Charity-specific Investment Funds To Be Made Available

A new investment service specifically for charities will give access to the biggest selection of charity-specific investment funds available to buy and manage online and all in one place.

It comes amid growing demand from charities to explore new ways to generate income and make their investment processes more efficient, at a time of record low interest rates.

The Charities Aid Foundation announces today that is has partnered with Interactive Investor, the award-winning investment platform, to launch the CAF Investment Account in October.

It is being launched by CAF with the aim of making it easier for charities to invest their funds and, over the longer-term, it intends to make their resources go further. The account will be the first digital trading platform designed exclusively for charities, providing an efficient and secure way for charities of all sizes to manage all of their investments in one place.

It will be open to registered charities across the UK and organisations recognised by HMRC as having a charitable purpose.

Charities using the CAF Investment Account will be able to research, manage and trade investments in one place for the first time, building on the existing investment services provided by CAF. It will provide access to thousands of funds, including the widest range of charity specific funds available to manage and buy in one place online, and will enable charities to invest directly in stocks and bonds listed on the London Stock Exchange and other global markets.

John Low, Chief Executive of CAF said:

“In today’s tough economic environment, with interest rates at record lows, it important that charities maximise the return on money donated by their supporters in order to make a bigger difference.

We believe there’s a huge amount of untapped potential for charities to make more use of investments to help support their work.

“But for many charities with volunteer trustees it can often prove difficult to find the time and resources to select and manage investments.

“CAF has a long history of providing solutions to the financial challenges faced by charities. The CAF Investment Account will offer the widest range of charity-specific funds available in one place and will make it far easier for charities to manage investments securely online on an industry leading investment platform.”

Interactive Investor is one of the UK’s leading investment and trading website providers, offering a comprehensive range of financial services.

Adam Seale, Chief Executive at Interactive Investor, said:

“We are truly delighted to be partnering with CAF to support charities in accessing global markets and funds.

“Offering a full range of UK and International shares, alongside ETFs, Investment Trusts, Funds, Gilts and Bonds, including charity-specific options, allows the CAF Investment Account to provide a secure, full investment solution for charities both large and small.

“Our IT expertise and flexible infrastructure allows us to provide bespoke white-label opportunities and we are genuinely pleased to have been able to support CAF in creating and building their ideal platform.”