• Investment Information
• UNPRI

Latest News:

• Summer Activities - Discontinued
  [Read More]
• Just Finance
  [Read More]
• News Archive

SOCIAL AND RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT

The LankellyChase Foundation is committed to using all its resources (both financial and human) to further its mission of promoting change that improves the quality of life of the most disadvantaged in society.  An important component of this is the investment of the Foundation’s endowment.

Responsible Investment

The Foundation has became a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment(UNPRI)  in 2009. The Principles reflect the view that environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues affect the performance of investment portfolios and therefore must be given consideration by investors if they are to fulfil their fiduciary duty. As a signatory of the Principles the Trustees agree to:-

• incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes
• be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices
• seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest
• promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry
• work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles
• report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles

An example of this active asset owning approach is the Trustees agreement to sign an open letter to encourage the adoption of Living Wage standards by FTSE 100 companies across the UK. A Living Wage is the minimum hourly wage necessary for housing, food and other basic needs for an individual and their family. This work is being coordinated by FairPensions as the JustPay Campaign.

Social Investment

The Foundation’s Trustees have also allocated a proportion of the endowment to be used for Social Investment  - the provision and use of finance to generate social as well as economic returns. The Foundation has made £5million available as a Social Investment Fund (roughly 5% of the value of the Endowment) and to date we have made 5 investments totaling just over £1 million to:-

Charity Bank:  £200,000 in Preference Shares

East Lancashire Moneyline: £200,000 to be used to establish a personal finance fund for Moneyline Cymru

Peterborough Social Impact Partnership: £500,000 to be used for the first Social Impact Partnership with the Ministry of Justice to create services that reduce levels of re-offending rates in prisoners serving short sentences

Big Issue Invest: £200,000 to be allocated to the Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

Ethical Property Company:  £7,500 initial investment to be used to promote the development of a Social Justice and Human Rights Centre in London (with the potential to invest up to £250,000)

The Trustees will be looking not only at the financial returns from these investments but also at the social impact they create to inform their on-going work in this area. Indeed the Trustees now wish to develop this work as a broader Mission Related Investment Strategy that seeks to identify investment opportunities that deliver a market return but also helps to achieve mission. The Foundation is working closely with other Trusts and Foundations to explore the potential to extend our work in this area, building new relationships and alliances and importantly sharing the lessons we are learning on the way.

Further information

If you are interested in discussing any aspect of this emerging area of work please contact Brian Whittaker in the first instance on the main office telephone number 01235 820044.