The Kilt Challenge, an annual fundraiser for the Futures for Kids charity held in conjunction with FIA’s IDX charity gala dinner, raised a record-breaking £175,616 last month.
Two industry leaders donned kilts this year to set the new record: Alicia Crighton, global co-head of futures and head of the OTC and prime clearing businesses at Goldman Sachs and Chris Edmonds, president of fixed Income and data services at ICE. Both took the challenge to a new level with significant personal and corporate contributions. The total raised via the gala and Kilt Challenge reached nearly £250,000.
“The gala event is the biggest fundraiser for FFK during the year and will go a long way to helping us reach the next milestone of £4 million raised since FFK’s inception in 2008,” said Emma Davey, chair of the board of trustees at FFK. "FFK will be able to increase its contributions to its core charities as well as considering one-off grant-making to charities that support disadvantaged children and young people across the world."
Initiated in 2010 by former FT journalist Jeremy Grant, the Kilt Challenge began when Grant donned his finest kilt to raise funds for charity and then passed on the sporran to a new challenger. The challenge has continued each year since. Past kilt-wearers include Clive Furness, Pat Kenny, Kim Taylor, Mark Ibbotson and Robbert Booij.
Crighton and Edmonds have challenged Morgan Stanley’s Mark Bortnik to don the kilt for 2026 and raise funds leading up to the 2026 gala dinner.
Crighton said that she and Edmonds are in the fortunate position of “having a leadership position within the industry to ask others to come together and raise money.”
The challenge encourages widespread industry involvement, with many donating in support of the individual taking on the challenge and, in turn, supporting children’s charities from around the world. The Kilt Challenge has grown remarkably over the years – not only in participation, but also in its impact.
Improving prospects
The futures industry established Futures for Kids in 2008 with a goal to improve opportunity and inclusion for disadvantaged and under-represented children and young people around the world. The charities currently supported by FFK include: EducAid, Kids in Kathmandu, Leadership through Sport and Business – LTSB, Passarelles Numeriques and WeSeeHope.
FFK has supported Kids in Kathmandu from its early days in 2011. Since then, FFK’s support has enabled it to improve the infrastructure in nine schools where it works in Nepal.
“FFK’s grants have enabled everything from the set-up of several IT departments in the schools, to the set-up of science labs, library facilities, nursery classes and furniture and equipment. They have also been used to pay for roof repairs on a school and new smart boards for classrooms,” said Stephen Smith, chief officer of Kids in Kathmandu .
“Over the years, FFK has helped us to improve the school environment in all of the schools that we work with, improving educational standards and helping to increase the number of students attending school. We are very grateful for FFK’s support, which has enabled us to achieve so much,” he added.
Support from FFK has also benefited EducAid, helping it to become more agile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, funding from Futures for Kids enabled EducAid to mobilise and pivot quickly, sharing what it had learned from school closures during the Ebola crisis with other organisations working around the world. The support helped to ensure that children in Sierra Leone continued learning via radio lessons with the Teaching Services Commission, reaching more than 1.4 million children.
“The Kilt Challenge and IDX gala are a source of inspiration each and every year. It's extraordinary to watch everyone come together to support Futures for Kids. So much of what makes EducAid different – its ability to respond to challenges, to innovate and to go the extra mile for the children we serve – is made possible by everyone's generosity. The support from Futures for Kids allows EducAid to keep the needs of underserved children at the forefront of our work,” said Erin Northey, EducAid's chief executive.
“The Kilt Challenge and the IDX gala embody such a spirit of generosity, competition and fun. Knowing how many have contributed to and supported our work through these events is such an inspiring motivation,” Northey added.
The Kilt Challenge is a special tradition. It succeeds in bringing the industry together and putting into effect unimaginable changes to the lives of children around the world.
