# Government sets out roadmap to spread philanthropic investment beyond London

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/04/13/government-sets-out-roadmap-to-spread-philanthropic-investment-beyond-london/
- Published: 2026-04-13T13:06:03+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The UK government has published a new strategy to direct more philanthropic giving
to England’s most disadvantaged communities, with particular focus on reducing the
concentration of funding in London and the South East.**

_Our Place to Give: a roadmap to grow place-based philanthropy_, published today
by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), sets out a three-pillar plan
to connect donors with local causes, build stronger partnerships between philanthropists
and public bodies, and unlock further investment into underserved areas.

## The problem the roadmap is trying to solve

Despite an estimated £14 billion being donated to charity across the UK in 2025 (
[Charities Aid Foundation, UK Giving 2026](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/16/public-donations-down-nearly-10-percent-2024-25/)),
the benefits have not been shared equally. London currently receives more than **
a third of all funding from the largest philanthropic foundations**, and **four 
times the value of Gift Aid donations** compared to the UK average.

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At the same time, the opportunity is significant. By 2050, between £5 trillion and
£7 trillion is expected to pass from older to younger generations in the UK. Sector
research estimated that **if all high-net-worth individuals donated 1% of their 
investible assets** (compared to the current 0.4%), an additional £12 billion would
flow to charities annually.

## What the roadmap commits to

The plan, which covers **England**, is backed by **£1 million of government funding
over three years**, allocated from 2026/27, with DCMS setting out full allocation
details by Summer 2026.

Key commitments include:

 * A community of practice to help organisations across England share expertise,
   attract investment, and build sustainable economic growth.
 * A network of regional philanthropic ambassadors will be appointed to broker connections
   between philanthropists, communities, and government.
 * The government will also work with the financial services sector to embed philanthropic
   advice into wealth management, noting that 81% of high-net-worth individuals 
   say it is very or extremely important for financial advisers to raise philanthropy
   proactively, yet only a third have experienced their advisers doing so (Barclays,
   2025).
 * A [new toolkit](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-place-to-give-a-plan-for-growing-place-based-philanthropy)
   is also being launched for MPs to help them champion local giving and create 
   environments for generosity in their constituencies.

## Three pillars

The roadmap is structured around three pillars:

 * connecting philanthropy with place;
 * establishing better philanthropic partnerships;
 * and unlocking further investment.

It sits within the government’s wider impact economy agenda, driven by the new Office
for the Impact Economy, and is **intended to complement the £5.8 billion [Pride in Place programme](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pride-in-place-40-neighbourhoods-join-transformational-programme)**.
This is the UK government’s initiative to invest into hundreds of disadvantaged 
neighbourhoods over 10 years.

The report features an introduction by **Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport,
Tourism, Civil Society and Youth**, who says:

“Our vision is to build an ambitious, long-term partnership with philanthropists
to deliver tangible and lasting renewal that is both felt and seen within our communities.
This will represent a fundamental shift and a genuinely new approach to working 
together…

“We will make it easier for partnerships to flourish at both the national and regional
levels. We will work to foster an environment of mutual respect and trust, ensuring
philanthropic voices are brought into the early stages of policy design and implementation,
utilising their expertise, insight and experience to tackle some of the most pressing
and challenging societal issues across this country”.

## Case studies

The roadmap features a range of case studies. These include:

 * the **North East Roots initiative**, launched in 2023 by the Community Foundation
   North East, which manages the UK’s largest Community Foundation endowment, exceeding
   £100 million.
 * the **Rigby Foundation’s Inspiring Futures programme**, a £3 million partnership
   developed in consultation with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and
   Birmingham City Council, in which 10 local schools and colleges are paired with
   leading charities for three years.
 * **London’s Giving**, a network of place-based giving initiatives, that in 15 
   years has grown from one to over 25 initiatives across the capital.
 * **the Vardy Foundation** partnered with the match-funding platform **Big Give**
   to provided £101,000 in match funds to create a **geographically restricted allocation**
   within the national Christmas Challenge campaign. The fund raised a total of 
   £479,000 for 15 North East charities, achieving a 4.7x multiplier through public
   donations and Gift Aid.
 * **Bath Women’s Fund** is a philanthropic giving circle that demonstrates how 
   collective action can effectively direct capital toward localised social challenges.
   Founded in late 2018, the initiative operates on a democratic ‘pooled funding’
   model where members contribute monthly, typically £25 – to award significant 
   annual grants to local organisations supporting women and girls. It has grown
   to 84 active members.

