WELCOME to the 2020 edition of Giving. This magazine includes City A.M.’s tenth Charity Index – a ranking of the world’s top private institutional charity donors, based on independent research by nfpSynergy.

We also showcase charities, large and small, who are making a remarkable and lasting impact around the world. Needless to say, this year has been unlike any other, yet they’ve responded and adapted their work to improve lives and help communities build a better future. It’s all made possible by the generosity of funders and supporters.

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Our cover stories celebrate big league winners in every sense – top sports people who are using their voice and influence to bring about positive change and make a difference, especially for young people.

As Sir David Attenborough reminds us, the future – and the planet – belongs to the younger generation. The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown into stark relief the need for societal and economic transformation in the face of the converging climate, biodiversity and health crises. At the forefront of championing this change are charities.

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About the Charity Index

The Charity Index uses the same methodology each year to enable comparisons between rankings.

It focuses on grant-making activities by private institutional donors, which derive funds from an endowment or a single private source of revenues – be it a family, an individual, a corporation or other organisation. To be eligible for inclusion, donors must also be independent of government and not directly solicit funds from the public.

As before, the majority of donors on the list are therefore foundations. In addition, it includes private charity lotteries, as they receive income from a structural single source of revenue (proceeds from the sale of lottery tickets) and could also be compared to a foundation in their independent way of supporting grant-making and allocations.

This year’s list seeks to identify the most generous institutional private charity donors around the globe and in Europe, based on financial data published by the organisations themselves for their accounting year ending during 2019. Since the ranking reflects giving in 2019, any effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on giving levels will only become apparent in next year’s list.