The Research Centre was born out of a growing awareness that the R&D capacity of the philanthropic sector is very weak. The Office of the Third Sector, with ESRC, Carnegie UK Trust and the Scottish Executive, with input from other funders and organisations in the third sector, have come together to create a national research centre designed to promote research and professional development in charitable giving and philanthropy.
It is hoped that the Centre will achieve:
- A greater knowledge base in order to promote more effective giving and spending.
- Greater understanding of the prevalence, variety, types and methods of philanthropic roles, strategies and spending.
- More effective research-based dissemination and training for policy makers and practitioners (including donors).