DonorsFinancialNewsOCFThree donors enjoying a Philanthropy Fellowship event

The Philanthropy Fellowship, a network of community philanthropists set up to inspire a greater culture of giving in the UK, hits a milestone this December as a new report documenting great British philanthropy is published.

Thanks to generous funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, nine community foundation partnerships across the UK were able to offer extra support and development opportunities for local philanthropists. As a result, an extra £25 million in donations has been achieved, and new donor relationships for community foundations and the local causes they support have been greatly strengthened.

The Philanthropy Fellowship brought together and supported people who had purpose and passion, and wanted to make a meaningful contribution by giving their skills, time and financial resources to the most pressing social needs. Members shared a desire to be effective lifetime philanthropists, and to achieve measurable results from their giving.

Philanthropy Fellowship Thames ValleyA wide range of activities were organised via nine community foundation partnerships across the UK, facilitating opportunities for donors to meet, share, learn and become inspired. OCF donors were members of the Thames Valley Philanthropy Fellowship, and had the chance to attend events such as the Oxford Union debate, where they met like-minded people and took part in a stimulating discussion about the nature of charity and philanthropy.

To mark the success of the Philanthropy Fellowship, a ground-breaking report has been produced, edited by Dr Beth Breeze, Director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent. ‘Great British Philanthropy’ looks back at how the Fellowship was developed, profiles the great variety of fellows involved from all sorts of backgrounds, and includes a series of ‘How tos’ where community foundation staff share their insights into how to encourage and build a philanthropic community.

Caroline Mason, Chief Executive of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, has strongly praised community foundations in their willingness to share their expertise, saying: “I believe our founder would be proud of the success of this grant to the UK Community Foundations, and would wish all the donors who have been reached by the programme every success in their ongoing efforts as Great British Philanthropists.”

Download a PDF of the Great British Philanthropy Report