Philanthropy UK
Increasing philanthropic activity in the square mile
Public sector spending cuts mean that many organisations that
provide services for disadvantaged communities are struggling to
fund their work. At the same time, recovery has begun within key
areas of the financial services industry.
Meanwhile, there is a growing interest in philanthropy which is
being widely covered in the media. There have been much publicity
around the Giving Pledge initiative of Microsoft chairman Bill
Gates, for example. This campaign encourages America’s richest
individuals to give away the majority of their wealth in their
lifetime or relatively soon after their death.
So, the current austerity makes it more important than ever to
increase philanthropic activity in the UK, and this is a key part
of the government’s ‘Big Society’ agenda. In May 2011 the Giving
White Paper was published which sought to “renew Britain’s culture
of philanthropy by working with charities and businesses to support
new ways for people to contribute which fit into busy modern
lives.”
We are funding Philanthropy UK with a grant of £80,000 over two
years to encourage philanthropy in the City of London for two
years, in particular by increasing individual giving.
Philanthropy UK (a project of the Association of Charitable
Foundations) provides free and impartial advice to aspiring
philanthropists who want to give effectively. Building on it’s
existing website and downloadable resource, it will create an
interactive website for City donors and financial advisors and
establish a platform for discussion and debate.
Key figures within the City’s business community will be
recruited to “champion” philanthropy and to act as catalysts for
change. A series of events will be organised with the aim of
inspiring staff, sharing other people’s philanthropic journeys and
to create a City Philanthropic Forum.
The aim is to encourage even more City financiers and
entrepreneurs to embrace philanthropy as a way of life. We hope the
new website for the financial community, which may be linked to
company intranets, will make giving as easy as possible.
We often forget that the City has a long history of
philanthropy. Its 108 Livery companies, which originated in Anglo
Saxon times, give £40m every year to charity. One of its most
celebrated Lord Mayors, Dick Wittington, is sometimes described as
the original philanthropist. He established a hospital ward for
unmarried mothers and financed the first flushing public toilets in
London – flushed, that is, by the Thames at high-tide. When he died
childless he left everything to charity, endowing and building
almshouses, libraries and civic amenities that continue to serve
London today.
Contact details
For more information on Philanthropy UK and philanthropic giving
please visit their website:
www.philanthropyuk.org
