Author Archive:
Cathy Pharoah
Is there any value in imposing annual payouts?
A recent headline-grabbing speech claimed British foundations should raise their spending through being compelled to spend a mandatory proportion of annual capital assets.The claim suggested that foundations are ‘warehousing’ assets that could be put to …
Foundations must embrace the spirit of transparency
Foundations today live in a climate of increased public distrust and increased scrutiny of major social and political agencies, and it does not look as if this is going to change any time soon. Charities …
Foundations may pay price for under‑valuing research
The need for innovation in tackling today’s unprecedented social and economic challenges is generally embraced by foundations. In stark contrast, the need for greater investment in its twin, the research essential to discovering, incubating and …
EU explores foundation support for research and innovation
The collective impact of foundation programmes and funding on a particular issue is rarely assessed, but a new initiative funded by the European Commission aims to do just this. It has commissioned the European Research …
Setting a benchmark for family foundation giving
New research[1] has for the first time compared family foundation giving in the US, the UK and the rest of Europe. It shows that at around £30.5 million, the average annual giving of the largest …
Who influences giving to international development?
Private donor support for international development has been growing steadily. UK donors now give around £1 billion per annum, equal to one-quarter of the Government’s £4 billion in ODA, yet we know little about what …
What influences giving to international development?
New UK research suggests that at times of public cynicism with governments’ international policy, NGOs and others must communicate clear and positive messages to supporters. The research is part of a programme studying what determines …
The stellar rise of the new philanthropic intermediary
Undeniably the rapid rise of a new and innovative breed of intermediaries is driving the recent rapid growth in the social investment or ‘philanthrocapitalist’ movement. These are agencies such as Venture Philanthropy Partners, Impetus, New …
Giving without frontiers
Global markets bring individuals from different nation states into ever closer economic, social and political relationships with each other. The creation of a global civil society is an integral part of these burgeoning, if as …
Global Civil Society: Dimensions of the nonprofit sector by Lester Salamon et al
Characteristically ambitious, the report on the Johns Hopkins Institute international comparative non-profit sector research is entitled Global Civil Society. Does the book live up to this promise? Does it define civil society on a global …
