Family Foundations Giving Trends 2014 Report

This is the sixth annual edition of Family Foundation Giving Trends. It provides an uptade on annual charitable spending by the top 100 family foundations - a key indicator of the contribution of UK philanthropists, past and present. The report has been revised as part of a new series of foundation briefings published by ACF and CGAP with support from Pears Foundation. Foundations may be funded through families, individuals, family businesses, companies, government, or fundraising, and this report specifically focuses on family foundations

Women in Australian politics: Mothers only need apply

When Julia Gillard considered running for the leadership of the Australian Labor Party in early 2005, her political enemies immediately raised three reasons for opposing her: she is female, single and without children. These criticisms prompted a flurry of discussion in the media about the relevance of a person’s family situation to their ability to work effectively in politics. This article examines the treatment of female politicians by the press over the more than 80 years since the first woman appeared in any Australian parliament. It finds that there continues to be pressure on women to continue in the traditional roles of wife and mother, while more recently, female politicians have had to contend with an extra layer of coverage concentrating on their sexual attributes

Family Foundation Giving Trends 2014

This is the sixth annual edition of Family Foundation Giving Trends. It provides an update on annual charitable spending by the top family foundations -- a key indicator of the contribution of UK philanthropists, past and present The report has been revised as part of a new series of foundation briefings published by ACF and CGAP with support from Pears Foundation Foundations may be funded through families, individuals, family businesses, companies government, or fundraising, and this report specifically focuses on family foundations

Giving Trends Top 300 Foundation Grant-Makers 2015 Report : Key Facts and Figures on Giving, Income and Assets in The Top 300 UK Independent Charitable Foundations Ranked by Grant-Making

This report focus on the Top 300 UK independent charitable foundations, ranked by grant-making. Although this number represents only a tiny section of the 10,000 plus UK foundations, it does account for over 90% of all giving by value. This year our figures (drawn mostly from annual accounts) show a relatively optimistic financial picture, especially when compared to the volatility and uncertainty detailed in previous editions

Capital Grant Funding : A Research Report

In May 2015 the Clothworkers' Foundation commissioned new research on the current provision of capital grant funding to the voluntary sector, with the particular aim of informing the Foundation's five-yearly strategy review. This report has been compiled to make the detailed findings of the study more widely available. It provides a comprehensive picture of the current scale and scope of capital grant funding by independent charitable foundations, and the perspectives of funders, applicants and grantees on emerging trends and issues.The research was carried out in association with the Centre for Giving and Philanthropy, Cass Business School and the Association of Charitable Foundations, and conducted by Cathy Pharoah, Catherine Walker and Richard Jenkins

Family Foundations Giving Trends 2015 Report : Top 100 Family Foundations

This is the seventh edition of Family Foundation Giving Trends. It provides an update on annual charitable income and spending by the UK's top 100 family foundations in 2013/2014, with details on the next 50 foundations. This focus on family foundations not only provides a benchmark to the personal philanthropic giving of the UK's wealthiest individual and family donors, past and present, but also demonstrates the enduring appeal and value of the foundation as a vehicle for their giving

Does Altered Cellular Metabolism Underpin the Normal Changes to the Maternal Immune System during Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is characterised by metabolic changes that occur to support the growth and development of the fetus over the course of gestation. These metabolic changes can be classified into two distinct phases: an initial anabolic phase to prepare an adequate store of substrates and energy which are then broken down and used during a catabolic phase to meet the energetic demands of the mother, placenta and fetus. Dynamic readjustment of immune homeostasis is also a feature of pregnancy and is likely linked to the changes in energy substrate utilisation at this time. As cellular metabolism is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of immune cell phenotype and function, we consider how changes in maternal metabolism might contribute to T cell plasticity during pregnancy

‘Will I wear purple?’—a school arts-based research project in the UK to disseminate findings from a qualitative evidence synthesis about living to an extreme age

Background: a change in attitude towards ageing is needed. Arts-based research (ABR) refers to the use of any creative art in research. ABR can provide an environment to reflect on challenging social issues and has the potential to make lasting impressions. Objective: we aimed to explore the use of ABR to disseminate findings from a qualitative evidence synthesis exploring what it means to live well beyond the age of 80. Design: ABR using art as a stimulus for recorded discussions and written annotations. Setting: a mixed catchment state secondary school in the UK. Subjects: fifty-four secondary school pupils aged 14–15. The majority identified as female (ratio 5:1). Methods: school pupils created artwork to represent themes about ageing drawn from a qualitative evidence synthesis. The artwork was a stimulus for recorded discussions. We used thematic analysis to develop themes about children’s response to ageing. Results: we developed six themes. Pupils found comfort in recognising that old age can be lived well; they began to see themselves in the older person; they explored the ambiguous nature of memory; they highlighted the dangers of disconnection; they affirmed a need to restore connection with elders and they recognised the need to cherish time and live meaningfully. Conclusions: this project encouraged pupils to think about what it means to grow old. ABR has the potential to contribute to a more positive relationship with older people and towards ageing. Research stakeholders should not undervalue the potential power of shifts in perspective for powering social change

A role for metabolism in determining neonatal immune function

Immune responses of neonates differ markedly to those of adults, with skewed cytokine phenotypes, reduced inflammatory properties and drastically diminished memory function. Recent research efforts have started to unravel the role of cellular metabolism in determining immune cell fate and function. For studies in humans, much of the work on metabolic mechanisms underpinning innate and adaptive immune responses by different haematopoietic cell types is in adults. Studies investigating the contribution of metabolic adaptation in the unique setting of early life are just emerging, and much more work is needed to elucidate the contribution of metabolism to neonatal immune responses. Here, we discuss our current understanding of neonatal immune responses, examine some of the latest developments in neonatal immunometabolism and consider the possible role of altered metabolism to the distinctive immune phenotype of the neonate. Understanding the role of metabolism in regulating immune function at this critical stage in life has direct benefit for the child by affording opportunities to maximize immediate and long-term health. Additionally, gaining insight into the diversity of human immune function and naturally evolved immunometabolic strategies that modulate immune function could be harnessed for a wide range of opportunities including new therapeutic approaches

Canagliflozin impairs T cell effector function via metabolic suppression in autoimmunity

Augmented T cell function leading to host damage in autoimmunity is supported by metabolic dysregulation, making targeting immunometabolism an attractive therapeutic avenue. Canagliflozin, a type 2 diabetes drug, is a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor with known off-target effects on glutamate dehydrogenase and complex I. However, the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on human T cell function have not been extensively explored. Here, we show that canagliflozin-treated T cells are compromised in their ability to activate, proliferate, and initiate effector functions. Canagliflozin inhibits T cell receptor signaling, impacting on ERK and mTORC1 activity, concomitantly associated with reduced c-Myc. Compromised c-Myc levels were encapsulated by a failure to engage translational machinery resulting in impaired metabolic protein and solute carrier production among others. Importantly, canagliflozin-treated T cells derived from patients with autoimmune disorders impaired their effector function. Taken together, our work highlights a potential therapeutic avenue for repurposing canagliflozin as an intervention for T cell-mediated autoimmunity