Inaugural Giving and Impact Summit held at London Stock Exchange
Howard Lake | 15 October 2024 | News
The inaugural Giving and Impact Summit was held on 15 October at the London Stock Exchange.
Over 130 people attended the event, including wealth advisors, philanthropists, and government representatives, to discuss stimulating UK philanthropy. It was arranged by Integra Group, working in partnership with Beacon Collaborative and a range of partners including the London Stock Exchange, philanthropist Andrew Law and Renaissance Philanthropy.
Key speakers included Minister Sir Chris Bryant MP and Charity Commission Chair Orlando Fraser KC.
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Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild noted that only 10% of ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the UK are actively engaged in philanthropy, highlighting room for growth compared to the US.
Coinciding with the Summit, over 60 significant philanthropists signed a joint letter in the Daily Telegraph. The letter urged the Government to increase philanthropic encouragement by calling for the automation of Gift Aid to recover an estimated £564 million lost annually, and an increase in match funding for sectors such as education and the arts.
The message reinforces the vital role of philanthropy and the need for private, corporate, and governmental efforts to strengthen the social sector.
Letter to The Telegraph
The letter was published in The Telegraph on 15 October 2024. Among the signatories are Sir Paul Marshall, who topped The Sunday Times Giving List 2024, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Mark Sainsbury.
With the Giving and Impact Summit at the London Stock Exchange today, following the government’s investment summit where the Prime Minister urged more private investment into the UK, we write to highlight philanthropy’s vital role in British society and to consider ways to further support it.
The UK is a generous nation – last year £13.9bn was given to charity – but there is more that can be done. Successful entrepreneurs and wealth creators can redouble their efforts to address acute social problems, not just by donating money but also time, skills and leadership. As well as domestic philanthropists, the UK is also a magnet for philanthropists based overseas, who may wish to support our world-class universities, museums, galleries or other institutions. Philanthropy has evolved to encompass not only traditional financial support but also now impact investing and social finance.
The government should automate Gift Aid to make it simpler to use. This would hopefully reduce the money charities lose out on each year through unclaimed Gift Aid (calculated at £564 million). It can also increase its support for matched funding, whether in education, the cultural or other sectors. Furthermore, the wealth management sector can increase its training about philanthropy, so that advisers are better equipped to talk about it with their clients, whilst the corporate sector can redouble efforts on mentoring and volunteering in the charity sector.
Philanthropy has played a glorious role in the UK’s past and heritage, but we need to think carefully about how it can play a pivotal part in the UK’s future.
- Ajaz Ahmed (Founder, AKQA and ajaz.org; Trustee, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Mission 44 and Virgin Unite)
- Alex Chesterman OBE (Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist)
- Andrew Law (Chair and CEO, Caxton Associates; Founding Trustee, Law Family Charitable Foundation and Law Family Educational Trust)
- Andy Wates (Chair, Wates Family Enterprise Trust)
- Baroness Martha Lane Fox (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist)
- Brent Hoberman (Chair and Co-Founder, Founders Forum Group, Founders Factory and firstminute capital)
- Charles Gurassa, (Chair, Oxfam; Chair, The Migration Museum)
- Carol Shanahan OBE (Co-Founder, Synectics Solutions; Trustee, The Port Vale Foundation Trust and EFL in the Community; Founder, The Hubb Foundation).