 

## Sector response

The roadmap has drawn broad support from organisations across the charitable and
philanthropic infrastructure.

**Mark Greer, Managing Director of the Charities Aid Foundation**, welcomed the 
strategy as “a much needed step towards reviving giving up and down the country”,
adding that the government’s recognition of philanthropic infrastructure “must be
the starting point to strengthen and grow this crucial layer of the giving ecosystem.”

**Carol Mack OBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Charitable Foundations**,
said the 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”, while noting that deep geographic inequalities persist despite the significant
work foundations already undertake locally.

**Emma de Closset, CEO of UK Community Foundations**, said the roadmap “strengthens
the connections between donors, communities and the local organisations enabling
change on the ground”, and welcomed the recognition of community foundations’ role
in catalysing place-based giving.

**Cath Dovey CBE of New Philanthropy Capital** said the plan recognised “the importance
of local knowledge and deep commitment to supporting communities to thrive”, and
called for greater partnership between government, local authorities, charities,
and donors to amplify philanthropic impact.

From philanthropists themselves, **Steve Rigby, Chair of The Rigby Foundation**,
drawing on his family’s charitable experience in the West Midlands, described the
roadmap as providing a clear pathway for unlocking investment into communities.

[**John Nickson**](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/04/john-nickson-book-civil-society-defend-democracy/),
who co-funded a pilot in one of Blackpool’s poorest wards, said it demonstrated 
what place-based philanthropy can achieve when local charities, schools, and businesses
work together, with the project now being expanded across Blackpool with National
Lottery support.

**Rory Brooks, Chair of the Philanthropist Reference Group** and Board Member of
the Charity Commission for England and Wales, called it “a landmark announcement”,
noting that it “builds on and celebrates the UK’s strong philanthropic tradition
and regulatory framework.”

**Nathan Gamester, Managing Director of the CSJ Foundation** said: “The ‘Our Place
to Give’ roadmap rightly recognises that the most important ideas for tackling poverty
and social breakdown come from local, grassroot experts, and that philanthropy is
at its most effective when it backs these social entrepreneurs long-term.

“This is what we see day in, day out at the CSJ Foundation through our alliance 
of 1,000 grassroots charities, and what we called for in our latest policy report,
[Supercharging Philanthropy](https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/superchargingphilanthropy),
informed by 220 philanthropists across the UK and backed by some of Britain’s biggest
donors.

He was pleased to see the Foundation’s policy recommendations reflected in the roadmap,“
including implementing a ‘think philanthropy’ approach, the strategic use of match
funding, convening place-based philanthropy ambassadors, and strengthening the provision
of philanthropic advice in the financial service sector”.

## The Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s response

Ceri Edwards, Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, welcomed
the roadmap and pointed to the importance of implementation:

> “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.”

Edwards also noted that the roadmap reflected what the Chartered Institute’s members
have been raising, particularly the need to **build a culture that “recognises and
values generosity”**, on the grounds that visible, understood, and supported giving
encourages more giving.

## Next steps

“To ensure accountability”, DCMS states that it will update on its progress in delivering
this roadmap to the Impact Economy Inter-Ministerial Board. DCMS will also “use 
the board to work with other government departments and highlight opportunities 
for departments to support the objectives and outcomes of the roadmap’.

It also states that its work in this regard will be based on three principles:

 * The government will not, and should not, seek to dictate how philanthropists 
   choose to pursue their giving, and the causes they support (sometimes known as
   the principle of additionality).

 * Philanthropy can play a complementary role to public money, but is not a substitute
   for state funding.

 * DCMS recognises that local and on-the-ground partners are best placed to make
   decisions about their own communities.

## Delivery remains the test

Steve Morgan CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation, perhaps put
it most directly: “We know place-based giving works because we’ve been doing it 
for 25 years. Now the job is making sure this roadmap leads to real investment, 
not just good intentions.”

**[Our Place to Give: a roadmap to grow place-based philanthropy](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-place-to-give-a-roadmap-towards-growing-place-based-philanthropy/our-place-to-give-a-roadmap-towards-growing-place-based-philanthropy)
is available in full at gov.uk.**