The debate about public vs private markets impact investing

We’re looking for our next CEO: someone to build on the remarkable legacy created by Danielle Walker Palmour and work with Trustees and staff to shape the Foundation’s future. The search is being led by Starfish Search.

The debate matters — but it shouldn’t stop us acting. In a new piece for Net Zero Investor, Charlie Crossley explores how both private and public markets can contribute to impact.

Natalie Nicholles, Executive Director at Capitals Coalition, has been confirmed as our new Vice-Chair of Trustees, following 18 months as a member of the Board.

The 2024-27 grant strategy is now closed to new enquiries. We are working on our next grant strategy at the moment, with more information available in spring 2027.

Next year, after more than 20 years as Director, Danielle Walker Palmour will step down from her role. With a reputation for innovative thinking and bold action, Danielle has led the Foundation since 2004. 

After more than 20 years at Friends Provident Foundation, Danielle Walker Palmour will retire as Director in 2027. In this blog post, Danielle reflects on 20 years of people, partnerships, and the collective ambition for a fair economy.

Organisations considering applying for a grant under our current grant strategy need to complete a Say Hello form by 11.59pm on Friday 7th August 2026. It’s a light touch way to express interest in applying.

Last year, we made changes to our grantmaking approach. In our latest blog post we share what we learned through our review of those changes and how that learning is shaping what we do next.

Investment decision-making happens behind closed doors. Find out what happened when we opened the doors on our investment decisions through the Endowments Investing Challenge.

Reflections from our recent conference, exploring different aspects of economic systems, culture, power, participation and social change through structured conversations.

Annual accounts and financial statements for 2024-2025, including updates on staff and trustee changes, working to our values, and planning for the Endowments Investing Challenge.

The Shifting Cultural Perceptions of our Economy conference was a thought provoking and inspiring day of talks, connections, and learning. Many resources and sources of inspiration were shared, which we’ve pulled together in one place.

Hazel Sheffield is a business reporter and investigative journalist. Friends Provident Foundation supported Hazel’s , Far Nearer, which formed part of the work that led to her recently published first book, Frontierlands. We interviewed Hazel about her research and book, which is a remarkable exploration of what can be achieved when we come together and see the possibilities in the derelict and forgotten places many of us walk by without seeing.

Join us at our Shifting Cultural Perceptions conference that will bring together grant partners, stakeholders and others. We’ll share experiences and learn from each other to deepen our collective understanding of what it might take to shift cultural perceptions of our economy towards a fair and sustainable one.

Six UK charitable investors today announced Triodos Investment Management as the winner of the live vote at the Endowments Investing Challenge – a pioneering initiative seeking a bold investment portfolio to generate positive impact for future generations. 

The Foundation Practice Rating is an annual sector-wide assessment of the practices in diversity, accountability, and transparency of 100 UK grant-making foundations. This year’s overall results are the strongest yet and show statistically significant improvements since it began five years ago. 

Trustees appointed Sayo, Jennifer and Luke to join the Friends Provident Foundation Board from 1 January 2026. They bring expertise from the worlds of philanthropy, corporate finance and charity management.

Social Tech Ventures today announced the first close of an early-stage venture capital fund investing in revenue-first impact technology companies addressing social and environmental challenges. 

Caroline Taylor, Chief Executive at Essex Community Foundation, has been appointed our new Chair of Trustees. Priya Gupta, who joined the Foundation a year ago, is now Chair of the Resources Committee. 

For the Endowments Investing Challenge, we’ve issued a public invitation to investment service providers: propose a bold portfolio for an investment of up to £50 million that prioritises positive impact for future generations.

The WorkerTech fund, launched today by Resolution Ventures, aims to improve workers’ lives in sectors experiencing low pay and insecure employment. We’re delighted to be part of the initial £6.75 million in funding. 

Leading UK foundations have launched the 2026 Endowments Investing Challenge, with an investment mandate in the tens of millions available. We’re calling upon the investment industry to put the needs of young people first.

We’re looking for new Trustees to help guide our programmes of giving and investment, which aim to build a fair and sustainable economy in the UK. We are working toward this aim through supporting action, building knowledge, and using our endowment as a tool for change.

A conversation between Trustee Priya Gupta and Friends Provident Foundation Team Members, Danielle Walker-Palmour (Director), Abigail Gibson (Head of Funding Strategy) and James Anthony (Social Investments Portfolio Manager)

We’re looking for six young adults (aged 18-25) to join a paid advisory group that will support our 2026 Endowments Investing Challenge and help shape how millions of pounds are invested for future generations (deadline: 9am on Monday 28th July).