- David Dangoor CBE DL (Chair, The Exilarch’s Foundation and Dangoor Education)
- Dawn Marriott (Partner, Hg Capital; Advisory Board Member, Bookmark Reading)
- Dr Shahzad Malik (Chair, MQ Mental Health Research)
- Fran Perrin OBE (Founder and Director, The Indigo Trust; Founder and Patron, 360 Giving)
- Gary Lubner (Philanthropist; Founder, This Day Charitable Foundation)
- Graham Edwards (Chair, Edwards Family Foundation; Trustee, The Pennies Foundation)
- Grant Gordon OBE (Philanthropist and Social Entrepreneur; Chair, Ethos Foundation, Childhood Trust, Distillers’ Charity and The Cabrach Trust; Co-Chair, Thrive at Five)
- Harry Hyman (Entrepreneur; Founder, International Opera Awards)
- Jennifer Viloria (Founder and CEO, IISLA Ventures)
- Jeremy Isaacs CBE (Chair, The J Isaacs Charitable Trust; Honorary Life Chair, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice)
- Joanne Black (Trustee of Benson and Lionel Black Foundation; Trustee, Regatta Foundation)
- John Booth CVO (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Chair, The National Gallery; Vice- President, The King’s Trust)
- John Caudwell (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Signatory, The Giving Pledge; Founder, Caudwell Children and Caudwell Youth charities)
- John Cotterell (Founder and CEO, Endava; Chair, Ox Delivers; Founder, Dava Trust)
- John Hartz (Co-Founder, Inflexion Private Equity; Trustee, Inflexion Foundation; Founder, Hartz Family Foundation)
- John Studzinski CBE (Founder and Chairman, Genesis Foundation)
- Judy Dewinter (Chair, Royal Free Charity; President, Myeloma UK)
- Justin Byam Shaw (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Founder, The Felix Project)
- Keith Breslauer (Philanthropist; Vice Patron, The Royal Marines Charity; Chair, PTI – formerly The Prince’s Teaching Institute)
- Lady Jill Shaw Ruddock CBE (Founder and Chair, The Second Half Foundation)
- Laurence Kirschel (Chair, Adot Foundation)
- Leo Noé (Founding Trustee, Rachel Charitable Trust; Chair, Centre for Social Justice Foundation; Trustee, Project Seed)
- Lord John Browne (Chair, Crick Institute, Courtauld Institute and John Browne Charitable Trust)
- Lord Mervyn Davies CBE (Chair, Letter One; Chair, Glyndebourne Opera House)
- Lord Michael Levy (President, Jewish Care, Sense, Barnet and Southgate College, JFS School and JLGB)
- Lord Stuart Marks CBE (Philanthropist and Technology Entrepreneur)
- Mark Adlestone OBE (Chair, Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust)
- Mark Sainsbury (Founder, Mark Leonard Trust)
- Mark Strong (Philanthropist and Art Historian)
- Martin Port (Technology Entrepreneur, Investor and Philanthropist)
- Matthew Westerman CBE (Chair, Imperial War Museum 2019-24; Chair, Clocktower Foundation)
- Meheen Rangoonwala (Global Programme Manager, Rangoonwala Foundation)
- Michael Samuel MBE (Philanthropist; Chair, Anna Freud; Chair, Somerset Community Foundation)
- Michael Welch OBE (Founder, The Welch Trust)
- Michelle Pinggera (Deputy Chair, King’s Trust International)
- Ric Lewis (Founder and Chair, The Black Heart Foundation)
- Robbie Rayne (Chair, The Rayne Trust)
- Shabir Randeree CBE (Randeree Charitable Foundation)
- Simon Turner (Co-Founder, Inflexion Private Equity; Trustee, Inflexion Foundation; Chair, The Roundhouse)
- Sir Anthony Ullmann (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Chair, Shackletons Group)
- Sir Damon Buffini (Chair, National Theatre and Royal Anniversary Trust; Co-Founder, Buffini Chao Foundation)
- Sir Harvey McGrath (Philanthropist and Social Investor; Chair, AllChild)
- Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE (Founder and Chair, Aleto Foundation; Chair, BusinessLDN)
- Sir Gerald Ronson CBE (Founder and Chairman, The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation; Founder and Chairman, Community Security Trust)
- Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Chair, Royal Opera House; Deputy Chair, Community Security Trust)
- Sir Martin Sorrell (Executive Chair, S4 Capital; Founder, WPP; Chair, JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation)
- Sir Paul Marshall (Chair and CIO, Marshall Wace; Chair, Ark Schools; Founder, the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship).
- Sir Ron Kalifa (Chair, Network International)
- Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Founder and President, Stelios Foundation; Creator and Owner, easy family of brands)
- Sir Victor Blank (Businessman and Philanthropist)
- Sonal Sachdev Patel (Trustee, GMSP Foundation; Chair, DEI committee & Trustee, Dasra UK; Trustee; Trustee, Global Fund for Children UK; Philanthropist- in-Residence, LSE)
- Stephen Brenninkmeijer (Founder, Willows Investments)
- Surinder Arora (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist; Founder and Chair, The Arora Group)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.