Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Government to unlock philanthropic investment into England’s most disadvantaged communities, published on 13 April 2026, whether her Department plans to publish regular reports on the outcomes of the initiative.

The 'Our Place to Give' plan, published on 13 April 2026, sets out actions the Government will take to increase philanthropic investment across England. It specifically targets regional disparities, as data indicates London currently receives over a third of all funding from the largest philanthropic foundations and four times the value of Gift Aid donations compared to the UK average.

Departmental assessments identified several barriers preventing high-net-worth individuals from increasing their charitable giving. These include:

• difficulty in identifying and developing relationships with local organisations, particularly in deprived areas;

• limited access to information regarding the specific impact of donations;

• lack of integration of philanthropy into wealth planning; and

• challenges effectively partnering with the Government.

The plan responds to these barriers. We will convene a network of regional philanthropic ambassadors to broker better links between donors and communities, establish a working group to improve philanthropic wealth advice and have developed a toolkit for Members of Parliament to help them convene local giving opportunities.

Regarding Essex, the Essex Community Foundation remains a vital partner, having awarded over £3.8 million to local causes last year. While specific trends for Essex show a strong foundation of local giving, the Department is taking steps to ensure all high-deprivation areas in the county benefit from the new national framework. Our £1 million Community of Practice support programme will be open to organisations across Essex. This funding aims to help local organisations share expertise, attract new investment, and create sustainable growth.

The Department plans to monitor the outcomes of 'Our Place to Give' as part of its wider work through the Office for the Impact Economy. We will provide initial updates on the progress of the plan and the allocation of the Community of Practice funding by Summer 2026.