Part two of Philanthropy 2035 published
Howard Lake | 10 June 2026 | News
The CIOF unveiled part two of its Philanthropy 2035 research project at Fundraising Convention last week in London.
The report, which follows on from part one published in December 2025, explores the long-term trends that will shape high-value giving and sets out the steps charities, government and sector bodies must take in order to create “a growing, impactful and sustainable philanthropic environment”.
Its findings prompted The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) to call on charities to address “the deep-rooted structural barriers to giving” if they are to unlock the next generation of philanthropic growth.
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The report focuses on five key trends that have the potential to grow and enhance philanthropy over the next decade, including:
- Strengthening infrastructure through policy and regulation
- The rise of the impact economy
- Navigating changing donor demographics
- Harnessing the power of technology
- Working with professional advisors and DAFs
Reasons to be cheerful
The findings suggest there are strong reasons to be optimistic about the future of philanthropy in the UK and points to the ‘great wealth transfer’ that could see up to £5.5 trillion passed between generations over the coming decades, creating a new cohort of philanthropists with their own giving habits and expectations.
The report highlights that, alongside this demographic shift, renewed government focus on philanthropy, including developments such as the DCMS place-based giving scheme and the Charity Commission’s plans to strengthen charitable giving infrastructure – could create major opportunities for charities to build deeper, more meaningful relationships with philanthropists that result in transformational gifts.
A decade of challenges
However, the research also acknowledges significant challenges preventing charities from reaching their full fundraising potential. Many organisations reported a lack of buy-in and investment from boards and senior leadership teams, limiting their ability to provide the personalised and tailored donor experiences needed to build long-term, trusted partnerships.
It also found that many charities lack the skills, confidence and resources needed to adopt new technologies that could improve fundraising efficiency and supporter engagement.
Claire Stanley, director of policy and communications at the CIOF, said:
“Amidst a challenging and evolving giving landscape, it is positive to see opportunities to grow high-net worth giving. Many of the challenges fundraisers and charity leaders shared with us, however, are deep-rooted in the sector and will need a fundamental step-change in how boards see, understand and support fundraising.
“These challenges cannot be solved overnight and one of the aims of our Championing Fundraising advisory panel over the course of our 10-year strategy is to fix the foundations of fundraising and change perceptions of fundraising at the highest level.
“In the meantime, we will continue to be a voice for the sector, championing fundraisers and charities in spaces aimed at growing philanthropy.”
Philanthropy 2035 part of wider ambition
Philanthropy 2035 forms part of the CIOF’s wider ambition to strengthen the future of fundraising and ensure charities are equipped to build sustainable, long-term relationships with supporters in an increasingly complex giving environment.
You can access Philanthropy 2035 part 2: Trends that will shape philanthropy over the next decade from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
Part one examined the current state of UK philanthropy and identified the need for a stronger culture of relationship-based fundraising, greater board-level understanding of fundraising, and stronger collaboration across the philanthropic ecosystem. You can read more about it at Introducing Philanthropy 2035.
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.