ACF leaders forum 2024
Frequently asked questions

We have worked with ACF members to reimagine our sell-out annual conference and improve the experience for our growing and diverse membership.  

ACF’s annual conference is the UK’s biggest trust and foundation event of the year, attracting senior leaders, and future leaders, of small, medium and large charitable trusts and foundations and civil society.

After online conferences in 2020 and 2021, we returned to a face-to-face event in 2022 and brought together 320 foundation leaders from 29% of ACF membership to connect and be inspired together.

Responsive to member feedback, we want to enhance our offer for senior leaders and decision makers and provide them with the space to look up and out whilst not forgetting the day to day.

The world has changed significantly since the pandemic. We want to deliver an event which has adapted to that change and is relevant to the distinct needs of senior leaders.

Wednesday 18 September 2024, County Hall London (see info about the venue here).

We believe those in senior decision-making roles such as trustees, chief executives, chief officers and directors will get the most out of the event.
Across all our research for the ACF leaders forum we consistently heard the need for the event to have a greater focus in terms of its purpose and audience.
Over the last few years, the event has been aimed at leaders in trusts and foundations. We have built on this and designed the day explicitly for a senior audience of leaders and decision makers. This allows for a more focussed purpose and a wider spread of our members to take part.    

Mindful of who this may leave out, we have built in new ways to share insights and learning from the day with all members, and we intend to make our digital channels work harder for us on the day.

Both members and ACF see the event as a place for connection, to each other, to new ideas and to the wider sector.  An in-person event offers a unique opportunity for connection that many of our members don’t get elsewhere and there was a strong desire from across our membership for our event to bring people physically together.    

Mindful of those who may not be able to travel to London there will be an option to purchase livestreaming tickets for parts of the day. Look out for more information on tickets for this option in the summer.  

ACF hosts the Funder Commitment on Climate Change (FCCC), a framework to support trusts and foundations to play their part in tackling the causes and impacts of climate change. It sets out six pillars of action foundations can take, and has over 130 signatories from a wide range of organisations who have committed to make progress against these pillars. We encourage FCCC signatories to attend the leaders forum and share their actions, experience and learning. 

ACF will also signpost to the FCCC, both as a framework and as a commitment, as a next step for foundations to consider after conversations at the leaders forum.  

Yes! Whatever your foundation’s charitable mission and field of expertise, there is a part to play in addressing the causes of climate change and supporting adaptation to its effects.  The climate crisis needs urgent attention from all parts of society, including foundations. We want to support our members to rise to this challenge.  

By hitting the poorest hardest, climate change risks both increasing existing economic inequalities and causing people to fall into poverty. Climate change is also impacting health in a variety of ways, threatening the essential ingredients of good health – clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – it has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. Climate change is also a mental health issue, an educational issue, an economic issue, a cultural issue, a scientific issue, a research issue, a security issue and a local community issue, as well as an environmental issue.   

ACF knows that our members are balancing a huge range of demands, so on the day we will explore collectively how action on the climate and nature emergency can concurrently address other areas of concern for foundations, including the cost-of-living crisis, rising demand and issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. 

“In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once.” (António Gutterres, UN Secretary-General, 20 March 2023)

Our members have consistently told us that climate change ranks among their top challenges. The impacts of climate change are already shaping the world in which trusts and foundations are operating, the communities and sectors they are seeking to support, and the change they are intent on creating.

According to the Met Office, the UK is already seeing increased temperature in coastal seas around the UK; less frost and snow; longer and more frequent warm and hot spells; shorter and less frequent cold spells; breaking many high temperature records. All 10 of the warmest years in the UK have occurred since 2003. 2022 was the UK’s hottest year on record, with an average year-round temperature above 10°C seen for the first time.

ACF believes that foundations have a vital role to play. As organisations that often have the independence, resources and capacity to take a long-term view, foundations are well-placed to contribute towards the changes, individual and collective, that we will all need to make.

As ACF highlighted in our 2019 conference, this decade holds immense significance in combating climate change. Halfway through this crucial period, we've grappled with unforeseen challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalating cost of living crisis.

