Promoting Philanthropy: Private Giving for the Public Good
Lifetime Gifts
The arts and heritage sector is firmly committed to promoting a culture of philanthropy. Since 1992 there has been a 25% rise in personal incomes in the UK, and personal wealth has more than doubled, and yet there has been a 25% fall in charitable giving as a percentage of GDP. By comparison, private giving in the United States, is twice that of the UK.
We feel strongly that, to support a change in the giving culture, all signals for promoting philanthropy should point in the same direction. Such an approach would include an unabashed celebration of philanthropy, public recognition of the contribution made by philanthropists, and fiscal incentives to encourage a culture of giving.
UK museums were founded through the contributions of individual philanthropists, driven by the conviction that citizens’ quality of life would be enhanced by access to important objects, imaginatively interpreted within a core educational purpose.
Building on this legacy, we are committed to promoting civic engagement and renewal through encouraging individuals to strengthen the great public collections for the benefit of all.
This commitment is shared by Government. The encouragement of the principle of giving something back is exactly aligned with the Government’s commitment to developing our individual sense of citizenship and place in society. The encouragement of a culture of individual giving in the UK is a critical component of the citizenship agenda, and to establishing mechanisms/support structures which encourage "good" citizenship from childhood.
There are a number of specific strands of activity/policy which would fulfil that agenda:
-
Incentives to encourage gifts to British collections
- Reforms to Gift Aid
- Lifetime Legacies
- Recognition
- Capacity building in the sector