Looking for the latest sector news? Catch up on what’s happening across the world of funding, philanthropy, and research with the latest updates from Team SG’s busy research team.

Latest sector news

Philanthropy Meets Parliament Summit 

In October 2023 there was a crucial and productive meeting called Philanthropy Meets Parliament Summit which was organised by Philanthropy Australia to discuss the goal of doubling philanthropic giving by 2030. There have been many articles written by attendees and speakers from the event. Some of the topics include: a National Giving Campaign; expanded networks of community foundations; and superannuation bequests.

Here are just a few of the articles that have been produced discussing this event, including our own summary: 

https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-philanthropy-australia-philanthropy-meets-parliament

https://grattan.edu.au/news/collaborating-for-impact-the-role-of-government-and-philanthropy-in-building-australias-leading-think-tank/

https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/the-double-giving-agenda-across-the-political-spectrum/

https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/philanthropy-meets-parliament-canberra-summit-philanthropy-is-on-the-move/

https://www.strategicgrants.com.au/2023/10/27/philanthropy-meets-parliament/

Superannuation and donations 

As part of Australia’s goal to double philanthropic giving by 2030, many ideas have been circulating. One that has been in the news of late is for the Australian Government to look at the ability of allowing donations from superannuation accounts once someone has passed away. Super bequest reform has the potential to increase giving to charity by as much as $21.9 billion per year by 2060. At the moment, to leave superannuation money to a charity, the superannuation account must be directed to the estate, then stated separately in the will that they want to donate funds to charity. This topic has been covered by many in both the philanthropic field as well as the financial industry.  

An overview of resources: 

https://www.philanthropy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Making-Giving-Easy-report-October-2023.pdf

https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/super-reform-can-transform-charitable-giving-in-australia/

https://www.afr.com/wealth/superannuation/donating-from-super-could-raise-22b-a-year-for-charities-20231023-p5ee8s

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/superannuation-has-become-a-wealth-vehicle-keneally-20231023-p5ee7p

https://smsmagazine.com.au/news/2023/10/24/super-reform-can-unlock-billions-for-charity/

https://www.afr.com/wealth/superannuation/donating-from-super-could-raise-22b-a-year-for-charities-20231023-p5ee8s

People power key to piecing together the philanthropy puzzle 

A summary of the Future Generation Summit, this article from the Institue of Community Directors Australia delves into questions around expanding philanthropy and generosity that is always evident around emergencies, and how we may transfer this good will to ongoing needs.  

Read the article: https://communitydirectors.com.au/articles/people-power-key-to-piecing-together-the-philanthropy-puzzle  

Charitable Sector Insights – An introduction to social return on investment across Aotearoa NZ 

This report investigates social value and social return on investment in the New Zealand charitable sector. Over 100 programmes were analysed across 84 organisations. It explores scale, social value, cost and reports on broad impact, deep impact and balanced impact. 

Read more: https://impactlab.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jarden-ImpactLab-Charitable-Sector-Report-2023.pdf  

How charitable are the richest Americans? 

Heading over the other side of the world, America’s wealthiest people also rank among the nation’s biggest philanthropists, donating billions toward cures for disease, college endowments and climate initiatives. But how generous are the super-rich, really? Not very, according to The Forbes Philanthropy Score 2023. The members of the 2023 Forbes 400 list have collectively given more than $250 billion to charity, by our count—less than 6% of their combined net worth. 

Read the article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2023/10/03/the-forbes-philanthropy-score-2023-how-charitable-are-the-richest-americans/?sh=30d10ea1eccc  

World giving 

Charities Aid Foundation have released their 2023 World Giving Index, the world’s leading study on global generosity. Their key findings indicate that the increase in global giving seen during the pandemic has been broadly maintained. Indonesia is the world’s most generous country for the 6th year in a row; New Zealand rounded out the top ten and Australia ranked 14th.  

Read the full report: https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/research/caf-world-giving-index  

As always, the Strategic Grants team are here to help with all your grant-seeking needs, including building a customised grants calendar for your non-profit which includes Trusts, Foundations and Public and Private Ancillary Funds. Find out more about our grants database GEMS, and sign up for your free demo, here. For more sector news, visit our blog.