John Ellerman Foundation

** New Impact Framework for 2025 to 2030 ** All of us at John Ellerman Foundation are excited to share our new Impact Framework, which accompanies our strategy for 2025 to 2030. This Impact Framework will enable us to determine the progress we are making in relation to our new strategy and the aims set out within it. You can find out more about it here, in this blog by Alice Thornton, our Head of Research and Impact: https://lnkd.in/ecBsxiRH As a Foundation, we know that our decisions and actions have an impact on those we work with – our applicants, our grant-holders, our peer funders and investors, and wider colleagues within the sector. That’s why we have spent the last few years building our capacity and capabilities and have tried to ensure that we have shared our impact in ways that are transparent and useful. We want to understand our impact across our investing and our grantmaking, and believe we have impact through: * The use of our money * Our time and expertise * The effects of these in the long term, which we recognise might not be immediately apparent from our day to day decisions. You can read our Impact Framework in full to find out more about what we think impact in each of these areas will look like in relation to both our grantmaking and investing: https://lnkd.in/getsvAqy You can read the strategy that this Impact Framework is based on here: https://lnkd.in/gP5sNGUn There is no expectation AT ALL that our grant-holders should have to use this Impact Framework. It is designed to help our staff and Trustees to understand the Foundation’s work and contribution – not to monitor or claim credit for the work of others.

** Request for Proposals - Endowments Investing Challenge ** We're working in a time of urgent social and environmental crises, challenges to good corporate governance, and a growing backlash against environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. Investment should be a bridge to a better economy in the future. But for now, that bridge is broken by a focus on short-term increases in financial value.   That’s why John Ellerman Foundation is proud to be a supporter of the Endowments Investing Challenge, which is now inviting investment service providers to create an ambitious portfolio for an investment of up to £50 million that prioritises positive social and environmental impact for future generations alongside financial returns.   The Future Generations Panel we’re working with are clear about their priorities for how our endowments should be invested: they want a sustainable and fairer future where we take pride in communities and are equitable, with no hate and injustice.   Can you translate that into a bold investment portfolio?   Download the request for proposals: https://lnkd.in/eKVJQhNz.   The deadline is 11:59pm (UK time) on Friday 19 December 2025. Thank you Friends Provident Foundation for your leadership of this work.

Thanks PBE for the opportunity to contribute an article to the 'Economics to improve lives' series. https://lnkd.in/eTUzJRRG In this article I consider the power of wellbeing as a framework through which John Ellerman Foundation delivers all its work in terms of grantmaking, investing and our wider operations. I argue the benefits of a relentless focus on wellbeing for people, society AND the natural world, across all levels of government. Could it counter authoritarianism and increasing fatalism? Could it revive the public discourse to one that celebrates cooperation and community? Read the article below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eTUzJRRG PBE's Economics to improve lives' series brings together thinkers and commentators from across economics, policy, academia, media and civil society to challenge conventional wisdom, and consider new approaches to measuring economic success which put the lived realities of people at the core. Other contributors so far include Hetan Shah, (British Academy), Nancy Hey (former CEO of What Works wellbeing Centre), Sarah Davidson (Carnegie UK), Lord David Blunkett, and various others. More articles are planned in the series, so do keep reading. #Wellbeing #TrustsAndFoundations

** NEW BLOG: Our NEW Social Investment Policy ** https://lnkd.in/e7XDUWd2 Earlier this year, for the first time we approved and published a Social Investment Policy to our website. It was years in the making, and enables us to build a new portfolio of social investments. This blog, by our Head of Research and Impact, Alice Thornton, summarises the Social Investment Policy, in terms of our: - Social Investment Portfolio Aim - Social Investment Portfolio Size - The impact we hope to make - Our attitude to financial sacrifice - The need to have the right social investment support and advice - Governance and decision making. We know a lot of other trusts and foundations are thinking about social investing, and we hope this blog and our policy can support with their work. We'll have more updates in the coming months about the progress we are making in terms of appointing social investment support and advice, as well as sharing details on our first social investments. https://lnkd.in/e7XDUWd2

