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Philanthropy - Association of Charitable Foundations
Philanthropy UK
Alongside our work with established trusts and foundations, ACF also supports the development of philanthropy and charitable giving through our project, Philanthropy UK.
In 2006 ACF was awarded a three-year, strategic grant from the Office of the Third Sector to further fund Philanthropy UK's work in promoting effective giving. Philanthropy UK is one of five strategic partners selected for this new funding stream, which we believe underscores government’s commitment to promoting charitable giving, as laid out in its manifesto A Generous Society.
Philanthropy UK has three main aims:
- Inspire new givers
- Inform and share knowledge and best practice with all those involved in giving; and
- Connect givers to charities, networks and sources of advice and information. Philanthropy UK is the starting point for people who wish to give effectively, develop their knowledge and share experience.
Philanthropy UK publishes a free, quarterly newsletter on developments in philanthropy and A Guide to Giving, a handbook for philanthropists.
Find out more by visiting the Philanthropy UK website.
Setting up a Charitable Grant-making Trust
A charitable trust or foundation is a legal organisation that can be set up by anyone who has decided that they want to set aside some of their assets or income for charitable causes. Charities can also be formed as companies or unincorporated associations.
You do not need a large amount of money to set up a simple personal charitable trust. Often, the first endowment is a lump sum from a bonus, an inheritance or the sale of shares.
There are several ways of setting up a trust, but the basic model depends upon:
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a donor or "settlor" (this could be you, your family, or your business)
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trustees (who hold and control the trust's assets)
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charitable purposes (which establish the type of causes the trust will support)
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a trust deed (which forms the trust's constitution)
Further information about charitable trusts can be found on the Philanthropy UK website, in A Guide to Giving - a handbook for individuals and organisations who want to support charities and good causes effectively.
Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy
The successful bids to establish the UK’s first independent, multidisciplinary, Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy have been announced (7 November 2007), with Professor Jenny Harrow from Cass Business School named as the Director of the new Centre.
Established and funded by The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Office of the Third Sector (OTS) in the Cabinet Office, the Carnegie UK Trust and the Scottish Government, the Centre will receive a total joint investment of £2.2m over 5 years, and will support high-quality independent research aimed at influencing policy and practice decisions in the UK as well as developing the necessary evidence base to better understand charitable giving and philanthropy issues.
Professor Jenny Harrow and her team at City University have been selected to run the main hub of the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy. In addition, City has been allocated one of the spokes of the new centre, which is to focus on research into institutionalised giving structures.
Full details of all the successful bids are available on the ESRC website.
