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Who benefits from million-pound charitable donations?

Health charities, international aid/development organisations and higher education institutions are the main beneficiaries of the largest charitable donations made in the UK, according to the Coutts Million-Pound Donors Report, published 6 November.

The report, which was released during the launch of the new Centre for Philanthropy, Humanitarianism and Social Justice (CPHSJ) at the University of Kent, goes on to explain that of the 193 gifts of £1 million or more made in 2006/07, 64% were for under £3 million but 12% were for £10 million or more (with the total of all million-pound donations being £1.6 billion). The five largest donations - worth £100 million or more - were all placed into trusts and foundations for distribution at a later date, rather than given directly to charities.

Written by Beth Breeze of the CPHSJ, the Coutts Million-Pound Donors Report, the first to focus on million pound charitable donations, also includes case studies of 'million pound donors' and of charities that have received donations of this size.

Beth Breeze said: 'This research is important because there's very little reliable information about giving by the richest members of our society. We know that most people support charities, that ordinary donors give less than £30 a month and that the most popular causes are cancer research, children's charities and animal welfare. Now we know that 'million pound donors' differ not just in the scale of their gifts, but in what they choose to support and how they go about making their gifts.'

Mark Evans, Head of Philanthropy and Family Business at Coutts & Co, commented: 'We are delighted to be working with the University of Kent to help raise awareness of the contribution of million pound donors to so many different causes. This initiative reflects our own focus at Coutts where we help private clients create their own effective giving strategies. Our hope is that the Coutts Million Pound Donor Report will help to promote UK philanthropy.'

Beth Breeze added: 'Our findings show that the significance of giving and receiving million pound donations is not just about the number of noughts on the cheque. Million pound donors talk about the 'exhilarating' feeling of being able to transform lives, and recipients say gifts of this size bring a psychological boost that lifts the spirit of staff and volunteers.'

A full copy of the Coutts Million-Pound Donors Report is available to download.

Contact: mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 10:38am 7 November 2008