# New programme will bring frontline expertise into trusts & foundations

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/07/19/new-programme-will-bring-frontline-expertise-trusts-foundations/
- Published: 2018-07-19T08:20:53+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**A programme is to launch this autumn aimed at bringing more frontline expertise
into the trusts and foundation sector.**

[Charityworks](http://www.charity-works.co.uk/), Koreo, [Ten Years’ Time](http://www.tenyearstime.com/),
Ruth Ibegbuna of RECLAIM and Baljeet Sandhu, 2014 Clore Social Fellow and Fellow
of the Tsai Centre for Innovative Thinking at Yale, have come together to form a
coalition, called [2027](http://2027.org.uk/), to support frontline workers from
working class communities into decision-making roles in trusts and foundations.

The coalition has been awarded a £500k National Lottery grant, which will help finance
a 12-month placement programme designed to help grant funders access deep community
expertise in their teams. It will run for each of the next ten years, recruiting
and training 150 individuals from working class backgrounds with professional experience
that has ingrained them in communities.  The remaining income will be made up from
contributions from participating foundations as well as a £150k donation from the
[ Esmée Fairbairn Foundation](https://www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk/).

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The programme launches in October 2018. Trusts and foundations are currently signing
up to take part with most places already allocated. To meet interest from trusts
and foundations for the initiative, the 2027 coalition have also developed additional
elements to the programme including supporting boards looking to examine their own
approach to expertise, diversity and inclusion, and a campaign where foundations
commit to ensuring that a minimum of 40% of their trustees identify as from the 
communities they most exist to serve by 2027.

2027 Partner, Baljeet Sandhu, said:

>  “Despite there being many lived-experience leaders working across our communities,
> as a whole our social sector fails to equitably and meaningfully value lived expertise
> in our work ­– expertise earned from first-hand experience of social issues or
> injustices and activated through work embedded in communities. Instead, people
> are too often hired through well-established networks far removed from the communities
> they serve.  “2027 isn’t about helping people from working class communities take
> part in the programme or improve their CVs, it’s about helping trusts and foundations
> improve their decision-making through the inclusion of diverse perspectives gained
> from lived, as well as learnt, experience – so that together, we can all inform
> efforts to support communities we are committed to serve and help thrive.”

 * **[Charitable trusts to benefit from £1 million dividend payment](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/09/24/charitable-trusts-benefit-1m-dividend-payment/)**(
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 * **[Pavers to donate £2.3 million and 2% of annual net profit following foundation launch](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/01/15/pavers-donate-2-annual-net-profit-charity-foundation-launch/)**(
   15 January 2019)
 * **[Greenham Trust secures £25 million funding via private placement](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/01/24/greenham-trust-secures-25m-funding-via-private-placement/)**(
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