BARING FOUNDATION
Role Description – Trustee to Serve on Strengthening Civil Society Committee
Job Description
Principal responsibilities•••••To contribute to all aspects of Trustee Board business and strategic oversight.
To support and question/provide constructive challenge to staff.
To deploy a high level of understanding of the Baring Foundation’s mission and ofcharity governance.
To serve on the SCS Committee (and other Committees if so wished).
To act as an ambassador for the Baring Foundation, representing the organisation
at its own or other’s events.

Person Specification
Personal qualities•••••Commitment to the social justice and human rights mission of the Foundation,including equalities, diversity and inclusion.
An understanding of governance principles and the need to work supportively
with other trustees, advisers and executive colleagues to high ethical andprofessional standards and in line with their legal responsibilities.
Skilled communicator, experienced in persuading, influencing and advising.
Expertise in UK civil society especially as this relates to social justice and humanrights. Legal expertise is not required but is advantageous as regards our currentfocus. It should be noted that this focus will eventually change so a broader
interest in civil society and social justice is very important.
A commitment to learning, improvement and effective performance.

Remuneration• The role of Trustee is not accompanied by any financial remuneration, althoughappropriate expenses may be claimed, as described in our procedure.
Time commitment••

Four Trustee Board meetings during the year these usually take two hours each..
Meetings normally take place in London on weekday mornings. SCS meetings takeplace four times a year and also last up to two hours each. All meetings are hybrid
but trustees are encourage to attend in person.
Some additional time will be required for studying papers and there will be sometime required for attending events and for helping to provide advice to officers ofthe charity. This is likely to amount to roughly a week a year.

•Trustees are expected to attend meetings on a regular basis and if attendance falls
below expectations this may result in discussion with the Chair about capacity tocontinue. All trustees are also required to agree to abide by the Trustees’ Code ofConduct and to declare as appropriate their relevant interests.

Reporting to•

Chair and Board of Trustees.

Term of Appointment•Appointments are from the Annual General Meetings in June. A period oftrusteeship is three years and can be renewed by the board three times.

Grant Making Committees and Strategy Development•The long-term approach of the Foundation has been to have three separate
grantmaking committees, united by our approach to human rights. These areArts, International Development and Strengthening Civil Society (SCS). Each
Committee has one third of the funding we have available for grant making. Thishas tended to amount to £1-£2 million dependent on investment performance.
However, each programme tends to then be supplemented by pooled funds withother funders. Each Committee has a ‘focus’ which usually last for ten years oreven longer. A number of factors are taken into account when selecting a theme
but a major consideration is to find significant areas where modest amounts offunding over the long term might produce strategic change. Our current foci are:creative opportunities for people with mental health problems; the rights of
LGBTI communities in Africa (especially LBTI women) and the use of the law andhuman rights by civil society to achieve positive social change. Therefore it islikely that areas of focus will change during a trustee’s period of office by aprocess initiated and agreed by the Board.

Agreed by Board Chair August 2024