Working in partnership with our wider network of philanthropic organisations, we try to maximise our potential for positive impact. Whether through Porticus’s work in the areas of education, society, faith and climate, or Laudes Foundation’s industry-transforming work, inspiring a more climate-positive and inclusive economy, we explore, curate, learn and try to improve our performance.
SEEKING POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT
We are drawn towards social and environmental challenges where we think we are well placed to make a meaningful difference. The commitment we make to the issues we take on is often deep and long term. This means we have to be selective in the challenges we undertake, determining when our strengths can achieve an outsized impact relative to our size. We are driven by the issues and try our best to let the context shape our response.
Weighing challenges and opportunities
Social and environmental challenges are put forward by Porticus and Laudes Foundation in a transparent process facilitated by the Philanthropy Committee. We allocate multi-year budgets and aim for a predictable flow of funding to enable long-term strategic engagements with partners. These commitments involve clear time frames for action where we think we can have the greatest contribution to impact, and a clear agenda for capturing and applying learnings.
Systemic problems are, by their nature, persistent and difficult to solve. Innovative methods and fresh thinking are essential to break cycles and change engrained narratives. A distinctive feature of our philanthropy is allocating 10-15% of our multi-year grant-making to seeking out those partners pioneering new approaches. Funding experimental work takes resources away from other priorities that have a more demonstrated evidence base, so we don’t take this decision lightly. But we’re convinced it matters because it helps us and our partners discover critical new pathways to the systems change we hope to encourage.
We understand that system change is a long-term endeavour. To enable change, we aspire to make stable commitments to partners and areas of work. We also understand the need to maintain a flexible and dynamic approach to the work we enable because the contexts and challenges themselves are fluid. Over the course of a multi-year engagement, we set time frames for assessing the progress we’re making in a particular area. Taking time to reflect on what we’re collectively learning and achieving across all the challenges informs the dialogue between the Board, Philanthropy Committee and other teams on how to improve and curate our endeavours. When we decide to stop work in a particular area, we look at how to consolidate gains, pivot to a new approach, or if all else fails, exit partner relationships respectfully.
Communities for change
The work of Porticus aims to help build a more just and sustainable world where all people can live with dignity. Through Porticus, we’re trying to bring communities together in over 135 countries to change systems in the areas of education, society, faith and climate. Porticus advises and supervises grants and programmes, working with other charitable partners to implement the strategy approved by the Constanter Board.
Industry transformation
We also want to help the transition to a climate-positive and inclusive economy. This requires the transformation of the global economic system and the way it defines value, to create value for all, rather than simply extracting value for a few. We fund Laudes Foundation, which is focused on inspiring change in finance and capital markets, fashion, and the built environment. These are all industries that have outsized impacts on societies and the environment, and they are also sectors where our family business has developed experience and networks.
