What next for the Building Change Trust

As 2010 commences and the Trust celebrates its first anniversary it provides an opportunity to reflect briefly on progress to date and to share what will happen next.

Across the range of consultations carried out in 2009 common questions were What has the Trust done so far? What are the plans for the future?

The Trust was established late in 2008 with a new Board of Directors brought together to administer the corporate trustee (Building Change Trust Ltd) and an independent Chairperson appointed to it.

The Directors of the new Trust, with support provided by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland through the Trust Administrator, have had to do everything associated with starting a new organisation from scratch.

In 2009 there was a real focus on the governance of the Trust and whilst some questions of structure are still being discussed the Building Change Trust Ltd has on behalf of the Trust: agreed an Investment Policy Statement Appointed Citi Quilter as investment managers,  invested approximately £8 million of the Trust fund in line with the policy requirements.

Also, arranged appropriate insurance, agreed a new logo, developed its website, developed a Manual of Regulations covering a range of operating procedures, developed and issued contracts for funding to the 5 original bid partners and set in place a grant management regime Appointed Hall Aitken (in partnership with Full Circle)

As external independent evaluators Worked in association with the CFNI Observatory project to deliver 15 community consultation events across the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

Furthermore the Trust commenced a process with Charity Bank to explore the development of a permanent loan fund for the NI community and voluntary secto, provided a modest sum (£1,500) to CO3 to enable bursaries to be provided for attendance at their Leadership Voyage Conference 2010.

As might be expected for a new organisation with the responsibility of administering a £10 million fund, the Directors have sought to put good processes and procedures in place to govern the fund.

Directors now feel it is timely to move to the next phase to explore and detail how the Trust fund will begin to be used to support change in the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland over the remaining 9 years.

Having gathered information and intelligence from the CFNI Observatory project, the original bid partner projects, the community consultations, the ongoing evaluation and from contact with stakeholders right across the sector, the Trust is now formulating a strategy for the period 2010 onwards.

The Trust’s strategy which will be published in the first Annual Report in May 2010 will set out the Trust’s programmes for the forthcoming period, although some individual programmes may be launched prior to that.

Directors are acutely aware that the resources they control are small compared to the annual resources of the sector as a whole. The Trust fund however is a time limited and dedicated resource to support change within the sector. The Directors, in developing and implementing programmes of support for change, want to continue to engage with and develop relationships across the sector and outside it where necessary to ensure that innovation and learning is shared, leverage of funds achieved and activity that demonstrates positive change supported.