niFundraising

In the UK and Ireland current generations benefit greatly from a heritage of great philanthropy - however that philanthropy is rarely in support of heritage itself. Consider, for example, the support given in the UK and Ireland by a gentleman called Henry Smith of Wandsworth, England. Henry was born in 1549 and died in 1628 but he was the originator of a long and flourishing legacy of giving through what is now the Henry Smith Charity - and that is the principle reason he is remembered today. Henry was an astute businessman and left a detailed Will as to how his estate was to be administered. Indeed Henry spent much of his energy in his final years refining the details of his legacy.  As a result, his philanthropic wishes have been maintained through the centuries with a remarkable degree of consistency and continuity. We will have heard something of the heritage of philanthropy in Belfast this morning - no less evident than in the very existence of the Belfast Charitable Soci

The Department of Finance in a response to a Freedom of Information request has confirmed that not one penny has been spent in Northern Ireland from the £7.3million funds released from dormant accounts. The Department's response also reveals that the scheme has been announced four times by four Finance Ministers; Sammy Wilson, Simon Hamilton, Mervyn Storey and Máirtín Ó Muilleoir since it was enacted in 2008 . Many will ask why the fund was announced but nothing delivered. Many in the charity and social enterprise sector must also wonder why this money has not been prioritised for spending given the urgent needs they face and the huge challenges to raise enough money to keep services going. The response to the Dormant Account Scheme Consultation on Spending Priorities for Northern Ireland which closed 29 October 2009 was not published as the outcome was inconclusive. The public has not been asked since for its opinions on how - or indeed when - funding should be distributed.