Global Counsel launches its second ‘Social Impact Programme’ pro-bono scheme, after successful collaborations with NGOs REDRESS and the European Food Bank Federation (FEBA)

Global Counsel launches its second ‘Social Impact Programme’ pro-bono scheme, after successful collaborations with NGOs REDRESS and the European Food Bank Federation (FEBA)

International advisory firm Global Counsel launches today the 2022 request for applications of its Social Impact Programme. The scheme aims to offer pro-bono policy expertise to charities, NGOs, educations institutions and foundations, or smaller for-profit businesses with strong values-based aims. In the past 12 months, Global Counsel has worked with NGOs REDRESS and the European Food Bank Federation (FEBA), based in the UK and Brussels respectively, from strategy and monitoring, to aiding effective advocacy engagement. 

Applications to the programme will be open from today until Monday 2nd May 2022. Please click here to check your eligibility and apply. 

Rishi Patel, Policy Communications Practice Lead at GC and programme coordinator, said this: 

‘The social impact programme, devised as a way for the GC team to commit their expertise to causes we care about, has proven invaluable not just for our partners, but also for us.  

REDRESS and FEBA have of course benefitted from a service that has increased their bandwidth, strategic outlook, and network influence. But each of us involved in supporting them have also learned a huge amount from both teams, who are devoted to getting help to those who need it most, when they need it most.  

We are incredibly proud of our work so far and can’t wait to get started with our new partners in 2022.’  

Although the programme has so far focused on European organisations, it is open to applications from around the world, and will be evaluated through factors such as how our expertise matches the challenges of the organisation and the impact Global Counsel can make. This was considered when supporting REDRESS for example, who needed help in engaging with the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions programme, which GC was well placed to do. Charlie Loudon, International Legal Adviser at REDRESS, said of the collaboration:

‘Global Counsel’s support was invaluable in increasing the impact of REDRESS’s Magnitsky Sanctions project. The GC team brought strategic vision and deep policy knowledge to the work. They combined this with a detailed understanding of the UK political landscape and practical experience of working with MPs and government. The team were a pleasure to work with and we are extremely grateful for their support.’ 

Once the selected organisations have been confirmed, the GC team will discuss their challenge, and establish what product will be most valuable, usually structured around political strategy and advocacy training, internal or external reports or event support. Our work with FEBA included both internal and external monitoring reports and event support, with the positive outcomes highlighted by Angela Frigo, FEBA Secretary General: 

“Global Counsel’s supported FEBA both on the day-to-day EU monitoring activities as well as with FEBA’s contribution to the implementation of the Farm to Fork strategy. The GC team added value and bandwidth to our work, foremost bringing an external perspective to make our policy recommendations and messages more grounded and to improve the position of FEBA as a policy thought leader to enhance the value of food donation that is still an implicit concept. 

We look forward to finalising with GC a policy paper on food waste reduction and food recovery and to hosting an event bringing together our own expertise and promoting the dialogue from EU officials, policymakers, and stakeholders.”  

As reflected in the work we have done so far, Global Counsel are committed to long-term, purpose-driven work that goes beyond day-to-day commercial interests. To read more about our values, you can see our statement of basic principles here.  

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