The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published a “roadmap” to boost place-based philanthropy in England, backed by £1m of funding.
Through its Our Place to Give plan, published today, DCMS aims to make it easier for the wealthiest in society to give back to local communities.
To achieve this, the roadmap details three “pillars”, which are connecting philanthropy with place, establishing better philanthropic partnerships, and unlocking further philanthropic investment.
It will use the £1m of funding over three years to work alongside a third party to help set up a community of practice (CoP), a group which DCMS will invite existing place-based giving (PBG) initiatives to join.
DCMS also plans to convene a set of place-based philanthropy ambassadors and will invite “philanthropists and high-profile representatives from the philanthropy sector with experience of place-based giving” to form an initial group covering each region in England.
It will then ask the ambassadors to engage with government on their experiences of match-funding at a national and local level.
The sector had previously called for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to require wealth advisers to undertake training advice on philanthropic giving.
However, DCMS has since concluded that “bringing advice on philanthropy into the scope of FCA regulation would increase costs and administrative burdens for providers” and therefore decided against it.
Instead, the department, in partnership with the Office for the Impact Economy, “will establish a joint working group with representatives from key financial services and philanthropy organisations to further explore this issue”.
Civil society minister Stephanie Peacock said the roadmap, plans for which were announced by culture secretary Lisa Nandy in late 2024, “will help philanthropists across the country support local causes they are passionate about.
“By better connecting generous individuals with local organisations at the heart of their communities, we can unlock a new wave of giving that reaches every corner of the country.”
‘The key will be taking a more joined-up approach’
Ceri Edwards, executive director of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, said of the new plans: “The chartered institute welcomes DCMS’s roadmap to grow philanthropy.
“With major giving already increasing, this is the right moment to build the support and infrastructure that helps high-net-worth individuals make a bigger difference in their communities.
“If delivered properly, this roadmap could increase both the amount and reach of giving across the UK. The key will be taking a joined-up approach - bringing government, philanthropists and civil society together around a shared goal, rather than treating them as separate parts of the system.
“It’s particularly positive to see DCMS acting on what our members have been saying, especially the need to build a culture that recognises and values generosity. That matters, because people are more likely to give when it’s visible, understood and supported.”
Emma de Closset, chief executive of UK Community Foundations, said: “Our Place to Give sets out a welcome ambition to help philanthropists support the places that shaped them, working with trusted local partners who know what works.
“By recognising the role of community foundations in catalysing place-based giving, the roadmap strengthens the connections between donors, communities and the local organisations enabling change on the ground.”
Carol Mack, CEO of the Association of Charitable Foundations, said: “This roadmap sends a clear signal that government understands it has a key role to play in helping place-based generosity go further, in every corner of the country.
“Philanthropic foundations already make a real difference in local communities, but deep geographic inequalities persist. By working closely with philanthropists – both institutions and individuals – government can benefit communities across England.”
