Holding the long view: the future of good governance for trusts and foundations

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Anthropy 2026 event in Cornwall, a gathering that creates space for a different kind of conversation about the UK’s future. Less performative, more reflective. Less about short-term positioning, more about long-term direction and impact.

Where Anthropy left me reflective was about the important role of trusts and foundations in relation to ambitious policy initiatives; initiatives that are long-term and uncertain by nature, and which require more than just government buy-in to succeed.

This is where independent policy foundations, like Carnegie UK, have a distinctive role to play, not being bound by electoral cycles in the same way political parties and politicians are, nor being a service delivery agency. However, we are also not neutral observers. Our independence allows us to take a longer view on policy issues, and to invest in ideas, research and convening work that may take years to bear fruit.

But with this independence comes significant responsibility. To contribute meaningfully we must be clear about how we operate, what we prioritise and how we govern ourselves well. At Carnegie UK, this has led us to place increasing emphasis on what we describe as the governance of learning, rather than the governance of performance.

What does this mean in practice?

Often, traditional governance can become synonymous with measurement: a proliferation of indicators and targets that can create the appearance of control without necessarily improving outcomes. Especially, they can obscure the complexity and uncertainty involved in achieving real-world change at scale.

A learning-oriented approach to governance starts from a different premise. It asks not only “Are we on the right track?” but “What are we understanding about what works, for whom, and why?” These are very different questions: ones which value iteration over perfection, insight over optics, and contribution over attribution. This approach recognises that progress on complex social and economic challenges, such as the ones we are interested in, is rarely linear. Crucially, it prompts trustees to focus on the “So what?” over the “What?”.

For trusts and foundations, the practical implication means investing in work that builds evidence over time, even where outcomes are uncertain. This means:

• Supporting collaboration across sectors and geographies, rather than reinforcing silos.
  
• Being willing to challenge prevailing narratives, including our own assumptions.
  
• Supporting a leadership and operating culture within the organisation that truly embraces learning – one that focusses on outcomes over outputs at every level of work.

Anthropy 2026 reminded me why this approach is so important in the political climate we face today. If the UK is to develop and adopt bold new policy initiatives to meet the challenges of our time, then it needs trusted institutions that can hold the space for these ideas to develop over time.

So, at Carnegie UK our governance now actively embraces uncertainty and complexity. We focus on improving over proving because we know there are no easy answers or simple solutions to the challenges we face. While understanding how to govern this well is an evolving challenge, it is also an exciting one and one that I am proud to champion and support.