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Community Foundation North East was delighted to welcome Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, Stephanie Peacock MP and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to Southwick Neighbourhood Youth Project (SNYP) in Sunderland on Monday. The Minister launched the Government’s new place‑based philanthropy plan Our Place to Give: a plan towards growing place-based philanthropy.
The plan sets out how Government intends to build stronger, long‑term partnerships with donors and philanthropic organisations to better support communities, particularly those that historically receive less charitable investment.
Community Foundation North East was involved in working groups and consultations feeding into the plan, with our own North East Roots Fund initiative featured as a case study alongside other examples from community foundations across the country.
It was fitting that the launch was hosted at Southwick Neighbourhood Youth Project who were a recipient of an unrestricted grant from the North East Roots Fund as part of our Homecoming celebrations last year.
Rob Williamson, Chief Executive at Community Foundation North East, said:
“Community foundations are an essential part of the place-based philanthropy infrastructure, so we welcome the recognition given to our network in the Government’s plan.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to convene regional leaders and partners for a roundtable discussion with the Minister, reflecting the importance of local voices in shaping national policy.”
A key focus of Our Place to Give is strengthening the connections between philanthropy and place. The plan outlines six priority actions aimed at supporting local giving initiatives, embedding a “think philanthropy” approach within major government programmes, improving how government works with donors, unlocking more philanthropic capital, strengthening advice on giving through the financial services sector, and creating a culture that better recognises and celebrates philanthropy.
The ambition is to make it easier for philanthropists to give well, for communities to access funding, and for public and private investment to work together to deliver lasting impact. Community foundations are ideally positioned to make this happen. They have the expertise and local knowledge to make giving impactful where it is needed most.
You can read Our Place to Give here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-place-to-give-a-plan-for-growing-place-based-philanthropy