By providing the space to have meaningful discussions on the topic of climate, ACF is supporting members to explore together the collective responsibility of foundations, the barriers they are facing and the potential positive impact of their actions.   

The food we eat, the homes we live in, the transport we rely on, the jobs on offer to us and the communities that sustain us are already being shaped by a changing climate.  

In 2020 alone, air pollution was linked to nearly 27,000 deaths in the UK, and those living in the most deprived communities were most affected. Additionally: 

• Just one in three (33 per cent) of the country’s poorest households are covered by contents insurance – leaving millions vulnerable to high financial costs following floods  
• London’s homeless population is at a greater risk of being hospitalised as temperatures rise  
• As a result of the surge in energy prices, food bills are up by an average of £605 since 2021 - equivalent to 10 weekly shops per household.  

The climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis are interconnected issues that require comprehensive and coordinated responses. Addressing climate change through mitigation and adaptation measures, as pathways to a green economy, can help alleviate the economic burdens associated with rising living costs and build more resilient communities for the future.  

On the day we will explore the interconnected nature of the climate crisis and other areas of concern for foundations, including the cost of living crisis. Looking at how addressing the climate crisis offers opportunities for broader positive change. 

Some further reading exploring the linkages between the climate and nature emergency and the cost of living crisis is available below. Any views expressed are of the author or organisation and not ACF.  

Article, Financial Times: Floods will add to rising UK home insurance bills   
Article, BBC: Cost of living: What do Covid, war and drought have to do with my bills?
Factsheet, Business in the Community: Tackling the cost-of-living crisis through climate action
Blog, Fraser JF Stewart: There is no green agenda  
Video: New Economics Foundation: Why the cost-of-living crisis is a climate issue  
Guide, Faculty of Public Health: Developing a sustainable and equitable public health response to the cost-of-living-crisis: A thinking guide  
Research paper, JRF: Climate Change and the Cost Of Living  
Article, The Guardian: The cost-of-living crisis can only be beaten by tackling the climate crisis  
Briefing: Zero Carbon Analytics: How climate action can address the cost-of-living crisis
Article, World Economic Forum: We’re on the brink of a ‘polycrisis’ – how worried should we be  

Members are being offered a range of opportunities to take part in the design and delivery of the ACF leaders forum, including:  

• Extensive involvement in the design of the ACF leaders forum concept
• As our key informants in our research on the theme – all our members were invited to share their thoughts on the climate theme and how it relates to their work, many also spoke directly with our researcher to help shape the topics and questions we will explore on the day
• In suggesting ideas for keynote and panellist speakers
• Taking part in the ‘In conversation with…’ plenary session between ACF chief executive Carol Mack and ACF members, shaping the conversation for senior leaders of trusts and foundations  
• By curating collaboration centres for senior leaders to explore the meaningful roles that foundations have the potential to play in addressing urgent climate issues
• In contributing to the learning gallery digital exhibition. 

Look out for opportunities to get involved on the website and in communications.  

No. While both the collaboration centres and conference member workshops are about showcasing member ideas and great practice, the format and focus is different.   

Responding to member feedback about how time together should be spent on the day, the collaboration centres are intended to be active co-creation spaces. With less focus on presentations and audience reflections, and greater focus on creating a catalytic collaboration space where attendees are involved in actively working together on ideas and problem solving.

What demonstrable efforts is ACF taking to ensure those taking part in the ACF leaders forum reflect the diversity of the UK population?
We want all our events to be inclusive spaces and we advocate for diversity across all protected characteristics and socio-economic status at all ACF events. 

We understand that in reality, many groups face barriers to participation and are under-represented both in the foundation sector and at ACF’s events and networks. This includes, but is not limited to ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, gender, age and LGBTQ+ inclusion. 

At the ACF leaders forum we are taking a positive action approach to organising the panel for ‘In conversation with…’ session and in identifying curators for the ‘collaboration centres’. We will also take steps to ensure that when organising speakers and panels, demonstrable efforts have been made to reflect the diversity of the UK population.

What does taking a positive action approach look like?

