Trustee RolesJanuary 2018

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the role of a Trustee with the John Ellerman Foundation. The Foundation is an independent, endowed charity which makes grants to organisations working in the arts, environment and welfare, mainly in the UK but occasionally in its Overseas Territories.

I hope this brief, together with the information on our website, will give you a sense of how the Foundation works and what it wants to achieve.

Trustees are responsible for the direction and oversight of the Foundation. There are currently eight Trustees and just five staff. All Trustees are highly engaged and do more than would usually be expected of such a role. Appointed for their specialist knowledge and experience - which may be in investments, our funding categories or professional skills - they are involved at all stages of an application, including visiting applicants and writing reports for the Board. The Board is a collegiate and friendly group welcoming challenge and debate. We are looking for new Trustees who would relish this type of engagement and work.

For us, the last few years have been an exciting period. In 2013 we undertook a major review of our policies and formulated new strategies for our investment approach and our grantmaking. The day-to-day management of our investments is now outsourced to a small number of fund managers, and the new funding criteria has driven our responsive grantmaking for the past five years. Our Regional Museums & Galleries Fund is now in its fifth year and generating increasing interest.

Recently Trustees decided to take stock of our strategy, see what we have learned from our new approach and make some adjustments to our future direction. While our strategy continues to evolve, our values, together with our unusual way of working, remain constant. We are therefore looking for Trustees who can contribute to the workings of such a Board, alongside an unusually able executive team.

This is a highly stimulating role for someone with the time and appetite to be an engaged Trustee. If you have an interest in grantmaking and charities, the personal qualities and experience we are looking for, share our values and can offer constructive challenge, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Sarah Riddell

Chairman

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3Trustees | John Ellerman Foundation | January 2018 3Trustees | John Ellerman Foundation | January 2018

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Background

The John Ellerman Foundation was created from the wealth and generosity of a father and son, and set up as a grantmaking trust in 1971. The first Sir John Ellerman was a trained accountant who went on to become the richest man in Britain at that time. His wealth came from a variety of businesses, principally shipping, in the early 20th century. His son, who inherited the title from his father and was also called John, was responsible for donating the funds from those businesses to create the Foundation.

The Foundation retains the broad philanthropic interests of our benefactor Sir John Ellerman, whilst continuing to reflect changing times. Today our aim is to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world. As a result the grants we make reflect our interest in wellbeing and excellence. We hope to achieve our aim by:

• Funding organisations working in arts, environment and welfare.

• Managing our funds in such a way that balances the desire to maintain grantmaking capacity with operating in the long term, which means 30-plus years.

The Foundation’s values – responsive, discerning, flexible and connected, all with a personal touch – run through all we do, and profoundly impact on our internal and external relationships.

We value our contact with grantholders; Trustees are personally involved at each stage

of an application and meet all applicants who are being considered for a grant. Learning from the grants we make is also important. Whilst the Foundation has funding criteria, we are flexible and may occasionally venture outside them if Trustees believe it will be worthwhile.

All applicants must have an income over £100,000 and must be doing work of national significance. The Foundation has a track record of providing core funding, but will also make grants for projects.

You can read our Annual Report for 2016/2017 here.

We encourage interested candidates to take a look at our website for more information about who we are and what we do – www.ellerman.org.uk.

5Trustees | John Ellerman Foundation | January 2018

Environment £1.16m

Arts £1.35m

Welfare £2.87m

22% 25%

53%

(£5.38m in 2016/17)

What the Foundation funds

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As an endowed funder, the Foundation relies on the returns from our investments to make grants, and we monitor both sides of our activity very carefully. The value of the Foundation’s assets varies from month to month. In the year to March 2017, the Foundation’s portfolio of investments totalled £142m, with a total return of 15.7% (2015/16: -0.6%) over the previous 12 months.

Our aim is to operate in the longer term, meaning 30-plus years. The target real return is 4% plus RPI. Trustees have decided that annual expenditure is calculated at 4.5% of the Foundation’s assets (smoothed over the last three years).

In the year to 31 March 2017:

• The Foundation made 71 grants worth a total of £5.38m.

• The average size of a grant remained around £30,000 pa.

• Core funding represented 85% of the grants.

• Most grants were for two or three years.

Trustees agreed a grants budget of £5.3m for 2017/18, in response to the current difficult economic situation and the pressure on charities and their beneficiaries.

By remaining flexible Trustees can venture outside the Foundation’s guidelines when they think this could be valuable. One example was an exceptional grant of £200,000 towards Hull Truck Theatre Company’s participation in City of Culture 2017. The first John Ellerman was born in Hull and this was an opportunity to support a link with the Foundation’s origins.

This flexibility has also enabled the Foundation to make two social investments. In 2007, Trustees agreed an unsecured 10-year loan to Charity Bank, combining a social and financial return. This has recently been repaid in full. The second social investment, in 2014/15, provides up to £250,000 for a Fund created by Social Finance to expand the number of Shared Lives schemes (an alternative to home care and care homes for people in need of support) in England.

How the Foundation operates

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Context

The Foundation is led day-to-day by a Director and a small executive team, and is governed by an active Board of Trustees, appointed as specialists in their fields. Trustees are personally involved in assessing grant applications and in planning and monitoring the investment strategy. There is an unusually high level of engagement, with collegiate and lively exchanges, and interested candidates should be enthusiastic about such a culture. More about the current Trustees can be found here: http://ellerman.org.uk/about-us/trustees

In anticipation of the retirement of two long standing Trustees, the Foundation is seeking to appoint two further Trustees to the Board to bring new skills and perspectives to the work of the Foundation.

