Welcome to the September 2008 issue of the Philanthropy UK Newsletter. The exciting news to report is that the Government’s Office of the Third Sector has renewed its strategic grant to Philanthropy UK through 2011. This is important recognition of Philanthropy UK’s work, and we are grateful to OTS for their sustained support, which enables us to further improve this Newsletter for our readers – one such improvement we highlight below.

Reflecting our increasingly global readership – we are now read in over 60 countries – our theme this issue is ‘International Philanthropy’. Through the perspectives of our expert contributors, we explore emerging trends in philanthropy in six countries and regions across the globe: Brazil, India, the Middle East, Russia, South Africa and Turkey.

We also offer some tips for UK donors seeking to support overseas projects, while Doug Miller, chairman of the European Venture Philanthropy Association, talks about the challenges and opportunities for philanthropy in Europe in this issue’s Interview. We are also very pleased to welcome Sir Trevor Chinn’s contribution, who reflects on the influence of Jewish teaching in his lifetime of giving and, as chairman of the new Mayor’s Fund for London, highlights the important role of philanthropy in tackling the complex problem of poverty in the city.

Now that the stories we have been covering in this quarterly Newsletter as ‘Giving news’ are included in our fortnightly News Bulletin, one of the improvements we are making to ensure the topicality of our content is to move ‘Giving News’ to the Bulletin, which itself keeps you abreast of current philanthropy news, events, and other resources in the UK and internationally.

Wherever you are on your own philanthropic journey, we want Philanthropy UK to continue to be a useful guide and valuable source of support and encouragement for you. This Newsletter could not exist without the willingness of all our guest contributors to share their ideas and knowledge, and we are very grateful to them for their help and support.

We always welcome feedback and ideas from our readers, so if you would like to comment on this issue, or contribute an original article, please email us at editor@philanthropyuk.org.

Best wishes,

Susan Mackenzie
Managing Editor