Reporting Concerns.

Last updated: March 2023

At GIF, we are committed to carrying out our work ethically, responsibly and sustainably and to maintaining the highest possible standards of honesty, integrity and transparency.

We encourage any person (including GIF staff or those working with GIF or with GIF-funded organisations) to report concerns they may have about the conduct of GIF, its staff or representatives, or about GIF-funded organisations. The below information provides guidance about the types of concerns that should be reported and how reports can be made.

Whistleblowing

Although we expect all GIF staff and organisations funded by GIF to maintain high standards of behaviour and integrity, we understand that all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. We strive to maintain a culture of openness and accountability in order to prevent such situations occurring and to assist us in addressing them if they do occur.

Our Whistleblowing Policy encourages GIF staff to report any suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, reassures employees that genuine concerns can and should be raised without fear of reprisal and sets out the process for reporting and investigating concerns. GIF equally welcomes reports from outside of the organisation, in relation to GIF and those it funds, to allow appropriate action to be taken promptly.

A whistleblowing concern could relate to (but is not limited to): criminal activity; failure to comply with any legal or professional obligation or regulatory requirements; miscarriages of justice; danger to health and safety; damage to the environment; bribery; fraud or financial mismanagement; conduct likely to damage GIFs reputation or financial wellbeing; unauthorised disclosure of confidential information; negligence; and/or the deliberate concealment of any of these matters.

If you are not a GIF employee, but suspect wrongdoing and/or have concerns about the conduct of a GIF staff member or representative or a GIF-funded organisation or project, please report your concerns to the Whistleblowing Officer using the contact details below. Important: GIF staff and representatives will never ask you for money or personal information in exchange for awarding you a grant. If you receive a communication from a person who is unknown to you and claims to be from GIF, informing you that you have been awarded a grant and asking you for money or personal data in order to unlock the grant, this may be fraudulent. We recommend you do not respond and report the communication to your local authorities. All legitimate GIF staff are listed on GIF’s website and funding applicants will be in contact with GIF staff for several weeks, including through email and formal video calls, before receiving notice of GIF’s decision to fund.

We do not encourage people to make disclosures anonymously, as proper investigation may be more difficult or impossible if we cannot obtain further information from you. However, if you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret.

Safeguarding

We fund the work of other organisations through direct investments rather than directly carrying out any humanitarian aid or other front-line functions ourselves. We are committed to proactively safeguarding and promoting the welfare of GIF’s beneficiaries and staff and to taking reasonable steps to ensure those who come into contact with GIF and/or GIF-funded programmes do not, as a result, come to harm.

Our policy commitments and safeguarding processes are set out in our Safeguarding Policy.

As part of this policy, all GIF staff are required to comply with our Safeguarding Code of Conduct. In addition, we require all investees and contractors engaging in GIF-funded activities to work in ways that are consistent with best practice, relevant local laws and the safeguarding principles and practices described in our Safeguarding Policy.

Our Safeguarding Policy requires GIF staff to immediately report any concerns they may have regarding the safety and welfare of those GIF comes into contact with, either directly or indirectly. This includes any suspicions or concerns that a person has been or may be subject to abuse, exploitation, neglect or other harm by a GIF staff member or in connection with a GIF-funded organisation or project (including suspected historical abuse).

Even if you do not work at GIF, if you are concerned about a person’s treatment in connection with GIF or a GIF-funded project, or if you are concerned that a GIF staff member may have failed to comply with GIF’s Safeguarding Policy or Safeguarding Code of Conduct, please report your concerns as soon as possible to the GIF Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) using the contact details set out below.

Please do not investigate the suspicion or allegation yourself and ensure that information is shared strictly on a need to know basis. We will treat all concerns seriously and take appropriate steps, such as informing the relevant authorities, removing any person from a risk of harm and/or collating required information.

Contact Information

The GIF Whistleblowing and Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) is Cillian Moynihan, General Counsel and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer (Deputy DSO) is Melanie Potter, Senior Legal Counsel and Company Secretary. GIF’s designated email address for reporting concerns is [email protected], to which the GIF Whistleblowing Officer, DSO and the Deputy DSO have access, and this should be your first point of contact.

The GIF Safeguarding Lead Trustee (the Trustee Board member who has oversight of safeguarding arrangements and who ensures that the Board is aware of safeguarding/whistleblowing matters as appropriate) is the chair of the Human Recourses Committee, Katie Kaufman.

If you are not comfortable with submitting your report via email to that address, please call 0203 818 3254 and ask to speak with the relevant person (without giving any details about the purpose of the call to the person who answers the phone).

If you are unsure which policy applies to your concern or have any feedback about our safeguarding and/or whistleblowing policies, please contact the GIF DSO/Whistleblowing Officer via [email protected].

Please do share any information with us that can assist us in securing the safety of our beneficiaries, staff and those who come into contact with our charity and the projects it funds.