audited
The Solution
Hyphen8 built a tailored Salesforce grant management platform to support the NDA’s national remit and local delivery.
The system allows each operating company to manage its funding programmes in a way that aligns with group-wide standards while maintaining operational flexibility.
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Unified but Flexible
- Each team follows a common structure on Salesforce.
- All grantmaking data is held in one place, making it easier to review outcomes, monitor delivery, and ensure accountability.
- Each team follows a common structure on Salesforce.
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Seamless Application Journey
- Applicants now submit proposals through a user-friendly online form (FormAssembly), directly integrated with Salesforce.
- The system acknowledges applications instantly and allows teams to track progress from submission to decision.
- Applicants now submit proposals through a user-friendly online form (FormAssembly), directly integrated with Salesforce.
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Aligned Governance and Assurance
- Internal panels and approvals are managed within the system.
- Auditors receive secure access, reducing preparation time and enabling direct, real-time review of activity.
- Internal panels and approvals are managed within the system.
The Impact of working with Hyphen8
Across all operating companies - through one platform
A consistent approach with room for local delivery
Applicant journey made simpler - Online submission ensures transparency and ease
The Impact
The NDA has enhanced its community investment work by introducing a unified Salesforce platform, developed by Hyphen8.
With all operating companies now working from a centralised system, grantmaking is more consistent, transparent, and strategic.
This transformation enables better experiences for applicants, smoother internal collaboration, and easier public fund governance.
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Clarity and confidence for applicants
- A single online portal makes it easy for community groups to submit applications across all NDA regions
- Automated acknowledgements and updates give applicants reassurance and visibility throughout the process.
- Clearer guidance and central workflows help ensure consistency across all operating companies.
- A single online portal makes it easy for community groups to submit applications across all NDA regions
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One connected system across 17 sites
- All grant data and documentation is securely stored and accessible in one place
- Staff can now review, report on, and collaborate across funding programmes with shared visibility
- Internal panels and decision meetings are supported directly in-platform, ensuring joined-up working.
- All grant data and documentation is securely stored and accessible in one place
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Designed for governance and assurance
- Public funding compliance is easier, with a clear audit trail and full access for reviewers via read-only logins.
- All evidence of spend and decision history is centrally logged, improving audit confidence.
- Internal audits and assurance processes are more efficient and no longer rely on site-by-site document gathering.
- Public funding compliance is easier, with a clear audit trail and full access for reviewers via read-only logins.
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Stronger strategic insight and reporting
- Grant activity can now be aligned to the NDA’s socioeconomic goals and community investment strategy.
- Teams can monitor applications by region and theme, helping target resources where they’re needed most.
- Real-time reporting supports better decision-making at both the local and group levels.
- Grant activity can now be aligned to the NDA’s socioeconomic goals and community investment strategy.
Making an impact
Audits made easier
"Audit teams receive direct access to records, saving time and improving confidence."
Strategic alignment with NDA goals
"Funding can be mapped to key strategic themes and geographic areas"
Why Did You Choose Salesforce and Hyphen8?
After speaking to other public funders, the NDA chose Salesforce for its adaptability and transparency, and Hyphen8 for their expertise in the grantmaking space.
“The clarity, the consistency, the simplicity – that’s what made this work. Now, we have one system that supports our teams and our communities.
- NDA Socio-economic Team
Creating Greater Impact with Confidence
With Salesforce and Hyphen8, the NDA has further strengthened its approach to investing in the future of its communities. The team now works from a central platform that enables consistency, transparency and ease, both for internal teams and the people they serve.
Clear data, structured workflows, and a unified approach now support grantmaking. This transformation empowers the NDA to continue delivering on its commitment to leave a positive legacy in every community it touches.