To address historic imbalance and to create more equitable opportunities for participation, we make it clear that we are particularly keen to receive expressions of interest from under-represented groups in the sector.  

Where we have members of equal merit, whose overall abilities and experience meet the role requirements, we will take positive action to address under-representation when deciding whom to appoint (section 159 of the Equality Act 2010). 

Member organisations can buy individual tickets at a standard rate of £275. Non-member individual tickets are available at a standard rate of £375. 

Please purchase tickets through the ACF website, you will need to sign into your account to be able to complete the booking process. For a step-by-step guide please click here.

By purchasing a ticket for the Leaders forum, you are consenting for your data to be processed by ACF and your name, organisation and email being shared with the venue for the purposes of delivering this event. You can find full details of ACF's privacy policy here.

As part of your ticket, you will have access to the plenary sessions, the choices in the morning and afternoon as well as the welcome breakfast and networking drinks in the evening. For the full programme, please click here.

All participants will also gain access to recorded content, learning gallery and further outputs after the event.

- Learning gallery, extended free networking and exhibits

- Inner Development Goals workshop

- Peer reflection circles plus learning gallery

- Collaboration centres.

For further information on all of the choices please click here. Please ensure you select one of the above choices in the morning and afternoon at point of booking.

There are no limits to the numbers of employees from one organisation that can attend but the event is designed explicitly for a senior audience of leaders and decision-makers. We believe those in senior decision-making roles such as trustees, chief executives, chief officers and directors will get the most out of it.

Yes. Non-member individual tickets are available at a standard rate of £375.  Please note that tickets for the leaders forum are for trusts and foundations only. If you are not sure if you are eligible to attend, please refer to ACF's membership criteria. If you are interested in attending but don't meet the criteria, please email [email protected].

If you booked your own ticket, you can view your invoice through your individual account on the ACF website through either the My Participation or My Transactions areas.

If you booked the ticket on behalf of someone else, the individual the ticket was booked for will be able to access the invoice (as above) or your organisation’s ACF rep or key finance contact will be able to access it through the Transactions area of the organisations account on the ACF website.

Tickets are on sale now and are limited. Ticket sales will close on Wednesday 11 September or before if the event reaches capacity. Updates regarding the event will be shared on the ACF website, via dedicated emails and ACF’s Events bulletin and Funders’ News, as well as on our social media pages. 

If you would like to register to attend after 11 September, please contact [email protected]. We will not be able to take bookings on the day of the event. 

This is possible but please let us know as soon as possible, and no later than Wednesday 11 September 2024. 

As per ACF’s events booking and refund policy, full refunds will be given for cancellations received a week or more before the event. For cancellations received within a week of the event – or if the delegate does not attend on the day – no refunds will be made, and you will remain liable for the cost of the event booking regardless of whether payment has been made or not. 

Yes. Please follow the following steps.  

1. Log in to your account  

2. Click on your name and then ‘My Account’  

3. Go to ‘My participation’ tab  

4. Scroll down and under ‘Upcoming events’, select ‘ACF leaders forum 2024’ (this will take you to the event page)  

5. Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see the section ‘Programme’. This is where you can select your morning and afternoon choices. 

You’ll need to select one choice in the morning and once choice in the afternoon. You can do this by expanding the menus and clicking ‘Add’ to the choices you would like to attend.  

Once your choice is selected, a yellow box will show in front of the session name.  

6. To conclude, just click on ‘Submit registration’. 

*Please note that some of the choices will be restricted by capacity.

The morning and afternoon choices operate on a first come first serve basis, please select another choice at point of booking to complete the booking process. To be added to a waiting list for your first preference choice, please email [email protected] and we will let you know as soon as possible if we are able to swap your choices.

All leaders forum updates will be shared on the ACF website. You can also keep up to date with the latest information via dedicated emails, ACF’s Events bulletin and Funders’ News, as well as on social media. 

ACF is committed to delivering an environmentally friendly event. You can learn more about the venue's sustainability policy here. Further information can be found here. ACF are also thinking about our use of resources and materials and more details are to follow.