UK: Philanthropy manifesto designed to promote giving

Baroness Usha Prashar, the new president of the Community Foundation Network, yesterday announced the establishment of a working party to draw up the manifesto.

Matthew Bowcock, philanthropist and chair of CFN, will chair the group, which will comprise half a dozen influential people, including donors, grant-makers and academics.

The group will consider how the Government can encourage voluntary sector organisations and philanthropists to promote giving locally. It will then put its ideas out to consultation before drawing up a manifesto.

Prashar said: We need to empower local people to fund and deliver change at a local level, to help release the full power and potential of voluntary activity. Governments take too few risks when it comes to philanthropy and need to be less controlling.

A spokesman for CFN said: We hope we have enough influence for the manifesto to be seen by the right people. We want the manifesto to shape the policy thinking of all the main political parties.