Social Investments
In 2004, as part of our constant and on-going efforts to ensure the efficiency and rigour of our grants programmes, we initiated a major independent pro bono review by leading management consultants McKinsey & Co.
As a result of this wide ranging review there are now three main areas of grant activity. These are special initiatives, strategic grants and an open reactive programme.
Special Initiatives – where we work with others to influence change, raise awareness and develop services on a big scale – for example with elder abuse in the UK (see prevalence study link in the sidebar) and orphaned and vulnerable children in Malawi.
Strategic grants – to organisations that can make a real and lasting change in their region or country to help many more people
Project grants which enable thousands of organisations to secure a Comic Relief grant.
What Comic Relief is really about is demonstrable, sustainable change at home and in the developing world. In charity sector language this translates as empowering people to take control of their lives – and, in Comic Relief speak, it means giving people a leg up not a hand out.
Comic Relief also runs an education programme which seeks to raise awareness of the issues arising out of its work alleviating poverty and promoting social justice. Typical projects are Altogether Better, a resource looking at attitudes to disability; Send My Friend to School, a project linking children in the UK and the developing world and PAPAPAA - an exploration of chocolate, how it's made and why fair trade is important.
In fact, we look at all the avenues available to make a difference. We've endorsed the fairly traded chocolate bar Dubble for instance and worked with partners to bring other fairly traded products to the market.
We are also committed to using the positive relationships we enjoy with major corporate partners to bring additional support to beneficiaries via the commercial arena. Sainsbury’s have asked us to manage their Fair Development Fund which they launched in August 2007. The Fund is designed to promote fairer trade and to enable more producers in the developing world to sell their produce as Fairtrade. Sainsbury’s have made an initial commitment to the Fund of £1 million over four years.