Annual accounts and financial statements for 2023-2024, including a focus on two new grant programme themes, celebrating our 20th anniversary year and our work to date, and a reflection on the impact of our Investing olympics.

Annual accounts and financial statements for 2022-2023, including a report of the Trustees looking at how we’ve used grants, investment capital and bringing partners together to focus on our mission of building a fairer and more sustainable economy.

In this webinar, Ethex CEO Lisa Ashford is joined by James Anthony, our Social Investment Portfolio Manager at Friends Provident Foundation, to explore how we can shift financial power into the hands of individuals. 

Two years ago, during my interview for a trustee position at Friends Provident Foundation (FPF), I asked a straightforward question: Would the role be paid?

Many companies and charities today put a great deal of time and effort into making their businesses as sustainable and ethical as they can be. But there appears to be one enormous blind spot.

How many have considered one of their most important supplier relationships – that with their banker?

Friends Provident Foundation is launching a new strand of programme, experimenting with a fresh approach to grantmaking and a new style of application process.

The annual Foundation Practice Rating (FPR) report into the performance of charitable
foundations is now available.

The adult social care sector is under great amounts of stress, with evidence both of problematic labour conditions, opaque business models, and a lack of financial sustainability.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Redington as the new Investment Adviser to Friends Provident Foundation.

I’ve now been in my new role as the Social Investment Portfolio Manager at Friends Provident Foundation for just over 4 months.

In 2020, alongside Joffe Trust and Blagrave Trust, we launched a process that was eventually named by Responsible Investor the ‘environmental, social and governance (ESG) Investing olympics’, or the ‘ESG olympics’.

Can involving the public in economic policy-making help the UK tackle the cost-of-living crisis?

Impact investing is gaining traction, driven by asset owners seeking positive impact.

The global pursuit of a sustainable future has never been more urgent.

In this report, we delve into the groundbreaking insights derived from three Foundation-funded projects.

In this reflective blog, I would like to share my experiences and insights from the AGM, where I had the opportunity to stand up and advocate for voluntary ethnicity pay gap reporting.

We are thrilled to have you here, and we can’t wait to share exciting stories, insights, and updates from the foundation.

Charlie is based in London. In this interview Charlie shares his work experience and motivations in joining the foundation, and talks about the foundation’s ‘4Ds strategy’.

Friends Provident Foundation recognises that business as usual risks climate breakdown with profound consequences for people and planet.

Poorest citizens ‘worn down’ as financial inclusion remains distant dream for the UK. The UK has made little progress in the last decade towards creating a truly financially inclusive society, a new study reveals.

At Friends Provident Foundation, we believe that an organisation’s mission must be aligned to all activities undertaken by the organisation.

Friends Provident Foundation has today announced it will more than double its investment in award winning impact fund Snowball with immediate effect and will invest a further £1m for every £10m Snowball raises.

This is our first update on our equity and social justice plan. You can access this report as a word file, a html website page and as a pdf document.

This report illustrates diverse ways of structuring business activity that differ from the widespread and established model of external equity ownership and governance.

At the Friends Provident Foundation, we are dedicated to addressing social injustices and inequity in the economic system.

Deep and meaningful reform to UK grant-making is within reach.

Friends Provident Foundation, as an initiator of the Foundation Practice Rating (FPR), is proud of the impact it is having in our sector.

Voting at this year’s Standard Chartered AGM is going to be revealing regarding the depth of asset manager commitments to net zero and ESG.

Why does it appear that the economy is failing to meet humanity’s and our planet’s needs?

An investment and delivery framework to enable low income older home-owners to repair, improve and adapt their homes.

We are pleased to join 24 other asset owners as a founding signatory to the ‘COP26 declaration: asset owner climate expectations of asset management’.

We are delighted to be at COP26 today to speak at the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute fringe event on ‘How we can deliver a Just Transition’.

Our colleague Jake Furby, our Communications Manager since March was nominated to OUTstanding LGBT+ Future Leaders Role Model List 2021.

We are pleased to join 24 other asset owners as a founding signatory to the ‘COP26 declaration: asset owner climate expectations of asset management’.

When Friends Provident Foundation (FPF) began its programmeme to explore how the economy might serve society better, it was based on several views.

Dan Jones one of our PAG members has reflected on his experiences of being a PAG member.

