…alleviated poverty, fostered art and culture, strengthened communities and improved our environment.
When most effective, the philanthropist brings skills, experience and networks as well as money.
This is the oxygen that nurtures the sort of society we want to live in and planet we want to live on.
We are an alliance of partners across the philanthropy sector with a collective goal to increase philanthropy in the UK through research, advocacy and strategic communications.
One of our favourite things to do at Beacon is speak to philanthropists who are active in their communities and causes.
Here is a selection of stories about the vital contributions these philanthropists have made with their resources.
Investing in philanthropy is a lot like investing in business, says John Stone. Except you’re seeking a social return, not a financial one. We sat down with John to discuss his charitable activity through the Stone Family Foundation, and why taking a business approach can be so effective.
Alastair Stewart is one of the nation’s most recognisable prime time faces. From wars to elections, millions have watched him break news headlines across the decades. Lesser known, though, is Alastair’s engagement in charity. We sat down with the journalist to learn about his philanthropy.
Ewan Kirk is a technology entrepreneur and co-founder of the Turner Kirk Trust. His philanthropic pursuits focus on unlocking the potential of charities through catalysing innovation. Ewan believes that making a charity more effective and efficient will amplify the impact of all its future donations. He discusses his approach to giving.
Sylvia Brown comes from a family with a 300 year history of philanthropy. But recently, she has seen relatives engage in unstrategic ‘cocktail party’ giving. Noticing that there was no educational resource to help individual donors give more strategically, she decided to create one herself. We find out more.
In 2020, Tom Flood set up The Paul Cornes Fund, to honour the memory of his late partner. Its aim? To use Paul’s money to support those in need in Dorset. In this interview, we speak to Tom about what inspired the Fund’s establishment, and how setting it up has helped him stay connected to the community and to Paul.
“Giving money is great, but it is not the only way to help.” In this interview, we speak to London Metal Exchange chair Gay Huey Evans to learn about how effective philanthropy sometimes involves drawing on your skills as well as your financial resources to help a charity thrive.
The top 1% of wealth holders give away £2.5 billion annually.
People with more than £10m in assets give 1-2% of their wealth away annually.
20% of millionaires based in Britain give more than 1% of their wealth away annually.
Half of UK millionaires give more than £4000 away annually.
Our vision is to contribute to the growth of a stronger independent civil society, by more people using more of their private assets for public good.
Our mission is to see philanthropy grow, as giving is recognised as a valuable contribution to society. We do this by spreading best practice and gaining confidence from each other to give more and better.
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The Beacon Collaborative