FAQ
What is the 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund thesis?
The Covid-19 pandemic set back sustainable development by decades. It caused the number of people living in extreme poverty to rise for the first time in a generation. At the same time, the pandemic caused UHNWIs and institutions in Europe and Asia to reconsider how they could assume more responsibility and give back more to the world. The 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund was created to enable UHNWIs and institutions to direct their wealth into turnkey philanthropic projects that offer the highest socio-economic return with as little friction as possible.
What is the purpose of the fund?
The 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund incubates under-funded, little-known and unsupported sustainable development projects in the remote and low-income communities of the developing world. The focus is on generating socio-economic return in focus areas that directly drive the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
All funding for the fund comes from partners in the form of charitable donations and is spent on grassroots outcomes. Projects take place under the patronage and banner of partners who target their giving into these visible grassroots outcomes. The link between funding and outcomes remains unbroken so each partner recoups a measurable socio-economic ‘return’.
The grassroots not-for-profit projects that are incubated by the fund offer up to 1500% of socio-economic return for every dollar spent during their first year. The fund is managed by a team with many years of experience creating and growing grassroots humanitarian projects.
Why is the fund needed?
A world that's not on track to attain The Goals
In The Sustainable Development Report 2023, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that: “Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been”. He underlined the need for different forms of finance to work together in an aligned way; and said that the “business as usual” approach is no longer viable.
According to the same report, the pandemic stalled three decades of progress in reducing extreme poverty, with the number of people living in extreme poverty increasing for the first time in a generation. Progress on half of The Goals is either “moderately” or “severely” behind, and as many of 30% of The Goals have regressed behind where they were in 2015.
A growing cultural obligation to allocate more wealth into The Goals
As 2030 approaches there will be greater emphasis on institutions being able to demonstrate how they have made a tangible contribution to building socio-economic value and playing a role in moving the world closer to attaining the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The pandemic also caused many UHNWIs to reconsider how they can assume more social responsibility and give back to the world. In Europe and Asia in particular, UHNWIs began to look at more efficient ways to turn their wealth into worth through giving and philanthropy.
A need to allocate resurces into the generation of socio-economic return
Some UHNWIs and institutions have described unsatisfying past experiences giving to big charities where the link between a donation and grassroots outcome is broken. They wanted better visibility of the socio-economic impact of their giving and a more active role as project ambassadors.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund enables donors to target their resources in the most impactful way to generate the highest socio-economic return. It is charitable giving, but it comes with a quantitative ‘return’ and also with a deeper sense of ownership.
A need to bring more private wealth and donors into the 2030 mission
The projects selected by the fund are under supported, under resourced and located in communities that are chronically underserved for even basic services such as healthcare. The projects do not have the means or the voice to attract the funds needed. By definition, the impact that donors can have compared to giving to well-established charities, is significant.
Donors do not just sign cheques but participate. Their grassroots human impact is also shared in the accompanying production of stories, videos, photos and other multi-media content to share so donors can use their influence and platform to champion the cause and to become an agent for change. Donors and colleagues can also visit projects to see the impact in person.
What projects does the fund support?
The fund plans to accelerate four early-stage projects by providing each with funding of GBP £1 million per year for the next three years. Each project offers significant socio-economic return and impact and a substantial measurable contribution to The Goals:
- Curing blindness in low-income communities, because 90% of the worlds blind live in low-income communities in the developing world.
- Reducing maternal and infant mortality, because 95% of maternal deaths occur in in low-income communities in the developing world.
- Supporting victims of human trafficking, because 50% of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation and 20% of victims are children.
- Supporting victims of climate change, because low-income countries face the brunt of climate change related threats to their livelihoods.
Who is the fund for?
The fund is for UHNWI philanthropists, Foundations, corporate entities and institutions who wish to channel their giving into underrepresented projects that offer a high socio-economic return and therefore offer the opportunity to maximise the impact of their giving whilst making a tangible contribution to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The fund is open for donations from UHNWI’s, Family Offices, Foundations, SWFs, institutions and commercial entities located all over the world, with a ‘minimum ticket’ annual donation of GBP £250,000 per year for three years. Donations are paid into the UK and are classified as UK charity donations and treated as such for tax and accounting purposes.
Who is behind the fund?
The fund is created and managed by Michael Macfarlane Associates (www.mmassocs.com) a London and Hong Kong located private office that works with the world’s UHNWIs, Family Offices and Foundations. More information about the team behind the fund is available at: https://2030sdcf.com/team/
What is the legal status of the fund?
The 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund is a collective fund operating under the auspices of Prism The Gift Fund, UK registered charity number 1099682. The fund is able to accept charitable donations worldwide subject to compliance and regulatory checks.
How can I contact the fund?
The 2030 Sustainable Development Collective Fund can be contacted here: https://2030sdcf.com/contact/