Interview: Fran Perrin, Founder of Indigo Trust and 360Giving

Interview: Fran Perrin, Founder of Indigo Trust and 360Giving

In this podcast, We're joined by the philanthropist and social entrepreneur, Fran Perrin. Fran is the founder and director of the Indigo Trust, one of a network of 18 trusts established by Sainsbury family members following their success in the UK grocery business. While Indigo works mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, Fran herself is perhaps best known in philanthropy circles for her work setting up 360Giving. 360Giving is leading a veritable revolution in transparency in the world of British philanthropy by creating a common online standard for foundations and others to share funding data.

Fake news and philanthropy

In the sixth Alliance audio podcast editor Charles Keidan hosts a discussion with Patrice Schneider of Media Development Investment Fund and Lisa-Maria Neudert of the Oxford Internet Institute. Our December 2017 issue to look in-depth at the growing relationship between philanthropy and the media, guest edited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Miguel Castro. In a provocative article entitled ‘Mutually Assured Survival’, Castro set out the reasons why philanthropy and the media don’t just work together. They need each other to survive. He argued that a strong and well-resourced media is at the heart of a free society which in turns is essential for the well-being of philanthropy not to mention democracy itself. Assuming that the health of our media really matters, then it follows that philanthropy has a responsibility, some might say a duty, to help restore trust foster new and sustainable models of journalism in the public interest. So should foundations be doing more in the media sphere and what exactly should they be doing about fake news?

Alliance magazine June 2018 issue preview

Alliance editor Charles Keidan has a special preview of the launch of our June issue of our publication, with our special feature on philanthropy infrastructure.

Should philanthropy be doing better?

In the fifth Alliance audio podcast editor Charles Keidan hosts a discussion with Paul Ramsbottom of the Wolfson Foundation, and Carol Mack of the UK Association of Charitable Foundations. In our last podcast Paul Streets of corporate funder the Lloyds Bank Foundation and Dan Corry of think-tank New Philanthropy Capital call on foundations to give more core funding to grantees, collaborate better with fellow funders, be bolder in their advocacy and, most of all, be much more transparent. Streets argued that the majority of foundations simply aren’t transparent enough. ‘You look at a lot of foundations and you wouldn’t even know who they fund, where they fund or what they fund. That’s not transparent. And if you’re not transparent, then you open yourself up to accusations of being secretive and therefore not trusted.’ So should foundations do more to be – and be seen to be - transparent, trusted and effective? In short, should philanthropy be doing better? To discuss these questions, two prominent figures in the UK foundation sector, Paul Ramsbottom and Carol Mack. Carol is the CEO of the Association of Charitable Foundations, which represents the interests of British foundations. Paul is CEO of the Wolfson Foundation, one of the country’s largest foundations with annual grants edging £30 million.

Alliance magazine March 2018 issue preview

Alliance editor Charles Keidan has a special preview of the launch of our March issue of our publication, with our special feature on diaspora philanthropy