Rory Brooks

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Rory Brooks CBE has launched The Giving Record, a national initiative to showcase the impact of philanthropy and encourage more charitable giving across all four nations of the UK.

The Giving Record is described as a “living online resource” that collects and shares stories of charitable initiatives and organisations showing how philanthropy changes lives and strengthens communities. It launches with twenty stories from around the country, and non-profits, communities and individuals are invited to contribute their own.

A narrowing base of donors

The organisers say the launch responds to a worrying trend. While the total donated by individuals has risen, it is coming from a smaller pool of donors: six million fewer people give to charity than ten years ago. At the same time, private wealth in the UK has never been higher, and the country faces what the organisers call history’s largest generational transfer of wealth, estimated at £5.5-7 trillion over the next three decades.

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Local government funding for charities has also fallen over the longer term, increasing the need for other sources of income, including philanthropy.

Rory Brooks said:

“We need more and better philanthropy, and to do this we need to make giving feel easier, more normal and more expected for those with the means to contribute.”

Focus on outcomes, not donors

Rather than concentrating on famous donors, large one-off gifts and individual fortunes, the initiative deliberately shifts attention to where the money goes and what it achieves. It is intended to become a national resource for charities, funders and the wider sector, and a call to action to put more private wealth to public good.

The Giving Record is a partnership between the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation, Why Philanthropy Matters and Greenwood Place, the philanthropy accelerator. Brooks established the foundation with his wife in 2005 and has served on the board of the Charity Commission since 2023, having been reappointed for a second term in March 2026. Rhodri Davies is Founder and Director of Why Philanthropy Matters.

Rhodri Davies said:

“The stories we have collected for the Giving Record make it clear that philanthropy is not a mysterious or distant phenomenon, but rather something that is happening in places and communities across the UK every day and making a real difference to all our lives.”

• Achates Philanthropy Prize returns to champion new donors amidst decline in UK giving (18 May 2026)
  
• Government sets out roadmap to spread philanthropic investment beyond London (13 April 2026)
  
• Donations from UK’s richest have fallen 20% despite their income rising (15 December 2021)