This project looks at the social effects of the most significant philanthropic charity of the eighteenth century, the London Foundling Hospital, which has an enduring legacy in the form of Coram, the largest children’s charity in the UK (still funded by bequests and investments established in the Georgian and Victorian period).   The research analyses the occupational destination and life histories of nearly 6,000 children who were raised in the London Foundling Hospital and its branch institutions across England from its foundation in 1741 up to the mid-nineteenth century. Arguably the largest single experiment in providing a privately-funded welfare system before modern times, the intended and unintended consequences of large-scale charitable intervention in ‘saving’ poor children find contemporary parallels in the challenge of balancing the role of the state and private philanthropy in caring for society’s most vulnerable members.

Key researchers:

Helen Berry

This project examines the legacy of philanthropic giving in contemporary Britain. At the core of the research is a database of major gifts made to institutions and communities that continue to deliver public benefit today in the realms of culture (art, music, theatre), sport, recreation (parks, gardens and public places, education (schools, universities and colleges), religion, community welfare and research. This enables patterns and trends to be discerned and the magnitude of the enduring contribution to society to be evaluated and explained, serving as inspiration for present and future generations.

Key researchers:

Charles Harvey, Mairi Maclean, Roy Suddaby

Recognizing the lack of detailed research on the history of philanthropy in the UK outside London, the research team (which formerly also included Michael Price and Vesela Harizanova), has set about telling the story of philanthropy in North East England since the Norman conquest, divided into four sub-periods: medieval (1100 - 1500), early modern (1501 - 1750), modern (1751 - 1950), and contemporary (1951 – present). Their findings are reported in a specially created sister website Philanthropy North East.

The project has now entered into a second phase of research-based primarily on archival data and this in time will lead to significant publications and updates to the Philanthropy North East website. 

Key researchers:

Charles Harvey, Mairi Maclean and Victor Harlow.