** OUR NEW ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS - 2024/25 ** Annual Report and Accounts offer an important way in which organisations can reflect and see what's working and what more is needed for the coming years. This year, John Ellerman Foundation's latest Annual Report and Account relates to the final year of our previous strategy for 2022 to 2025. The report shares our progress against our previous strategy and can be read in full here. https://lnkd.in/ecFErEWx In a year where we received nearly 600 applications, it remains clear that our applicants and grant-holders are experiencing many pressures relating to their work. We try hard to ensure that the small way in which we can support organisations is as helpful and impactful as possible, and have spent time this year further improving aspects of our grantmaking, including in relation to accessibility and inclusion. We also have a blog that summarises some of the key highlights from the Annual Reports and Accounts, and can be found here. https://lnkd.in/ekqJAgi9 In short though, some of the highlights include: * Staffing changes: We were joined by Beth Barker as our Grants Officer, and Alice Thornton as our Head of Research and Impact. Lauren Williamson, our Executive Assistant, also returned to work after a year of maternity leave. * Governance updates: We launched our first ever Board Shadowing Scheme, welcoming three individuals from diverse backgrounds and with lived experience of poverty to be part of our Board as active observers and contributors for six months. Our Chair Peter Kyle CBE step down at the end of March, with Geraldine Blake and Tufyal Choudhury stepping into the roles of Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. * Policy and communications work: We published new versions of our Investment Policy and our funding guidelines, and agreed our first ever Social Investment Policy. The Foundation also took the decision to return to an in perpetuity model, which means we intend to exist forever. * Impact and learning work: We shared a number of reports this year, including two that relate to our UKOTs Fund and our Museums and Galleries Fund. * Partnership working: We partnered with the Environmental Funders Network to set up the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) Learning Network. * Strategy development: Over the last year, we have spent time as a Board and team, and through engagement with others, including fellow investors and grantmakers, policy makers, and our applicants and grant-holders, to consider the approach we should take in our next strategy. We hope that this document will offer a clear overview of the work we have done between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

** NEW BLOG: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – updates from the last 12 months ** https://lnkd.in/eSFfJDHP DEI is an essential way in which John Ellerman Foundation can be a more transparent, accountable and effective organisation. In this blog from our Director, Sufina Ahmad MBE, we talk about the work we have been doing over the last 12 months. DEI is a core area of our work, and has been since 2020/21. It requires and receives ongoing attention and effort. We are fortunate that we have clear processes in place to support our DEI work across all that we do at the Foundation, and that we have activities that we are working to on an ongoing basis. We feel that our work in this area has made us a better organisation, and we are motivated to continue our DEI work in ways that are meaningful and impactful. This update outlines what we have been focussing on over the last 12 months, whilst continuing other areas of work we have embedded already: *Learning: We participated in training on neurodiversity and are now regular members of the Trauma Informed Grantmaking Community of Practice. We also produced an internal language guide for staff and Trustees, in response to Trustees and staff wanting support and assurance on the language and terminology to use relating to protected characteristics. *Accessibility: We updated our application guidance to include accessibility information for applicants in our funding guidelines and our website, and we now provide information to applicants on what will be covered in second stage visits before the visits take place. We continue to work on ensuring that PDF documents on the website are accessible and can be read properly by screen readers. *Governance: We set up and ran our inaugural Board Shadowing Scheme. The Scheme supported three people from diverse backgrounds with lived experience of poverty to participate in our governance processes for six months, as active observers and contributors (i.e. without the ability to vote on decisions). You can read more in this blog by our Director Sufina Ahmad MBE – https://lnkd.in/eSFfJDHP

**BLOG** Our new funding guidelines We have just published our latest blog, where our Director Sufina Ahmad MBE and Senior Grants Manager Kate Hitchcock provide an overview of our updated funding guidelines under our 2025-2030 Strategy. This blog summarises the key points to be aware of, including our focus on changemaking organisations, and organisations that are committed to advancing justice with the active involvement of individual and communities. It also explains our updated eligibility criteria, and how you can find out more detail about our funding in general. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eAXMN_KT

