Our philanthropic clients

In the last year we have assisted clients from the world of entertainment, sport and business to begin or continue their philanthropic activities.

Philanthropy advice is an integral part of the Firm’s offering to our clients. Our Firm’s well known and established Charities practice and the world of our private and corporate clients collide within the world of philanthropy. Our experience means we are well placed to help individuals, families, entrepreneurs and forward-thinking businesses to achieve their charitable and philanthropic ambitions.

Philanthropy means different things to different people and is a term often used in the same breath as ‘charity’, but for our clients it is much deeper than simply ‘giving to charity’ and involves strategic targeting of the root cause of societal issues; giving with purpose, and monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the programmes they have funded.

Each instruction is different, and our work usually involves helping clients to decide the structure that their philanthropy will take. This can be a journey, evolving over time and in response to life events. Throughout this journey we help clients by advising on tax efficient giving and cross-border issues which may necessitate setting up charities and other entities in overseas jurisdictions.

The formulation of a philanthropic strategy can involve setting up charities registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, but clients are also curious about alternative options, such as the use of donor-advised or collective funds. We have helped many of our individual clients this year to negotiate the funding of significant and transformative projects in the UK and overseas, endow institutions, and make social investments, which generate both financial and social impact. We also advise on the day to day running of charities, including due diligence, compliance, filings, grant giving and good governance through our Charity Office services and we provide advice on family governance and succession planning, as many of our clients use philanthropy as a family activity.

This year we have helped philanthropists to set up charities focussing on (amongst other things) social exclusion, healthy recreation, sustainable development, biodiversity, mental health, disaster relief, education and equality and diversity. We have also negotiated arrangements with institutional clients, funded by philanthropists, to release significant and transformative funding into the sector, filling the funding gap and enabling the provision of services not adequately funded by the public or private sectors. This flow of private capital from experienced and entrepreneurial citizens and corporates means that innovative and pioneering new approaches can be tested, scaled and adopted by others.

This funding enriches society, contributes to the overall functioning of communities within the UK and overseas and through the principles of altruism and social justice helps to create a more equitable and sustainable world.