John Picton

Blackstone mogul warned of 'urgent need' for AI preparedness—Now he’s turning his $48 billion fortune into a top philanthropic foundation | Fortune Stephen Schwarzman is committing his wealth to his foundation, which could become one of the largest in the world.

Blackstone mogul turning his $48 billion fortune into a top philanthropic foundation fortune.com/2026/02/16/s...

Octave Tassaert

Bill Gates: ‘I see no value in my foundation lasting more than 20 years’ The billionaire and philanthropist participated this Monday in an event marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of EL PAÍS, where he reflected on the challenges of a world in crisis

Bill Gates: ‘I see no value in my foundation lasting more than 20 years’ | Society | EL PAÍS English share.google/ccwhVnEv7ySB...

Oxfam trustee quits board over ‘cruel’ treatment of ex-boss Balwant Singh calls for regulatory intervention after Halima Begum was forced out as chief executive

"Oxfam trustee quits board over ‘cruel’ treatment of ex-boss" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

How alcohol-free venues ended up as pubs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'To maintain a gambling license, an operator must pay a percentage of earnings into a pot. That money will then be distributed by commissioners...'

www.gamblinginsider.com/in-depth/305...

Code of Fundraising Practice launched The Fundraising Regulator (FR) has issued a new Code of Fundraising Practice to take effect from 1 November 2025. It replaces the current version, which was last revised in 2019. The Code applies to f...

Code of Fundraising Practice launched: www.farrer.co.uk/news-and-ins...

Edmund Kell Unitarian Church probed over 'unaccounted-for' £290k The Southampton charity's finances are being investigated by the Charity Commission.

'In a statement the Charity Commission said it had ben engaging with the charity in April 2025 after receiving an application from its trustees to change the charity's structure.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'All sides' to blame in Prince Harry charity row, watchdog finds The Charity Commission criticises “all parties” at Sentebale for allowing a “damaging” dispute to play out publicly.

"'All sides' to blame in Prince Harry charity row, watchdog finds" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Oxfam workers protest over 'outsourcing' of jobs Unite members gathered outside Oxfam offices because of the charity's redundancy plans.

"Oxfam said its 'restructuring proposals' were to secure its financial future and 'not about a policy to replace in-house roles with non-unionised casual labour'." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK government to sue Roman Abramovich over £2.5b frozen Chelsea sale proceeds The UK government is set to launch legal action against Roman Abramovich over the £2.5 billion proceeds from the 2022 sale

“The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine." www.gistreel.com/uk-governmen...

Dundee University misses charity accounts deadline, regulator warns Dundee University's charitable status is at risk of being withdrawn after it failed to submit its annual accounts to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) by the required deadline. As a ...

"A previously leaked financial statement for 2023-24 indicated a £12 million deficit, and the former principal resigned last year after revealing a £30m budget shortfall and impending job losses." www.scottishfinancialnews.com/articles/dun...

‘Gay conversion’ Christian group appeal for charity status rejected Group linked to NI 'gay conversion' charity Core Issues Trust refused charitable status due to "political purpose" Read More »

"The Commission refused to register IFTCC on the basis that its purposes "were not exclusively charitable nor for the public benefit". www.secularism.org.uk/news/2025/05...

EXCLUSIVE: £2m St Andrews University donor who nearly pulled funds over rector ‘genocide’ remarks revealed The Courier can reveal the Wolfson Foundation was the donor “concerned” after Stella Maris accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

“No donor has influence on university governance, and it is mischievous and disingenuous to suggest otherwise." www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/5246...

Kids Company: Part of Kids Company report 'unfair', says judge In a judgement, Mr Justice Sheldon describes two paragraphs in the report as

"The fact that the report contains errors, and even a small number of irrational findings or observations, does not mean that the overall document is irrational." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'If [Campbell] succeeds, the implications for her former friend could be serious. Knowingly providing misleading information to the Charity Commission is a criminal offence that carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.' on.ft.com/44mUTBF

Diaspora Philanthropy 3.0 (SSIR) How and why funders must move beyond traditional giving

'Those of us involved in international solidarity need to look past the current retrenchment to search for new ideas and sources of resources. One of the most promising new ideas is to improve the amount and the quality of diaspora philanthropy.' ssir.org/articles/ent...

