Achates Philanthropy Prize returns to champion new donors amidst decline in UK giving
Howard Lake | 18 May 2026 | News
The Achates Philanthropy Prize, the only national award dedicated to celebrating first-time supporters of culture, is set to return for 2026. Run by the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation, the Prize previously operated from 2016 to 2022.
The return of the Prize is accompanied by a positioning paper from the Foundation on the state of giving to the cultural sector and indeed wider charity sector.
It cites troubling statistics from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) showing six million fewer donors to charity in the UK than a decade ago. Furthermore, Arts Council data reveals a highly concentrated income stream, with nearly 40% of all private income for culture flowing to just 15 organisations in England.
The Prize is intended both to be a celebration of new philanthropic relationships and a direct call to action to address these challenges.
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Open to all cultural organisations
The Achates Philanthropy Prize is unique in that it asks cultural organisations of any size to nominate an individual, company, or trust that has supported them for the first time. The aim is to build greater awareness of the idea that anyone can be a cultural philanthropist, showcasing inspiring stories from an emerging generation of donors.
Key dates for the 2026 Prize
- Nominations from cultural sector charities open later this month, May 2026
- A shortlist will be announced in September.
- Winners will be presented at the Southbank Centre in November.
The Prize typically includes an Individual Philanthropy Award and a Corporate Award, sharing a total prize fund. In previous years, £10,000 was shared.
The winning cultural organisations receive a donation, and the winning philanthropists become custodians of a sculpture for one year.
Positioning paper: ‘The Art of Giving’
The Cultural Philanthropy Foundation‘s positioning paper, published today, is titled, ‘The Art of Giving: Why Cultural Philanthropy Matters and How to Strengthen It’.
It draws on research by Professor Beth Breeze, Rhodri Davies the Charities Aid Foundation UK
Giving Report 2026, the Arts Council England Private Investment in Culture Survey 2025, and Baroness
Hodge’s independent review of Arts Council England, among other sources.
The paper serves as a call to action, making a strong case for not only increasing the volume of cultural giving but also diversifying its sources. Crucially, the document sets out three concrete calls to action intended for four key groups: government, sector bodies, cultural organisations, and the general public.
The Foundation, led by Director Rose Goddard, intends for both the Prize and the paper to stimulate sector-wide discussion on how to foster new, resilient, and inclusive models of arts philanthropy.
- First time cultural giving celebrated with Achates Philanthropy Prize (7 June 2018)
- 2019 Achates Philanthropy Prize winners announced (21 November 2019)
- Achates Philanthropy Prize sees forst ever joint winners of individual category (11 November 2022)
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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.