Sunday Times Rich List reaction 2011
According to the Sunday Times rich list 2011, ‘Britain’s super-rich are making light of the age of austerity, achieving an 18% rise in their collective wealth over the past year.’ The 1,000 multimillionaires quoted in this year’s rich list are reportedly £60.2 billon wealthier than they were in 2010. The same cannot be said for [...]
What now for Arts fundraisers?
In December 2010, when Jeremy Hunt announced plans to promote philanthropy amongst the arts, including his £80m matched fund scheme and ‘year of corporate giving’, two-thirds of arts companies welcomed the government’s plans, with 85% of the music and opera sectors strongly favouring the initiative. So, four months on – how are developments unfolding? Research [...]
Philanthropist of the month – Sir Steve Redgrave MBE CBE
Five times Olympian gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave is one of the greatest athletes to grace sport. Redgrave has recently set a new milestone in charitable fundraising earning the title of the London Marathon’s top celebrity fundraiser. Redgrave raised well over £1.7m for the Steve Redgrave Trust from his participation in the 2006 Flora London [...]
Philanthropist of the Month: Dame Vivian Duffield
Dame Vivien Duffield has once again demonstrated unsurpassed generosity for the arts. Her recent donation of £8.2 million announced last week to 11 organisations throughout England includes grants exceeding £1m destined respectively to The National Theatre, Tate Britain and the RSC. Currently serving as chairman of the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund, Director of the [...]
Budget it or fudge it?
Last week, George Osbourne announced the second budget of his chancellorship, introducing new changes to benefit the charity sector: • From April 2013, changes to Gift Aid will allow charities to claim Gift Aid on £5,000 worth of donations without the need for signed declarations. • By April 2012, there is to be a 4% drop in [...]
2011 – desperation in corporate philanthropy?
The Financial Times informs us that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to send handwritten letters to a number of FTSE 100 chief executives in a bid to coax corporate investment into the arts and ‘offset culture budget cuts’. As part of his drive to make 2011 the Year of Corporate Giving, Mr Hunt wishes to [...]
Slim pickings?
Forbes magazine recently published 2010’s World’s Rich List results and, for the first time since 1994, an American has been demoted from top spot. Microsoft’s Bill Gates, worth $53.5 billion, has been usurped by Carlos Slim – a Mexican, with a vast telecommunications empire. Given that Gates has become king of the philanthropists, diverting his [...]
Big boys and minnows
The National Theatre has announced that it is to offer free guidance to two regional theatres in a pilot scheme designed to “unlock local philanthropy”. This arrangement is in line with Arts Council England recommendations that major institutions should be ‘required to take on greater responsibility for the sector.’ For what it’s worth, it is [...]
A League of Bankers?
Last week The Times announced plans by the UK government ‘to embarrass banks and their staff into donating more to charities by producing a league table of bankers’ donations.’ The newspaper claimed that sources within the government believe that in compiling a league table of charitable donations from staff bonuses, this would encourage bankers to [...]
U2 – music and philanthropy legends
This week it was announced that Irish Band U2 have helped to fund a nationwide music education project in Ireland. Music Generation will give 10,000 children over the next three years opportunities to receive a musical education that would otherwise pass them by. The €7 million programme is to be funded by U2’s €5 million [...]
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