Do you care about life in the oceans, the quality of air about local communities and equal opportunities about our history, local and worldwide, the global south and western divide.

Friends Provident Foundation is an independent charity that makes grants and uses its endowment towards a fair and sustainable economic system that serves society

As we come to the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Jake Furby our Communications Manager reflects on being a mixed-race person working in the charity sector.

As friends, grant-holders and wider stakeholders know, Friends Provident Foundation is committed to principles.

This article explores our publication in Charity Finance magazine on our ESG olympics ‘state of the sector’ report and our recommended minimum standards.

On 15 December 2020 Friends Provident Foundation (FPF) hosted a virtual roundtable of recent and current grant recipients.

Hi there, my name is Jake and I am the Communication Manager for Friends Provident Foundation.

Three charities – Friends Provident Foundation, Joffe Trust and Blagrave Trust – came together to launch the 2020 ‘ESG investing olympics’.

This report sets out a 10-point plan to upgrade economic policy with a deep understanding of human behaviour at its core.

This blog was written for Community Energy Fortnight 2020.

This blog explores the Centre for Cities’ webinar set out the latest statistics on unemployment across the country, as measured by Universal Credit and Job Seekers Allowance.

This report looks at innovative farmers, businesses and councils who are proving sustainable sourcing can be more resilient as well as being more environmentally friendly.

This report – by Dr Omar Khan of Runnymede – focuses on how economic and wider social inequalities affect Black and minority ethnic (BME) people in Britain.

Black and minority ethnic (BME) people in Britain face extensive and persistent economic inequality, finds Runnymede’s latest report The Colour of Money: How racial inequalities obstruct a fair and resilient economy.

This report focuses on the role of the financial system.

Three charities have invited asset managers to make proposals for the investment of £33.5 million in an initiative called the ESG ‘investing olympics’.

Friends Provident Foundation, the Joffe Trust and the Blagrave Trust are inviting asset managers to make proposals for the management of funds totalling £32m.

Carers in the workplace should be provided with a ‘carer’s passport’ which would qualify them for financial support.

This report looks at how our electricity system is changing.

Regen’s senior project manager, Tim Crook, explains how community energy organisations could play a bigger role in providing network flexibility.

This report by Friends Provident Foundation journalist fellow Deborah Hargreaves sets out to examine what would happen if women could re-imagine the way they work and how the business is run.

If women could re-imagine the way they work and how the business is run, what would they do?

York Festival of Ideas runs from 4 June to 16 June and will present over 200 mostly free events under the banner of A World of Wonder.

Transparency International is the world’s leading non-governmental anti-corruption organisation.

This article explores Positive Money who have launched the Money Question.

The energy market is being disrupted like never before with economics, technology, and business model innovation driving a transition towards decarbonised, decentralised and more democratised energy.

At the Women’s Budget Group (WBG), we are best known for our analysis of UK government policy for its impact on women.

Projects funded by the Friends Provident Foundation contribute variously to proposing new solutions.

We’ve become familiar with a certain sinking feeling the morning after a big political event.

Inequality has risen up the public and policy agenda.

Earlier this year, Danielle Walker Palmour was privileged to accept an invitation from Philanthropy Australia to give the closing keynote speech.

There are many inspirational women who are trying to do things differently in order to make work suitable for them – often challenging entrenched views on their roles and functions.

In 2013 Friends Provident Foundation launched the Building Resilient Economies programmeme, motivated by the failures of the economic system to meet the needs of society and the environment.

Shea Buckland-Jones from the Institute of Welsh Affairs shares his personal experience of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015

Pensions can seem like a dauntingly complex and – let’s be blunt – boring subject.

Good news! The transition to a decarbonised, decentralised and democratised energy system is underway, says Colin Baines, Investment Engagement Manager at Friends Provident Foundation.

What happens to low income households whose energy bills suddenly increase?

This Select Committee Report outlines that a citizens’ wealth fund could provide long-term sustainable funding for adult social care, ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and equally whatever their health needs.

Last year we supported the introduction of mandatory executive pay ratio reporting, which is expected to become law soon.

This report by St Paul’s Institute makes recommendations to build on the recently improved disclosures on pay ratios.

A pioneering new citizens’ wealth fund in the UK could provide a universal annual cash dividend and eventually a weekly basic income.

A pioneering new citizens’ wealth fund in the UK could provide a universal annual cash dividend and eventually a weekly basic income, says a new report, Remodelling Capitalism – How Social Wealth Funds could transform Britain.

