Posts tagged university philanthropy
Philanthropic funding can be a risky game for universities
Philanthropic funding can be a risky game for universities

The University of Oxford’s relationship to the tainted Sackler family’s charitable trusts speaks to the challenge of donor risk management across a complex institution which is both a world-class research university and a treasured United Kingdom institution.

The most recent outcry follows a Financial Times investigation into solicitations made to the Sackler family, former owners of Purdue Pharma, which in 2020 agreed a settlement of more than US$8 billion over its role in fuelling the United States opioid epidemic. Purdue Pharma was owned by members of the Sackler family until it was dissolved in 2021 in the wake of the scandal.

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Andrew WigleyUniversity of Oxford, Sackler family, Sackler family philanthropy, US Congress, opioid epidemic, donor risk management, philanthropy, university philanthropy, fundraisign, fundraising
Are we on the cusp of a golden era in British philanthropy?
Are we on the cusp of a golden era in British philanthropy?

Who are the new philanthropists to emerge in 2020? What are the new grant-making charitable trusts and foundations established in 2020? Over 1,700 foundations and trusts were established during the pandemic with the primary purpose of serving as a grant-making institution according to our UK Grant Makers 2020 study. The conclusions of this research provide an important indication of philanthropic intention during last year’s Covid pandemic.

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Andrew Wigleyphilanthropy, university philanthropy, higher education, new grant-makers, Charitable trusts, charitable foundations, Association of Charitable Foundations, Charity Commission, Matt Moulding, Zandra Rhodes, Penelope Keith, High Net Worth Individual, High Net Worth wealth, Economic recession
Riding high: The role of university charitable trusts in UK fundraising
Riding high: The role of university charitable trusts in UK fundraising

According to our latest research, there are now 85 university charitable foundations in the UK, established by non-UK universities in over 20 countries. Between 2014-19 these charitable trusts received over £342.5m ($460m) from UK based philanthropic giving, and 2019 was the most successful year yet, collectively reporting 37% growth over 2018 income. And we know this doesn’t reflect the full picture of university charitable fundraising.

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Andrew WigleyUniversity, Charitable trusts, Foundations, University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pennsylvania, Weizmann Institute, UK fundraising, tax relief, Gift Aid, Wolfson Foundation, Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion University, Stanford University, Hebrew University, Haifa University, Israel, United States, South Africa, Makerere, Higher education, university philanthropy, university fundraising, university
University funding by the UK's top 100 foundations: English imperialism but science rules
University funding by the UK's top 100 foundations: English imperialism but science rules

Which are the leading UK foundations in university philanthropy? And who is giving where? The patterns and behaviours of the leading foundations is an important indicator. We researched the giving of the Association of Charitable Foundations top 100 foundations, looking primarily at which organisations were funding universities and higher education institutions outside the UK. This is the second year we have undertaken this study, so we now have a pattern building of international university philanthropy by the UK’s leading charitable foundations.

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Andrew Wigleyuniversity, philanthropy, university philanthropy, philanthropic patterns of giving, foundations, UK, Association of Charitable Foundations, Top foundations, Top 100, Monash University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Cape Town
On the rise: The UK’s top philanthropists and higher education
On the rise: The UK’s top philanthropists and higher education

Who are Britain’s leading philanthropists to universities? And which of those philanthropists are giving to universities outside the UK. These are some of the questions we have attempted to answer in our second annual review of philanthropic funding to universities and higher education institutions by Britain’s top 200 philanthropists as identified by the Sunday Times / Charities Aid Foundation Giving List. We echo the remarks of Mark Greer, one of the authors of the Giving List, who points out that there is a clear increase in philanthropists giving to higher education.

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Andrew Wigleyphilanthropy, university philanthropy, philanthropists, Giving List, Sunday Times, Charities Aid Foundation, Top philanthropists, University funding, Sir Len Blavatnik, Clive Calder, Michael Moritz, Lord Rothschild
History and Hungary: George Soros and his university philanthropy

At UniversityPhilanthropy.com we wanted to understand which institutions George Soros’ network of foundations was funding, and where are they. What we hadn’t appreciated is just how complex an undertaking that would be. The challenge is the highly devolved and disparate character of Soros’s philanthropic efforts. Said to be operating in over 120 countries, there are different foundations in different geographies.

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Andrew WigleyGeorge Soros, Open Society Foundations, Foundation to Promote Open Society, Hungary, Central European University, Bard College, Leo Botstein, Michael Ignatieff, Viktor Orbán, John Shattuck, Universities, University, philanthropy, philanthrocapitalism, university philanthropy, Higher education, Soros, Soros Fund Charitable Foundation, Open Society Institute, Soros Economic Development Fund, Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, University of Oxford, American University of Central Asia, CIVICA university network, London School of Economics, Open Society Justice Initiative, American University, Arizona State University, American University of Bulgaria
Philanthro-capitalism and universities: Enabler or ossifier?
Andrew Wigleyuniversity, philanthropy, university philanthropy, philanthrocapitalism, higher education, philanthropic culture, philanthropic patterns of giving, Paul Vallely, elite, elite institutions, Oxford, Harvard, University of Oxford, University of Cape Town, Africa, UK, US, Ivy League, Carnegie, Mellon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, High Net Worth Individual, Ultra High Net Worth Individual, Millionaires, University of Kent Centre for Philanthropy, Coutts