Introduction
Thank you for your interest in the role of Trustee of the Triangle Trust.
As all our Trustee appointments are time-limited, we are seeking to fill up to two vacancies on our Trustee Board.
We have a good spread of skills and experience currently in the Board but are hoping to recruit at least one person who has been involved in thinking about how you change systems that affect young people. And, due to our focus on young people affected by the criminal justice system, we are keen for one of our new Trustees to add to our understanding of this sector. This might be through having worked directly with young people within the system, or within the wider criminal justice sector, or through personal experience.
As with any well-functioning Board, we are also keen to make sure that we have sufficient expertise in HR, communications, investments and legal issues as we have some Trustees who will be retiring in the next couple of years. We would therefore welcome applications from people with knowledge in these areas too.
In this pack, and on our website, you will find background information about the Trust, our current approach to funding, the role of the Trustee and a job description, and also how to apply.
If you would like an informal chat about applying or further information, please email Director@triangletrust.org.uk and we will be in touch.
Kind regards,
Karen Drury
Chair of trustees
Key facts/background
We are an independent grant-making trust that operates across the United Kingdom. Set up by Sir Henry Jephcott in 1949, we originally provided hardship and education grants to individuals associated with the Glaxo pharmaceutical company. Since then, we have evolved and now give grants to community organisations supporting those in need.
In 2012 the Trustees decided we should become more focused in our grant making with the aim of making a greater impact on those receiving support. So, in 2013 we started to focus our support in two key areas – unpaid carers and the rehabilitation of offenders and ex-offenders.
As the impact of the pandemic on certain groups became clear, we launched a one-year strategy that focused on supporting the needs of young carers and young offenders. Funding focused on employment support for young offenders and school and education support for young carers/young adult carers. We extended this strategy for a further year in 2022 to reflect the continued need that we were seeing.
In 2023, we made the decision to focus our funding solely on work with young people in contact with the criminal justice system or those highly vulnerable to entering it. We plan to spend up to £5m over five years to support work in this area.
Our strategy
The Triangle Trust’s grant criteria has changed over the years in response to changing social needs, but our core aims have remained constant.
Vision
People in need across the UK receive the necessary support to improve the quality of life.
Mission
To fund community and voluntary organisations that offer targeted high quality support and work to achieve change for the better.
Additional information
- In 2023, we launched a five-year strategy focusing on supporting work that aims to reduce reoffending rates for young people and first offences for young people at high risk of entering the criminal justice system. Trustees have played a key role in supporting this development and have been involved in crucial decision making at Trustee meetings. We have included a copy of our top-line Theory of Change that underpins our strategy.
- Our current grants can be up to £80,000 over two years and we have an annual focus for our funding rounds. In 2023, this focus was projects that used a Sport for Development approach. Our focus for 2024 is young women and girls. Trustees will be involved in identifying and agreeing the focus for future years.
- We are an endowed fund and spend the income earnt on our investments on our grant making plus capital if needed. We currently have an annual grant making budget of £1,000,000. We aim to award around £800,000 in grants each year between two funding rounds and also have a budget of £200,000 to make strategic grants that fall outside our open grant making criteria. Strategic grants support work that meets our aims, but has the potential to make a difference at a systems change level, usually through campaigning, policy work, convening or awareness raising. Current examples of some of our strategic grants include supporting the work of Kinship, Social Finance and Prison Reform Trust.
- Alongside our grants we also provide additional support to grantees through the Spark Programme which is a partnership with Cranfield Trust. This includes the offer of free mentoring or consultancy support for grantees as well as participation in five Peer 2 Peer exchanges with other funded projects doing the same kind of work.
- We also offer all grantees free use of the Upshot Montoriing, Evaluation and Learning platform to help develop their use of evidence in demonstrating the impact they are making.
- Triangle Trust employs two paid members of staff – a Director and a Grants Administrator. Our office is based in Brighton and board meetings tend to take place either in London or other locations easily accessible for Trustees to travel to. We have five meetings a year, plus additional meetings if necessary via Zoom.
How to apply
Please send us a CV and a covering letter that includes a statement of why you wish to become a Trustee and what you would bring to the board. Please email these to Director@triangletrust.org.uk before the closing date.
A full role description is included in the pack and the term of office is five years with a further five-year term able to be served.
Please see the Board skills assessment table in the job description to see where we currently have gaps in expertise on the Board. Where we have marked E we are looking to add additional expertise.
Closing date for applications is 10am Monday 7 October and interviews will be held in central London on Thursday 24 October. A full trustee recruitment timetable is below.
PDF version of Application Overview
| Trustee Recruitment Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Monday 9 September | Application opening date |
| Monday 7 October | Application closing date |
| Monday 14 October | Shortlisted applicants contacted |
| Thursday 24 October | Interviews in central London |
| Monday 28 October | Successful applicants advised |
| November | Meeting with Director and Chair/Vice Chair |
| Thursday 12 December | Attend Trustee meeting as observer |
| Thursday 30 January | Appointed as Trustee at meeting |
| February 2025 | Induction with Director |