What we do

We support civil society leaders to build a fairer world, with opportunity for all. We particularly focus on tackling the systematic causes of inequality and poverty in lower income countries. We make grants and convene organisations to help them achieve more together.

In 2021, we committed to spend out all our resources over the next 10 years and close the Trust at that point. This is driving a more focused approach, described below. We will publish an updated strategy shortly. We will continue our approach as an engaged and strategic funder.

Focus Areas

1. We support work to strengthen integrity in the UK’s international financial services

The UK is a major international financial centre. It enables vast amounts of capital to flow, creating wealth and prosperity. The UK also enables significant illicit financial flows, enabling great harm at home and abroad. We support work that strengthens integrity in the UK’s international financial services, so the global financial system works better for people and planet. We believe this reduces opportunities for international corruption and tax abuse, and strengthens effective government in the long term public interest.

Our objective in this area is: To work with civil society leaders to position the UK as a leading driver of international financial integrity. We proactively work with others to build the field of organisations working on this issue.

2. We support work to strengthen high potential non-profit organisations

We believe that small groups of committed people can have a huge impact in the world. We support groups that have high potential to help the UK be a good partner to lower income countries and address the causes of inequality. We fund them to make a step change in their organisational development. This includes work to become more sustainable and effective, for instance through funding back office work.

Our objective in this area is: To support civil society leaders to build effective non-profit organisations that strengthen partnership between the UK and lower income countries.

What we do fund
  • Work to improve the UK end of international systems.
  • Joint work to tackle issues that the UK and lower income countries share (e.g. inequality, ethnic division, rights of groups like street children).
  • Work that is primarily driven by people in their own societies.
What we don’t fund
  • Work that only benefits communities in the UK.
  • Work that mainly provides primary services in lower income countries (e.g. schools, health centres, water sources).
  • Work that is primarily driven by people from donor societies.

Approach

We take an engaged approach as a donor. We work to understand the issues and organisations in our focus areas, and identify how we can best contribute to them.

We recognise that social change takes time and depends on collaboration across many initiatives. We encourage strategic collaboration among initiatives and convene events, where they add value.

We support leaders to build effective organisations and connect them to advice in areas such as governance, fundraising and back office operations. We aim to strengthen diversity in the UK non-profit sector.

We have joined IVAR’s Flexible Funders campaign, with its eight commitments for open & trusting grant-making.

“Nelson Mandela”, London, UK. Photo by George de Bruxelles on Unsplash