Growing place-based giving – what have we learned so far?
21 August 2020
CAF recently hosted an event on “The role of place based giving in rebuilding communities post Covid-19”, which saw a fascinating discussion among a panel of speakers who brought a wide range of perspectives and insight, including the current Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran MBE.
The event marked the publication of a series of reports detailing the findings from the Growing Place-Based Giving Fund; which CAF delivered on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). These were a main report, as well as two short reports aimed at those who are interested in setting up a place-based giving scheme in their area, and at funders who want to support these schemes).
The Growing Place-Based Giving Fund programme was set up following the publication of the Government’s Civil Society Strategy in 2018, and provided £100,000 of funding to six place-based giving schemes in England, alongside additional support and capacity building from CAF and an external steering group we convened for the project.
CAF has been exploring the potential of “civic philanthropy” for a number of years. Our starting point for this interest is a recognition that many towns, cities and regions around the UK have suffered a long-term post-war decline as traditional industry and manufacturing have disappeared; and that as a result many are seeking to reinvent and recalibrate their economic and social identities for the future.
Philanthropy, however, has been notably absent from these discussions; despite the fact that many of the places in question have rich histories of local giving.
We are keen to keep exploring, therefore, what role place-based giving and philanthropy can play in the re-imagination of places for the 21st Century, and this event provided some great insights and food for thought.