Five years on, what happened to the pandemic's mutual aid groups? From flood defence to reselling Amazon packages as a way of funding food banks, the nation's mutual aid groups are transforming.

“The thing about mutuality is it’s not based on volunteerism. It’s mutual, so it’s people helping each other to do something. The hastiness that happened over lockdown meant it might have slipped much more into a charitable model." www.bigissue.com/news/activis... #mutualaid

Prince Harry charity row: why did he resign and what is dispute about? Duke of Sussex and other trustees have quit Sentebale, while the charity’s chair accuses them of trying to oust her

'While the charity was successful, it was a kind of pet project for Harry, relying on the annual Sentebale polo cup and surviving the Covid pandemic largely through a pro bono performance by the pop star James Blunt, a friend of the previous chair.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Beset on all sides, European NGOs risk running out of money A conservative campaign against public funding for NGOs has piled on the pressure to an already beleaguered sector.

'Signs of political activity targeting nonprofits emerged last November, when the European Commission sent a stark message to over 30 NGOs: They could no longer use funds from the LIFE programme, an EU green cash pot, for advocacy.' www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article...

Human rights body criticises Luxembourg begging law Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CCDH) questions purpose of draft legislation to criminalise so-called ‘aggressive’ begging

'The Human Rights Commission also criticises the disproportionate nature of the penalties, with fines of up to €3,000 and prison sentences of up to two years [which homeless people cannot pay]'. www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/h...

Kids Company report has ‘chilling impact’ on charity sector, High Court told A two-day hearing is taking place over the Charity Commission’s February 2022 report into the collapsed children’s charity.

'The barrister later said there was a 'real possibility' the Charity Commission was “predetermined” to criticise Kids Company.' www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/k... #Kidscompany

A visit to the William Morris Society’s museum Some people have their homes turned into museums devoted to the person -- but not many get two of them, and such a person is William Morris.

'As a museum, it’s very small and doesn’t really tell you a lot about the man himself. However, it does host a modestly interesting exhibition.' www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-v...

Churchill, Chartwell & Jock the cat | lady.co.uk In continuous publication since 1885 and widely respected as England's longest running magazine for women.

'Such was Churchill’s fondness for his pet that he wrote a special bequest that a cat of the exact colour and markings [of his cat Jock] should always live at Chartwell. And that is why Jock VI has just arrived at the estate.' lady.co.uk/churchill-ch...

New scheme aims to ease regulator’s decision-making processes

'The seven commissioners, who are not full-time, were [previously] responsible for making all casework, enquiries, compliance and registration decisions and orders through a committee.' www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/new-sch...

Drake-A-Wish Foundation: The problem with celebrity philanthropy Drake heeded the signs begging for charity at his Sydney show earlier this week – but is this itself a sign of something more sinister?

'Eventually, hip hop’s own Dr Barnardo spots a sign held up by a single mother claiming to be 20 weeks pregnant. He lifts her out of the moshpit and into the VIP section and gifts her $30k. This is a good deed… right?' www.dazeddigital.com/music/articl...

Regulator finds misconduct at Birmingham Sikh TV charity The Charity Commission finds serious failings at The Sikh Channel Community Broadcasting Company.

'The chief executive was found to have acted as a de-facto trustee, and set himself a yearly unauthorised salary of £40,000.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

James Harrison, blood donor, 1936-2025 The railway worker who found his mission and saved the lives of more than 2mn babies

'The man with the golden arm, as he was dubbed, gave plasma 1, 173 times over 50 years until, to his chagrin, he was forced to stop aged 81.' on.ft.com/3QRMzC5 via @FT

Too little, too late: Charity Commission reminds General Synod of charity trustee’s safeguarding duties A miracle! The Charity Commission has finally taken public action in response to the ongoing safeguarding fiasco at the Church of England and its Archbishops’ Council. Last week, the Charity Commissio...

'The Charity Commission’s chief executive wrote to those members of the General Synod who are also charity trustees. This must mean most ... General Synod members, because membership of the General Synod comes with automatic membership of a parish’s PCC.' anglican.ink/2025/01/29/t...