Supporting Social Change – The Role of Social Investment

Author: Richard Harries

(December, 2015)

This is the third paper in our series examining the funding ecology for social change and social impact with a specific focus on social investment. The Association of Charitable Foundations and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation hosted a dinner in July 2015 for a number of UK trusts and foundations. This paper reflects the discussions which emerged from this event and draws on a concern that the narrative around social investment is eclipsing other forms of philanthropy and that an overt preoccupation with the financial aspects of investment is trumping the social dimension.