Governance & transparency
Accountable by design, transparent by default
The Trust is built on the Charity Commission's model CIO Foundation framework, with a founding board, a full policy suite, and clear public reporting.
How we're structured
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation
The Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on the Foundation model — a structure designed for charities run by a board of trustees rather than a wider voting membership. Its principal office is in England and Wales.
The trustees are the Trust's only members. They set its direction, approve its policies, and review every grant — carrying legal responsibility for keeping the Trust true to its charitable objects.
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3–9 trustees
A board of at least three and no more than nine trustees, who are also the Trust's only members.
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3+ meetings a year
The trustees meet at least three times a year to conduct business and review every active grant.
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Conflicts managed
Trustees declare interests, withdraw from conflicted decisions, and keep a standing Register of Interests.
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Unremunerated
Founding trustees serve without remuneration; any future exception would need Charity Commission consent.
The board
Founding trustees
The Trust's founding board, as named in its constitution.
Diogo is a Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) graduate from the University of Leeds and currently works as a Supply Chain Analyst at the UK Ministry of Defence. A Co-Founder of the Leeds Policy Institute, he previously served as its Secretary and Research Director. His professional background also includes experience as a Technology Partner at Leeds Community Consulting and as a Horizon Scanning & Insights Intern at the Department for Work and Pensions.
diogo.ferreira@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000John is a Computer Science graduate from the University of Leeds, holding a First Class Honours degree, and currently works as a Software Development Engineer at Amazon. During his time at university, he served as a Full Stack Engineer for the Leeds Policy Institute, where he played a key role in developing the think tank's digital infrastructure. He brings strong technical expertise across modern web technologies and systems programming to the Trust.
john.mitchell@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000Nicolas is a Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) graduate from the University of Leeds, currently working as a Relationship Manager at Barclays Corporate Banking, and is a CFA Level 1 Candidate. As the President and Founder of the Leeds Policy Institute, he grew the think tank to over 100 members in its first year and established its core research strategy. He brings extensive governance experience, having previously served as a Student Trustee on the Board of Directors at Leeds University Union. Nicolas has also held leadership roles as Project Director and Strategy Director at Leeds Community Consulting.
nicolas.padulapinho@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000Our team
Operational leadership
The day-to-day work of the Trust is carried out by our leadership team.
Joseph is an Economics graduate from the University of Leeds and currently works as a Parliamentary Assistant. He brings strong public sector experience to the Trust, having previously worked within the Cabinet Office's Joint Data Analysis Centre. A founding member of the Leeds Policy Institute, Joseph served as both President and Head of Public Affairs, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the think tank's operations and advancing its public research agenda. As Director General, Joseph takes a broad focus across all strategy and operations to steer the Trust's overarching mission.
joseph.clark@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000Hubert is an Economics graduate from the University of Leeds and a founding member of the Leeds Policy Institute, where he has served as Head of Research, Data Analysis, and Media & Communications. With professional experience spanning Oxford Economics, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Institute of Economic Affairs, he brings extensive expertise in economic forecasting and policy development. Hubert possesses a proven track record of securing significant grant and venture capital funding, and his writing has been published in the Financial Times and CapX. At the Trust, Hubert focuses on finding and managing relationships with both individual and institutional donors.
hubert.kucharski@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000Charles is currently a Water Quality Sampling Officer at Yorkshire Water, bringing a strong background in regulatory compliance, operations, and policy research to the Trust. Previously serving as Head of Energy and Environment at the Leeds Policy Institute, he led a team of researchers to publish work presented at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research. His professional experience also includes stakeholder engagement for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. At the Trust, Charles manages our relationships with student think tanks and their students' unions.
charles.alvey@nationalstudentpolicytrust.org.uk +44 0000 000000Policy suite
The policies that govern our work
A standing set of board-approved policies, reviewed at least annually. Full documents will be published alongside registration.
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Ethical Funding Policy
Defines excluded funding sources and the Know Your Donor checks that protect the Trust's independence and reputation.
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Grant-Making Policy
Sets the categories, eligibility, five-stage process, and conditions under which grants are made via students' unions.
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Safeguarding Policy
Protects the students the Trust supports and everyone who engages with its programmes.
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Data Protection Policy
Governs how student and donor personal data is handled, in line with UK data protection law.
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Whistleblowing Policy
Provides a confidential route to raise concerns about wrongdoing without fear of reprisal.
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Conflict of Interest Policy
Requires trustees to declare and manage conflicts, backed by a standing Register of Interests.
Transparency
How we report
We commit to public reporting from the outset — not only once we're required to.
Annual Trustees' Report
Describes how our activities provided public benefit — students supported, research produced and training funded.
Annual Transparency Report
Sets out the funds received, institutional donors (absent a legitimate anonymity agreement) and funding categories.
Ongoing review
Trustees review grant-making at every board meeting to confirm it still delivers genuine public benefit.
Conditions in every agreement
Funding Agreements require unions and think tanks to report on the use of funds and the outcomes achieved.
Questions about our governance?
We're happy to talk through our structure, policies and plans for registration.