Make My Money Matter

Make My Money Matter
Name	Make My Money Matter
Formation	2019
Type	Nonprofit advocacy campaign
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Region served	United Kingdom
Founder	Henrietta Lacks
Key people	Henrietta Lacks (Chief Campaigner)
Focus	Sustainable finance, responsible investment

Make My Money Matter is a United Kingdom–based nonprofit advocacy campaign that promotes sustainable investing by urging pension funds and institutional investors to consider climate change and social impact in asset management. It advocates for shifting capital toward low-carbon and socially responsible assets through public campaigns, investor engagement, and policy influence, operating within the UK financial and political landscape.

Background and History

Make My Money Matter was launched in 2019 amid rising concern over climate change and sustainable finance, emerging alongside grassroots movements and international initiatives such as Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Greenpeace International, 350.org, and ClientEarth. Its formation followed debates triggered by the Paris Agreement and growing scrutiny of investment practices linked to fossil fuels, comparable to scrutiny faced by institutions during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and divestment movements applied to Harvard University, Yale University, and University of California. The campaign built on prior advocacy by organizations including Friends of the Earth, WWF, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and The Climate Group, and intersected with financial reform conversations involving Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank stakeholders. Early supporters included activists and public figures associated with Greta Thunberg, Al Gore, Christiana Figueres, Michael Bloomberg, and institutions like The Prince of Wales's Accounting for Sustainability Project.

Mission and Advocacy

The campaign's stated mission centers on persuading pension holders, trustees, and policymakers to align retirement savings with the Paris Agreement goals and social justice aims, paralleling advocacy by ShareAction, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), Carbon Tracker Initiative, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, and CDSB (Climate Disclosure Standards Board). Its advocacy calls for transparency akin to reporting frameworks championed by Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and governance standards promoted by OECD and United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Make My Money Matter frames its arguments using evidence from research bodies such as IPCC, Grantham Research Institute, Nobel Prize laureates in economics, and think tanks like Chatham House, Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Centre for Policy Studies to press for fiduciary duty reinterpretations resonant with litigation seen in cases involving ClientEarth and regulatory action elsewhere, such as rulings by the UK Supreme Court and directives by the European Commission.

Campaigns and Activities

Make My Money Matter conducts public petitions, digital campaigns, and engagement with pension providers similar to strategies used by 350.org, MoveOn, SumOfUs, Change.org, and Avaaz. It organizes webinars and conferences featuring speakers from University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Imperial College London, Cambridge University, and financial research centers at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Columbia University. The campaign has published briefing papers and scorecards drawing on methodologies used by FTSE Russell, MSCI, S&P Global, and Morningstar to rate pension fund performance on climate criteria alongside activism oriented toward trustees and administrators such as Aviva Investors, Legal & General Investment Management, Prudential plc, BlackRock, and Schroders. Its grassroots mobilization mirrors tactics used by Occupy Wall Street and community organizing associated with Green New Deal proponents, while its investor engagement echoes shareholder resolutions filed at firms like BP, Shell plc, ExxonMobil, Rio Tinto, and BHP.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization operates as a campaign entity with a small staff and advisory board including figures from civil society, finance, and academia, engaging consultants and legal advisors with backgrounds at Linklaters, Freshfields, Slaughter and May, PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG. Funding sources have included philanthropic grants and donations from foundations and trusts analogous to Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and philanthropic initiatives by wealthy individuals associated with Good Energies Foundation and Children's Investment Fund Foundation. It collaborates with unions and professional associations such as UNISON, Trades Union Congress, Prospect (union), Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, and Association of British Insurers on outreach to savers and trustees.

Impact and Reception

Make My Money Matter has been credited with increasing public awareness about pension investment impacts, prompting responses from pension providers and sparking media coverage in outlets like BBC, The Guardian, Financial Times, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Independent. Academic reception references research from London School of Economics, University College London, University of Manchester, and policy analysis by Institute for Public Policy Research and New Economics Foundation. Critics have argued about the limits of campaign influence on entrenched investment mandates and highlighted debates similar to those seen around divestment campaigns at major universities and investor pushback from Vanguard and State Street Global Advisors. Regulatory attention has paralleled policy shifts seen in Pensions Act 2004 amendments and consultations by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Partnerships and Policy Influence

The campaign partners with NGOs, academic centers, and industry groups including ShareAction, The Investor Forum, PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), Green Finance Institute, Energy Transition Commission, and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales to influence consultations led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, HM Treasury, Financial Conduct Authority, and parliamentary committees including the Work and Pensions Committee and Environmental Audit Committee. It contributes to public consultations and engages with lawmakers from parties such as the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and pressure within devolved administrations in Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Executive.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United Kingdom