Our History
The Institute for Philanthropy was founded in 2000 by Lady Browne-Wilkinson, a partner at the City law firm of Allen and Overy and a former Chairperson of the Prince of Wales Foundation.
As the Director of the Institute, Hilary's vision was to help charities to raise funds for good causes, by providing donors with greater incentives for giving.
As she explained, 'we wanted to be a catalyst, to use our networks and knowledge to develop organisations and ideas for the benefit of British philanthropy'.
Between 2000 and 2005, under her leadership, the Institute recorded notable successes, most publicly in the form of GuideStar UK. This project was developed with the advice of Buzz Schmidt, founder and then Chief Executive of GuideStar in the US, and lead funding from HM Treasury.
Inspired by the US initiative, the Institute wanted to build a similar comprehensive, national database in the UK to provide information for donors and funders while promoting transparency and accountability in the non-profit sector.
Today, GuideStar UK is an independent organisation, which lists the details of each of the charities in the UK, numbering in total almost 170,000 in total.
Led by Hilary, the Institute also served as a forum for new ideas in philanthropy, producing research and chairing seminars and lectures on a range of issues.
It considered the role of trustees as fundraisers and donors; ethical dilemmas for charities; and tax incentives for individual giving.
During that inaugural phase, the Institute assisted the Government with its review of the legal and regulatory framework of the voluntary sector, and argued for tax incentives for gifts of shares. In 2005, Hilary retired, leaving the Institute in excellent health and poised for exciting progress.