Our response

We set up a consultation group to help us shape our response to the findings. We are grateful to this group, whose members were: the Right Reverend David Urquhart, Chair; Dr Andrew Boakye; the Reverend Dr Kate Coleman; the Very Reverend Rogers Govender; Jay Greene; Father Stephen Trott; and Mark Woolley. In response to these findings, the Church Commissioners is trying to address some of the past wrongs by investing in a better future. It will seek to do this through committing £100 million of funding to a programme of impact investment, research and engagement. This will comprise:

• Establishing a new impact investment fund to invest in a better and fairer future for all, particularly for communities affected by African chattel enslavement. It is hoped this fund will grow over time, reinvesting returns to enable it to have a positive legacy that will exist in perpetuity, and with the potential for other institutions to participate, further enabling growth in the size and impact of the fund.
• Growth in the impact fund will also enable grant funding for projects focused on improving opportunities for communities impacted by historic African chattel enslavement.
• Further research, including into the Church Commissioners' history, supporting dioceses and parishes to research and address their historic links with African chattel enslavement, and sharing best practice with other organisations researching their legacies regarding enslavement. 
• The Church Commissioners will also continue to use its voice as a responsible investor to address and combat modern slavery.

A new oversight group was formed with significant membership from communities impacted by African chattel enslavement. This group will work with the Church Commissioners on shaping and delivering the response, listening widely to ensure this work is done sensitively and with accountability. The terms of reference for this Oversight Group can be found here. Further details about the members of this group can be found here.

The Church Commissioners will continue to listen and consult more widely to consider further actions that could be taken in our drive for truth, justice and reconciliation.

Response to recommendations of the independent Oversight Group from the Church Commissioners

The Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners for England warmly welcomes the report of the independent Oversight Group, the recommendations from which will shape the new Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice. The Oversight Group were tasked with advising on the Church Commissioners’ response to its historic links with African chattel enslavement.

The clear-sighted ambition of the group and its hope for the scale and impact for the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice are particularly welcomed by the Church Commissioners’ Board. Suggestions around more wide-ranging research and truth-telling must be taken as seriously as the financial ambitions reflected in the recommendations.

The recommendations of the Oversight Group were informed by people from all over the world, who responded to surveys or attended focus groups. We wish to express thanks for the Oversight Group’s dedicated work to involve impacted communities at this early stage, the challenge the group has provided, and we accept the need for continued extensive work with impacted communities as part of the ongoing programme encompassed in the recommendations.

When we began our research in 2019 to understand better the origins of our predecessor fund, we had no idea of where this work would lead. The journey to date has been humbling, shaming, and transformative, not least because of the insight of Oversight Group members. We wish to commend their work, and the challenge that they have provided us with.

We have heard from Oversight Group members about the importance of language and the thinking behind that language. For example, the Church Commissioners’ Board of Governors has deepened its understanding of the concepts of ‘repair’ and ‘reparatory justice.’

The Right Reverend Dr Rosemarie Mallett, Bishop of Croydon, Chair of the Oversight Group said: “No amount of money can fully atone for or fully redress the centuries long impact of African chattel enslavement, the effects of which are still felt around the world today. But implementing the recommendations will show the commitment of the Church Commissioners to supporting the process of healing, repair and justice for all of those across society impacted by the legacy of African chattel enslavement.”

We have now entered the implementation phase of establishing the new fund, guided by the Oversight Group's recommendations. This will involve engaging with the relevant regulatory bodies about the establishment of the fund and continuing to ensure that impacted communities are at the heart of this work.

The full announcement from the independent Oversight Group can be found here.

Digital images of Queen Anne’s Bounty’s ledgers and benefactions registers can be found here.

Current status of our response

We remain in the process of establishing the fund. We will take sufficient time to do this, working closely with the Oversight Group, and liaising with the appropriate authorities, taking into account well-established Charity Commission guidance, good practice and legal principles. Once we have more information, we will communicate this via our website.