News on philanthropy and philanthropists from Beacon, our partners and the wider sector.
One donation, twice the impact – clearly an attractive proposition for any funder. But what is the history of match funding programmes, have they been successful in the UK, and why is the philanthropy sector now waking up to them? Alex Day writes for Beacon in this guest blog.
In line with the COP26 climate conference, Beacon and the Environmental Funders Network (with support from ACF) have launched a dedicated climate philanthropy pledge. The Individual Philanthropy Commitment on Climate Change is the world’s first of its type in the climate space and is aimed at attracting new philanthropists to use their resources in tackling the climate crisis.
A new commission into unlocking the potential of individual impact investing has been established by Beacon Collaborative and Big Society Capital. The six month commission will look at the barriers HNW individuals face in impact investing and how they can be overcome.
New polling of the UK’s millionaire population suggests wealthy individuals are sustaining their increased charitable giving levels. However, the survey – covering giving from July to September 2021 – also shows that the frequency of major gifts has fallen. We analyse the findings.
Impact investing is growing in popularity. As it does, the market is seeing new vehicles crop up which are increasingly aiming to meet investors’ needs. One such vehicle is Blue Impact Fund. We ask what these vehicles mean for philanthropists looking to increase their impact.
Determining what charitable causes you want to support is quickly followed by the problem of resource allocation. But this can be tough when the third sector often has such poor data available. In this article, MyCake founder Sarah Thelwell tackles the data issue, looking at how improvements to the charity data can help philanthropists to give better.
The UK has announced a new taskforce to provide a rocket boost to global impact investing. Chair Nick Hurd claims that the taskforce will “propose solutions to harness private capital at scale for public good.” The announcement comes as part of the UK’s G7 presidency this year.
In November 2020, the UK cut its foreign aid commitment from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. We bring attention to one consortium which is trying to assuage the damage by developing a philanthropy-backed £100m fund. However, we also point out why philanthropy cannot be a permanent fix to state-funded foreign aid.
The latest data from Beacon’s quarterly surveying of UK millionaires shows that high-net-worth charitable giving is continuing to rise steadily. It also demonstrates that the increase in philanthropy from the UK’s very wealthiest – something precipitated by Covid – is sustaining.
This article brings attention to the two individuals commended for philanthropy in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. We also explore how the inherent blending of philanthropy with other forms of charitable endeavour can often cloak substantial financial contributions made by individuals.
The Beacon Collaborative