One year ago, CFG and a group of charity sector bodies and advisers began the Charity Governance Investment Principles project. Ahead of the launch of the principles on 16 January 2025, Richard Sagar, Head of Policy at CFG, looks back on the past 12 months and the progress that has been made.
It has been two and a half years since the High Court’s landmark judgement on investment guidance following the Butler-Sloss case. Since then, the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) has published its updated guidance on investment matters.
We’re now about to see the culmination of another significant piece of work that will give trustees and charity leaders further clarity and confidence when making decisions about their investments.
The Charity Investment Governance Principles (CIGP) project began one year ago, in December 2023. The aim was to develop and publish a set of governance principles that would reflect the outcomes of the Butler-Sloss case and complement the Charity Commission’s CC14 guidance and the Charity Governance Code.
A perfect project partnership
The project’s steering group, comprised of CFG, ACF, NCVO, WCVA, CRIN, among many others, has expertly developed this work over the past 12 months. It has been led by consultant Gail Cunningham and hosted by CFG. It also attracted funding from six grantmaking organisations.
We have hosted many in-person and online meetings, consulted with hundreds of organisations and individuals, and worked with dozens of experts to bring the principles to life.
Thanks to this generous support and high levels of engagement from across the sector, we’re delighted to announce that the Charity Governance Investment Principles will officially launch on 16 January 2025 via a new, dedicated website.
These governance investment principles are the first of their kind and have the support of ACF, NCVO, WCVA, Charities Responsible Investment Network, among many others. The Charity Commission for England and Wales has also been an observer to the project. If your charity invests funds, we recommend the governance principles to you.
The principles were always the main goal, but the project has been about so much more than what you’ll see on the new website next month. The Charity Governance Investment Principles have been shaped by the charity sector, for the charity sector.
However, we could not have done it without the expertise and commitment of many others. It is always our intention to collaborate and consult widely, and this work demonstrates what can be achieved when we connect charities, corporate partners and government with a clear purpose. Speaking for myself and my colleagues, we’ve really enjoyed working on this project.
CFG would like to thank everyone who has invested their time, skill and experience to bring us to this point. The project has involved more than 100 charities, charity lawyers, chartered accountants, investment managers and advisers, and dozens of other individuals and organisations.
We’d also like to thank Gail Cunningham who has worked closely with all parties, and done so much to ensure the project stayed on track and delivered what it set out to achieve.
Join us at our launch webinar on Thursday 16 January. Book your place today.
We look forward to seeing you there!
With thanks to:
- Association of Charitable Foundations
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations
- Wales Council for Voluntary Action
- Secretariat of the Charities Responsible Investment Network
- Luke Fletcher, partner at Bates Wells,
- Elizabeth Jones, partner at Farrer & Co
- Kristina Kopic, Head of Charity and Voluntary Sector, ICEAW
- The Social Justice Collective
- The Social Investment Consultancy
- Charity Commission for England and Wales
- Barrow Cadbury Trust
- Friends Provident Foundation
- City Bridge Foundation
- Access – The Foundation for Social Investment
- The Climate Change Collaboration: The Aurora Trust, JJ Charitable Trust, Mark Leonard Trust
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- And many others