Investments
We seek to use all the Fund’s assets to further our mission of transforming lives and building sustainable communities. How we invest our funds is one of the most significant ways we achieve positive social impact beyond our grant making.
Social impact beyond grant making
The Fund’s reserves are largely held in investments with the aim of generating long-term total returns to underwrite its charitable giving. We recognise that long-term financial value depends on good governance and the preservation of social and natural capital; therefore, we consider social, environmental and governance factors when choosing investments.
The Fund’s investments are managed by Rathbones Greenbank who were chosen due to their vision of empowering clients to invest their money as a force for good, together championing the transition to a healthier planet and a more equitable society.
See our responsible investment policy here
Beyond investing our reserves responsibly, the Fund has also invested in two Social Outcomes Funds. Our Founder, His Majesty King Charles III, has been a champion of social outcomes funding and how this innovative funding model can drive positive change. The Fund was one of the initial investors in the Bridges Outcomes Partnerships’ first outcomes fund, the Social Impact Bond Fund. As an early investor, the Fund sought to help catalyse social investment from a range of other supporters including foundations, institutions, and individuals. The Fund subsequently invested in the follow on Social Outcomes Fund in 2018.
Together these funds have created £60m of social investment towards social outcomes partnerships which have helped people deal with challenges such as homelessness, family breakdown, leaving care and chronic illness. Collectively, these partnerships have supported 48,868 people and while achieving £129m of outcomes.
These outcome partnerships have generated a huge amount of learning about how to design more collaborative, more flexible, more accountable services which can improve outcomes for people and value for society. As well as directly improving thousands of lives of thousands of people, this has helped to catalyse the growth of a whole new model for public service delivery, personalised and strength-based, which continues to grow in popularity both in the UK and beyond.
