SOCIAL LEADERSHIP
Using philanthropy to equip the UK’s social leaders to drive real change.
In 2025, Britain faces profound problems. The economy has been growing slowly for a decade. Poverty has deepened, economic inequality remains high and Britons now have the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe.With this backdrop, thousands of people in the UK – from all walks of life – are striving to make society better: social entrepreneurs, community organisers, public servants, activists, campaigners, ethical business leaders, politicians and more. Collectively they make one of the most dynamic social sectors in the world.But progress is hard to win. Driving change in society calls for a deep understanding of complex systems of inequity, smart strategy and visionary leadership. How we help social leaders build these capabilities matters.Given the seriousness of the problems that society faces, Britain needs to invest much more in social leadership development.
A group of funders – including Collective Futures, Hg Foundation and the Henry Smith Foundation – came together to explore the possibility of funding social leadership development collectively.They recognise that the UK has lots of brilliant initiatives that develop the skills of social leaders but they are not adequately resourced.
About the project
Through 2025, System Shift has led a project to gather insight about the current state of the field and scope the design of the vehicle.This new vehicle won’t be able to solve every problem in the social leadership development field so the System Shift team is tasked with bringing focus to the scope of the initiative.In the final months of the year, the project team is testing different philanthropic propositions with funders. Our goal is to grow the coalition of funders who are committed to sustained, strategic investment to strengthen the social leadership development ecosystem in the UK.
Get Involved
If you are a social leader looking for opportunities to grow your skills, try out this AI-powered learning and development navigator tool. It’s a free ChatGPT channel that helps social leaders discover relevant training, mentorship and development opportunities.If you are a provider of leadership development, check out the Collective Leadership Group, a collective of more than 50 organisations that work across the UK that build capacity for leaders and enterprises dedicated to advancing social and environmental change.If you are a funder who is interested in working collaboratively to support social leadership development, get in touch with us.
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