This autumn, PlanBørnefonden will be the first NGO in Denmark to establish a commercial fund with reserve funds released during the merger between Plan and Børnefonden. The new fund will engage in social impact investments, and the mission is to mobilise capital that is invested in creating positive change, primarily in Africa and the Middle East. The fund will complement PlanBørnefonden’s existing work, and the goal is to become one of the leading impact investment initiatives in Denmark with a global reach.
The world is affected by a wide range of crises. This calls for new ways of mobilising funding to create sustainable development and positive change around the world. This is emphasised by Stine Bosse, Chairman of the Board of PlanBørnefonden:
“The merger between Plan and Børnefonden in 2018 released reserve funds that have been saved over generations. We now have the managerial surplus to utilise the funds to make an even bigger difference for the world’s poorest children and young people. That is why we are establishing a social impact fund,” says Stine Bosse and continues:
“This is particularly important at a time when the world is affected by crises, and when we as an NGO need to innovate new ways of mobilising capital to create the development and positive change we are in the world for. Therefore, as the first NGO in Denmark, we are establishing a social impact fund where investors can help create sustainable development around the world, while creating a financial return that is reinvested.”
Innovative financing on top of record results
The new fund is being established on top of the best fundraising result in PlanBørnefonden’s history. In 2021/22, PlanBørnefonden raised a total of DKK 438.1 million compared to DKK 314.2 million in 2020/21. This corresponds to a revenue growth of 39 per cent. But this does not mean that PlanBørnefonden is resting on its laurels.
“We are grateful for the support we have raised. But the way the world is going, we can’t maintain sustainable change without accelerating private investment. So that’s what we’re doing with the new fund, which will invest in education, job creation and green transition, among other things. Over the past year, we have built up strong competences within social impact investments, which will be transferred to the new fund,” says Dorthe Petersen, CEO of PlanBørnefonden.
At the same time, PlanBørnefonden will also have new strong forces on the board, as PlanBørnefonden’s current vice chairman Charlotte Jepsen will become chairman of the board of the new foundation. This will ensure continuity and strong ties between the social impact fund and PlanBørnefonden. Charlotte Jepsen is a leading partner in CIP Fonden and also brings experience from the governmental impact investment fund, IFU. She will step down from PlanBørnefonden’s board when the new fund is established. The same applies to board member Lise Fink Vadsholt, who will also join the board of the new social impact fund.
At the same time, Jakob Grymer Tholstrup and Jacob Rasmussen both resigned from PlanBørnefonden’s board in March. This means that PlanBørnefonden has four new board members who will join the board in March 2023. The new members are Charlotte Møller-Andersen, Dorte Ransby, Peter Vekslund and Jonas Søderberg Rasmussen.
Facts
New members of PlanBørnefonden’s board
Dorte Ransby, Chairman of RHS4 Aps and board member of Formuepleje.
Peter Vekslund, CFO of Trackunit and former CFO of Pandora.
Charlotte Møller-Andersen, VP Partner Sales EMEA in Zendesk.
Jonas Søderberg Rasmussen, First VP, Head of Physical Security and Resilience at Danske Bank.
Original press release in Danish.