**ANNOUNCEMENT – New funding guidelines** As part of the launch of our strategy for 2025 to 2030 which aims to advance wellbeing for people, society and the natural world, we are delighted to share our new Funding Guidelines. These new guidelines are the way in which we intend to deliver our aim at a time of significant disruption and interconnected global threats. We are open to applications for multi-year core costs funding year round and there are no deadlines. You can read them in full here on our website: https://lnkd.in/erkBrdnA. We’re looking to support changemaking organisations with a clear understanding of their role within existing and/or new systems and a clear strategy on how they intend to make change, that are committed to advancing justice through the active involvement of individuals and communities with personal or direct experience of the issues they tackle. We are focussing our funding on four areas, relating to the following: ·      Tackling the triple planetary crisis by mitigating and adapting to climate impacts, reducing pollution and protecting and restoring nature. ·      Building greater trust and connection, reducing polarisation within society and increasing the levels of participation and influence in the political process (which is sometimes referred to as political equality). ·      Promoting the development and adoption of economic models and systems that support people and planet and reduce wealth inequalities. ·      Advancing equity and justice for marginalised communities impacted by the issues above. We’re no longer restricting applicants to fit the funding categories that we used to use. We’re also now offering grants for up to five years (up from three years) and up to £180k (up from £150k). We’ll be running weekly Q&A sessions on the funding guidelines, and these can be booked here: https://lnkd.in/erkBrdnA. If you have questions about the new guidelines, please do book onto a webinar in the first instance, as each session will include a dedicated slot for questions and answers. We are not accepting applications based on our previous funding guidelines. We’ll be sharing how things are going with our new funding guidelines over the course of the strategy period. 

** Investment consultant(s) Request for Proposals ** https://lnkd.in/gqnh5N4d We are currently requesting proposals from suitably qualified investment consultant(s) to advise us on investing our endowment responsibly, in line with our updated Investment Policy: https://lnkd.in/gpc_d4tB Since 2020, we have developed our thinking on investment so that we now take account of non-financial outcomes alongside financial returns. In 2024 we strengthened our policy on exclusions – in particular, to exclude primary market investment in fossil fuels – and in 2025 we further clarified our ambition to achieve a positive impact through our endowment, as well as approving our first Social Investment Policy: https://lnkd.in/gwkX7Qy3 This evolving and more ambitious approach to our investing means that our investment advice needs are evolving too. We are looking to work with an investment consultant who is equally ambitious about responsible investment, and can actively support us to progress our charitable aim through the way our endowment is invested. For the first time, we are also seeking a consultant who can support us with planning and building a portfolio of social investments. Find out more about our requirements and download the full Request for Proposals document on our website here: https://lnkd.in/gqnh5N4d The deadline to submit a proposal is Friday 8th August 2025. 

** ANNOUNCEMENT: Our new strategy for 2025 to 2030 **   This is an exciting and nerve-wracking moment, but after many months of work and deliberations, it’s here. All of us at John Ellerman Foundation are excited to share our new strategy for 2025 to 2030: https://lnkd.in/eCSYekg9 I’ve written a blog about the new strategy too: https://lnkd.in/eYHD6uZD. Happily and importantly there’s a lot that we are going to retain and build on in this next strategy. But we're making changes too. We believe that now is the time for bold transitions, and we're going to focus our efforts on the following four areas: ·  Tackling the triple planetary crisis by mitigating and adapting to climate impacts, reducing pollution and protecting and restoring nature. ·  Building greater trust and connection, reducing polarisation within society and increasing the levels of participation and influence in the political process (which is sometimes referred to as political equality). ·  Promoting the development and adoption of economic models and systems that support people and planet and reduce wealth inequalities. ·  Advancing equity and justice for marginalised communities impacted by the issues above. The main changes relate to our funding approach. We're still offering multi-year core costs funding, but we're going to focus on supporting changemaking organisations with a clear understanding of their role within existing and/or new systems and a clear strategy on how they intend to make change, that are committed to advancing justice through the active involvement of individuals and communities with personal or direct experience of the issues they tackle. Applicants won't be restricted to fit our previous funding categories of Arts, Social Action and Environment, and we're no longer committing to our Museums and Galleries Fund. Full details on this are in our blog and strategy. We want to retain our leadership role in encouraging funders to support environmental work in the UK Overseas Territories. We hope to launch future rounds of the UKOTs Fund from 2025/26 onwards and are actively fundraising for this at the moment. We're keeping lots of the things that we are known for. We'll remain a small values led team committed to our aim to advance wellbeing for people, society and the natural world. We're still committed to sharing our impact and learning, working with others, delivering our Investment and Social Investment Policies, and being a modern and effective grantmaker supporting applicants and grant-holders.   Dates to note The deadline for submitting applications under our existing funding guidelines is 4pm on 13 June. Our new funding guidelines launch on 23 June. We'll be running online question and answer sessions on these from late June onwards.   https://lnkd.in/eYHD6uZD.