Responsible Business

Corporate Citizen

We strive to be a good citizen in our communities. Through Community Relations programmes and Environmental Management, we look to deliver positive social outcomes and give back to the communities in which we live and work.

We recognise the impact our business activities have on the environment, and we take action to minimize this every day.

We uphold the highest standards of integrity and stand behind what we say and do. We know that trust must be earned continually and are committed to transparency in our financial disclosures.

The Columbia Threadneedle Foundation* works with long-term charity partners to improve individual people’s lives and also drive fundamental social change. Through the power of art, sport and education as catalyst for change, we seek to address critical social issues – inclusion, opportunity, employment, empowerment and mental health.

Through our corporate giving we create long-term partnerships with smaller charities, as well as providing individual grants. We seek to maximise our impact through a focus on lasting social change, working closely with our charity partners. 

Access sport logo
Clean break logo
A LA PAR logo

*Company registration number: 8825712

Charity registration number: 1158970

Since 2013

The Foundation has delivered measurable impact

Over 100,000

Individuals benefited

Over 2000

Teachers and mentors trained

11

Long-term charity partners

More than £3 million

Donated

The Foundation’s charitable giving is overseen by a Board of Trustee Directors made up of employees from across our EMEA business who work together to create sustainable partnerships with our chosen charities.

Take One Picture at the National Gallery

Columbia Threadneedle Foundation has partnered with the National Gallery in London since 2018 to support the Gallery’s ‘Take One Picture’ learning programme and exhibition. Complementing the Foundation’s support, Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the exclusive corporate sponsor of ‘Take One Picture’.

‘Take One Picture’ is the National Gallery’s flagship primary schools’ programme. Each year the Gallery chooses one painting from the collection to inspire cross-curricular work in primary classrooms across the UK. The programme aims to put art at the centre of children’s learning, inspiring a lifelong connection with artists, museums and galleries.

We are proud to support the ‘Take One Picture’ learning programme and exhibition for the eighth consecutive year in 2025. This year the selected work is ‘The Courtyard of a House in Delft ‘ (1658) by Pieter de Hooch, as the source of inspiration.

We offer all employees the opportunity to carry out volunteer work within their working hours, as individuals or as teams. Not only does volunteering enhance our wider support for charities, it also gives our employees the chance to develop new skills and network within the business, and for teams to collaborate more effectively across departments. Each year more than 200 employees devote their time and skills to our charity partners or other local causes, driving social progress. 

We encourage and support our employees’ charitable giving by matching their donations up to a set amount. Our Annual Giving Campaign offers additional incentives to maximise the impact our employees can make to causes of their choice.