A recent skills audit identified several profiles that would be valuable to the Board including (but not limited to): a background in marketing and communications; external/public affairs, journalism or editorial expertise; insight into strategic digital communications; senior charity leadership and governance experience, and wider insights into the voluntary sector (including philanthropy and the funding ecology).

Candidates should have an interest in the three areas of the Foundation’s grantmaking - arts, welfare and environment. A specialism in one of these is not a requirement but would be welcome.

All Trustees contribute to decisions about the Foundation’s grants portfolio. Whilst this does not necessitate specific experience, it does imply breadth, a ‘world view’ and curiosity about the charity sector, alongside professional experience.

The Trustees are aware of the benefits of a diverse board and are keen to receive applications from those currently under-represented (women, people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, younger people and those who identify as having a disability).

Most importantly, Trustees will be attuned to the values of the John Ellerman Foundation and able to commit wholeheartedly to their responsibilities in carrying out their duties.

Trustees are remunerated, to account for the significant time commitment, which will occupy approximately three days per month. This includes Board and Committee meetings, sifting initial applications, visiting applicants and other events.

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Trustee of John Ellerman Foundation Role Description

1. Purpose

The role has three key elements:

• To decide and oversee the Foundation’s overall strategy and direction.

• To contribute to the quality and impact of grantmaking and the management of finance and investments.

• To advise, and take a lead where appropriate, in the area of expertise for which the Trustee is appointed.

2. Main Responsibilities

• Board Meetings: Participate at Board Meetings (currently six per year) to consider and decide grants, monitor finances and investments, review policy and formulate strategy.

• Governance: Ensure the Foundation meets its legal, financial and governance responsibilities in line with best practice and Charity Commission requirements including:

- Compliance with current legislation and the requirements of the Trust Scheme

- Management of investment and expenditure with appropriate care and prudence

- Production of accurate and timely statutory and management financial reports

- Avoidance and management of potential conflicts of interest and risks

• Applications: Sifting of initial grant applications between Board meetings

(usually 2-3 times a year) and visiting applicants to assess applications, providing written and oral reports to the Board.

• Other Duties (may include):

- Attendance at seminars/events and reading to keep up-to-date with relevant issues

- Membership of/chairing a sub-committee – currently Finance & Investment, Risk & Audit and Remuneration Committees

- Participation in periodic strategy reviews and Away Days

- Selection of new Trustees and appointment of the Chairman and Director

- Meeting and visiting grantholders and other charities to evaluate progress

- Advising on applications and policy related to the Trustee’s area of expertise

3. Terms and Conditions

Trustees are appointed for a term of office of up to five years, which is renewable for up to a further five years. In addition to serving on the Board each Trustee undertakes certain duties above and beyond what is usually expected of a Trustee of a charity, for which they receive a payment of £10,132 a year (reviewed annually from 1 April). Such duties mainly relate to sifting initial applications, visiting charities and writing reports. The total commitment, including Board and committee meetings, averages three days per month.

Suitably qualified Trustees may also be asked to join the various sub-committees to contribute their experience and expertise.

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Person Specification for Trustee

Possible candidate background

• High level professional experience of working in the charitable sector including leadership and governance

• A background in marketing and communications, external/public affairs, journalism or editorial expertise

• Insight into strategic digital communications

• Experience of policy or research within statutory or similar bodies

General qualities, skills and experience

• Interest in philanthropy, and the role of a grantmaking foundation

• Curiosity about the voluntary sector and its contribution to society

• Ability to take a broad perspective, and contribute to decisions in all the Foundation’s areas of interest

• Interest in and some understanding of finance and investments

• Sound judgement and compatibility with the current Board

• Comfortable with debate and constructive challenge

• Strong interpersonal skills and a collegiate approach

• Commitment to good governance

Knowledge of the voluntary sector

• Experience and wide knowledge of the charities falling within the scope of one or more of the Foundation’s categories

• An appreciation of what makes charities effective and how they can be best supported by the Foundation

• A good grasp of the policy and financial framework in which the voluntary sector operates in the UK

Overall commitment

• Ideally available from late Spring 2018

• Enthusiastic about becoming a highly engaged member of the Board

• Able to devote the time required to fulfil the role of Trustee

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Board Meeting Dates

Thursday 29 March 2018Thursday 24 May 2018Thursday 26 July 2018Thursday 27 September 2018Thursday 29 November 2018

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How to apply

To apply, please forward a CV, together with a supporting statement (which should be no more than two sides of A4).

Please provide evidence of your suitability against the criteria in the Person Specification in your statement as well as explaining your interest in becoming a Trustee at the John Ellerman Foundation. Please give the names, positions, organisations and telephone contact numbers of two referees, relevant to this role. References will only be taken once your express permission has been granted. Finally, please flag any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.

Applications should be made via the Prospectus website:

https://www.prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00171746

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For an informal exploratory conversation please contact Jess Stockford on

020 7691 1920, or via e-mail: jessica.stockford@prospect-us.co.uk

Deadline for Applications: Midday on Monday 19th February

Preliminary Interviews with Prospectus: w/c 26th February

Informal meeting with the Foundation: w/c 12th March

Final Panel Interviews: Monday 19th March and Wednesday 28th March

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