Almost half of the British public believe high-net-worth individuals have a duty to donate to charity, according to new research unveiled at the third Giving and Impact Summit, where more than 140 philanthropists, wealth advisers, business leaders and government representatives gathered at the London Stock Exchange to discuss the future of UK philanthropy.
The survey, commissioned by the Charities Aid Foundation for the summit, found that 71% of people believe philanthropy is important to UK society, while 63% view philanthropists positively. Around 45% said wealthy individuals have a responsibility to support charitable causes, compared with 23% who disagreed.
Hosted by Integra Group in partnership with KKR, the summit explored how to increase philanthropic giving through greater participation from high-net-worth individuals, innovative funding models and stronger collaboration between charities, business and government.
Keynote speakers included Karan Bilimoria, Stephanie Peacock and Sarah Brown, alongside philanthropists James Reed, Rasha Saïd, Daria Bukhman and Badr Jafar.
Lord Bilimoria said philanthropy should play a central role in strengthening communities, supporting innovation and addressing society's biggest challenges, while Peacock highlighted the government's new Our Place to Give strategy to encourage place-based philanthropy.
Sarah Brown noted that private giving has now overtaken government grants as the largest source of funding for UK charities, calling it "a responsibility" for today's philanthropists. James Reed, Chair of The Big Give, argued that generosity should be viewed as "a joy rather than a duty", urging more wealthy individuals to maximise the impact of their giving through match-funding initiatives.
