On 25 May, Cripplegate Foundation joined partners at the Barbican Centre for the final stage of the Endowments Investing Challenge – an ambitious initiative rethinking how investment decisions are made, with transparency, collaboration and the voices of young people at its heart.
After a competitive process that began with 60 applications, Triodos Investment Management was declared as the People’s Choice Winner, following live presentations from five shortlisted investment service providers.
A different kind of investment process
The Endowments Investing Challenge set out to do things differently. Rather than a closed decision-making process, it brought together foundations, sector experts and crucially, a Future Generations Panel of young people to help shape the outcome.
“This is not just a competition. It’s a commitment.” – Lok-Yi, Future Generations panel member
On the day, we heard presentations from five shortlisted providers: Triodos Investment Management; Tribe Impact Capital; Octopus Capital; Foresight Group and EdenTree Investment Management.
The Future Generations Panel shared their recommendation – selecting Triodos – which aligned with the live audience vote to determine the final result.
“Winning the Endowments Investing Challenge for our Future Generations strategy is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Triodos Investment Management. This award reaffirms our commitment to putting the well-being of future generations at the core of every investment decision. A heartfelt thank you to the organisers and to everyone who supported us with their vote. Together, we’re proving that finance can—and must—be a force for long-term, positive change for generations to come.” – Hadewych Kuiper, Managing Director Investments, Triodos Investment Management
Alongside the winner, Octopus Capital received a special mention, having been highly commended by the Future Generations Panel and finishing as runner-up in the audience vote.
The strength of all five shortlisted organisations reflects the growing momentum behind aligning investment practice with long-term social and environmental impact.
“One thing that really matters to me is imagining future impact and it being realistic.” – Izzy, Future Generations panel member
Next steps
With a combined investment mandate of up to £50 million, Gallagher will now undertake due diligence on Triodos Investment Management. Trustees and investment committees across the partner organisations will then make final decisions.
The Endowments Investing Challenge offers a powerful example of what open, participatory investment decision-making can look like. By placing transparency, collaboration and youth voice at its core, it challenges traditional approaches, and signals what the future of responsible investment could be.
Thank you to everyone who made this possible, including the Future Generations Panel, whose insight, challenge and leadership have shaped this process from the start, and our partners: The Blagrave Trust; Friends Provident Foundation; Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF); The Children’s Society and Vivensa Foundation.
