Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt are joined by Jayne Taylor and Matt Jones, chief executive and chair of the Elephant Group, a charity that helps state-educated students access top universities.

Matt, who founded the Elephant Group in 2018, describes how his role has evolved since the arrival of Jayne as the charity’s first chief executive in 2022. This has included moving away from lower level operational issues and focusing on the big strategic questions to support the Elephant Group’s transformation from a start-up to an established organisation.

Jayne describes the challenge of balancing her priorities of delivering on the charity’s purpose while overseeing an internal operational restructure. She explains how Matt’s approach has enabled her to perform her role to the best of her abilities through a space of mutual trust and safety.

Also in the episode, senior news reporter Emily Harle joins Lucinda and Emily Burt to reflect on the recent pause in funding by several grantmakers in response to an overwhelming level of demand. They cite the list of funders compiled by the trust and foundations fundraising consultant Joanna Jeffery.

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