ENTREPRENEUR USES THE CAF CHARITABLE TRUST FOR LONG-TERM SOCIAL IMPACT

Martin Lewis is a high profile “consumer champion”, who founded the web business Money Saving Expert, and is a long-standing Private Client of CAF. In 2012, Martin sold this business to MoneySuperMarket.com for around £87 million and donated £10 million (11%) to be distributed to charity using the flexibility of the CAF Charitable Trust (and more since). Through the CAF Charitable Trust, established as his own foundation-type structure with a large gift of shares, he has made multi-million pound donations to many organisations.

These include donations to various Citizens Advice Bureaux at a time of critical need to help people deal with debt and other issues, and establishing the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute which will focus on new evidence-based insights and innovative solutions to address debt-related mental health issues. Martin has also invested £500,000 in CAF Venturesome’s high impact social investment funds; repayable finance to provide cash flow support to help the long-term sustainability of various charities and social enterprises.

Martin was awarded the prestigious “Beacon Trailblazer Award” in 2017, not just for the size of his donations but also for his long-term and transparent approach to giving by which he hopes to inspire others. To help Martin achieve his ambitions, he works closely with his client relationship manager in the CAF Private Client Team.