Local connection is a powerful force for increasing philanthropy. Giving locally makes philanthropy “human-sized” – knowing that an individual contribution is enough to make a tangible difference to people and the local environment.
Yet one of the problems with the UK’s patchy infrastructure for philanthropy, means giving doesn’t necessarily flow from the places where wealth is created to the places where it is needed.
Our research, supported by Arts Council England, shows that people feel the strongest connection to the places where they live. In second place, they also feel a bond to the places where they were born.
Since 2018, Beacon has supported the development of two philanthropy networks to support donors to support change in the places that matter to them:
In 2023, we documented the learnings from Made in Stoke’s experience. We shared the findings with other local philanthropy networks and found out that their experience is the same.
Across the UK, local philanthropy networks are engaging new donors by telling the positive story of their places. They are supporting donors to give to places in the ways that matter to them, while also making sure these contributions are part of a bigger whole.