Philanthropic Giving by Livery Companies

There are 110 Livery Companies in London – some established many centuries ago and some which achieved livery status in the 21st century. Each of them is a unique philanthropic fellowship, whether ancient or modern, and all are dedicated to serving others. Whether firmly bound or loosely tied to a craft, trade or its successor, or linked to one of the modern professions which now predominate in the City of London, every Company has, in its own way, made its charitable work manifest – either by supporting education, research and welfare or by nurturing the skills of those actively involved.

We are pleased to be able to share the results of a recent survey of philanthropic giving by City Livery Companies. The survey collected data from all 110 Livery Companies, including the Brewers’ Company, along with 8 guilds and companies without livery.

The survey found that the aggregate annual giving of the Livery Companies was an impressive £72 million. This puts the City Livery movement as a whole among the top six grant makers in the UK. The sources of this charitable income were varied, but the survey showed that current Liverymen and Freemen donated or raised £6 million. There was also evidence of trends in charitable giving across the Livery, including a shift to a more diverse range of beneficiaries and plans to support disadvantaged groups, as well as those heavily impacted by COVID.

A summary of key findings is given below.

Overall picture. The largest categories of charitable giving are support for education and for young people more generally, with support also to a wide range of other beneficiaries including the provision of housing and care homes.

Education. At nearly £30 million, financial support for education represents the greatest proportion of overall giving. This includes support for both independent and state-maintained schools, as well as scholarships and bursaries for disadvantaged pupils and programmes supporting education and research relating to specific trades.

Other giving. Areas incorporated under ‘Other giving’ include reoffending, homelessness, arts and culture, employability, vulnerable patients, the armed services, mental health and domestic abuse.

Pro-bono and in-kind support. An increasing element of philanthropic giving is provided by the time and effort volunteered by Liverymen and Freemen. The types of such support includes:– The roles played by more than 1,000 School Governors and Charity Trustees appointed by their Livery Companies whose combined effort amounts to some 36,200 hours pa.

– The voluntary effort provided by those Members who are Trustees of their own Charitable Funds who devote some 36,400 hours pa to assessing applications and making grants.

– General volunteer support of 38,700 hours pa provided to front-line charities in a wide range of activities directly supporting beneficiaries.

– Professional volunteer support to charities in lieu of the need for commercial support.

Sources of charitable income. The total available funds derived from four main categories:

– Income from historic assets, investments or endowments – some of which are restricted to particular beneficiaries (e.g. specific schools) or defined purposes.

– Direct charitable giving by or transfers from the parent Livery Company.

– Income received from or in respect of users (such as almshouses or educational provision).

– Donations from and fundraising by Members.