This report explores how community benefit societies can support the shift towards a more resilient, sustainable and fairer economic system.

We need a Citizens’ Wealth Fund so everyone shares in economic growth, says Carys Roberts from IPPR

What does a future-proof farming and food economy look like?

The Friends Provident Foundation Journalist Fellowship 2018 reflects the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to support new ideas about how we can build a fair and more resilient economy to drive a better world.

Friends Provident Foundation and New Philanthropy Capital are now working in partnership to evaluate the foundation’s Building Resilient Economies programmeme and its wider impact.

A newly published report by ShareAction, Switching millennials on to saving, draws together arguments about the need to tackle low levels of saving.

A revelatory and entertaining book about the pitfalls of how we measure our economy and how to correct them, has been published.

Mean Moor Community Wind Farm in Cumbria is thought to be the first wind farm in the country to be transferred to community ownership from a commercial developer.

Danielle Walker Palmour explains how a determination to use all of Friends Provident Foundation’s resources in pursuit of its mission.

Centre for Local Economic Strategies

As part of the recent Festival of New Economic Thinking, we supported the launch of Michael Jacobs and Laurie Laybourn-Langton’s thought provoking report Moving Beyond Neoliberalism.

This report examines energy utilities and risks arising from the market transition to decarbonisation, decentralisation and democratisation (3Ds).

This report is the last in a series of five annual monitoring reports commissioned to monitor progress towards or away from financial inclusion in Britain.

The UK energy system is in flux. It is changing more quickly – and more fundamentally – than at any point since the Industrial Revolution.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU creates both opportunities and risks in both the process of negotiation and the outcomes for the UK.

Neoliberalism – the set of socioeconomic ideas and policies which have dominated public life over the last 40 years – has failed.

We are at the threshold of a cultural war over the meaning of money.

Community energy is at a crossroads, following recent reductions in government support and subsidy.

This report is the fourth in a series of five annual monitoring reports commissioned to monitor progress towards or away from financial inclusion in Britain.

In 2015 the Friends Provident Foundation awarded funding to the Centre for Local Economic Strategies and the New Economics Foundation.

A new report into the UK’s burgeoning alternative finance industry is calling on the Government to underwrite consumers’ investments in the sector in a bid to encourage wider participation.

Friends Provident Foundation has joined with a range of global investors in signing a letter to the G20 in support of the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015.

Friends Provident Foundation announces David Pilling, Africa Editor of the Financial Times, as the winner of the first 2016 Friends Provident Foundation Journalist Fellowship.

2015 Clore Social Fellows

This report is the second in a series of five annual monitoring reports commissioned by the Friends Provident Foundation to measure changing levels of financial inclusion in Britain.

Can we find economic techniques which cities can use effectively to tackle their own market failures – and release their own wasted economic potential – and if so, why hasn’t this happened already?

Our project builds upon emerging thinking about the kind of post-recession economy we are building in Britain, and the kind of economic growth that we are seeking to achieve.

This report presents findings from research conducted into the problems restricting the growth of co-operative housing.

The UK’s economy is unbalanced in two ways.

This report on resilience in financial systems, from the New Economics Foundation, richly repays reading.

The specific question we posed to them was: “What would you do if you had a million pounds to build a more resilient economy?” The video wall below showcases their responses …

Fawcett launched a new project in March 2006 to plug gaps in understanding of the differences between women’s and men’s financial assets and debt.

An investment and delivery framework to enable low income older home-owners to repair, improve and adapt their homes.

This report was compiled for Friends Provident Foundation by nef to assist its development of a new social change programmeme.

The paper reports on a seminar held in 2012 to discuss financial inclusion in the new regulatory environment.

Funders and stakeholders wanted to assess the sustainability of the rent-to-own model developed by The Store social enterprise in Stanley, Co. Durham.

In 2011 over 100,000 people took part in the BBC LabUK’s Big Money Test, a survey launched on the consumer affairs programmeme Watchdog.

This assessment is important and topical due to rising international regulatory disapproval of the pricing methods.

London Mutual Credit Union (LMCU) had become increasingly alarmed by the escalating and often detrimental use of costly payday loans by already overindebted households.

AdviceUK, in partnership with Payplan and ACM Solutions1, has conducted a pilot to test the viability of a sustainable debt advice model.

More than one in four households in Britain is excluded from mainstream financial services.

As the world continues to become ever more interconnected and complex, the decisions we take when spending and investing money not only affect ourselves.