The Voltaire Review

Our articles explore how people give, how organisations seek support and how thoughtful partnerships develop. We draw on evidence, experience and different perspectives to make space for informed discussion.

Featured Articles

Analysis

What the Deeds Allow

The Livery gave more than £80 million in 2024. A good deal more sits behind restrictions and old deeds. A periodic stock-take, and the powers the Charities Act 2022 now provides, can put it back to work.

Sector Trends

The World's Humanitarian System Is Failing, and So Is the Way We Fund It

By mid-2025, the UN's $47.4 billion global humanitarian appeal had achieved just 16.8% of its target. This is not just a bad funding year. It is a collapse that demands a fundamental shift in how we approach humanitarian giving.

Featured

Labour Tax Reforms Put Independent Schools Under Pressure

Declining enrolment, growing operating costs, and donor fatigue are putting independent schools at risk. The fundraising model that once quietly underwrote scholarships, music departments, SEND provision and essential capital works is no longer sufficient.

ESG

Matched Giving as a Catalyst for ESG and Climate Action

With climate change now the defining challenge of our time, environmental matched giving is emerging as a practical and measurable way for companies to demonstrate leadership. It is not simply about donating to good causes, it is about aligning corporate giving with credible environmental outcomes.

Analysis

The Patron as a Philosopher

A quick thought on why we fund ideas and not just objects. Real patronage is about ideas. The Medici were not paying for Michelangelo's marble, they were investing in Renaissance humanism.