Prism the Gift Fund

Happy Holidays from all the team at Prism the Gift Fund (including Samson and Cooper!). We look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Why donor-advised funds (DAFs) are the way forward was on the agenda for this webinar from Philanthropy Impact. In amongst a panel of fellow DAF experts, our CEO, Anna Josse, sat down with John Pepin, CEO of Philanthropy Impact, to highlight how DAFs work and their unique place in the UK market as an essential resource for philanthropic giving in the sector. Anna also highlighted some of the interesting projects Prism has supported over the years by touching on our Collective Fund structure, a unique offering of Prism. For those involved in private wealth, managing philanthropic funds, or working in the charitable sector, this was a valuable opportunity to deepen your understanding of how DAFs can elevate giving and create a greater social impact. 🙌 A special thank you to John Pepin, CEO of Philanthropy Impact, for organising a fantastic session and to the other panellists for their insightful contributions. If you would like to learn more about our donor-advised funds you can click this link: https://lnkd.in/dRabNEW

The whole office is getting into the festive spirit! Mince pies were shared as Senior Relationship Manager Abi Sever and Head of DAFs and Collective Funds, Caledonia Dickinson, organised a card-making session to help everyone unwind together. Celebrating with supporters, clients, and staff is one of the cornerstones of the festive season, and our team has been busy. Spreading joy and cheer, The Salvation Army hosted their annual Christmas Carol Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, attended by two of our Relationship Managers, Abi Sever and Jocelyn Phimister. Our neighbours at the Wallace Collection welcomed Felix Clarke and Caledonia Dickinson from our team to their festive drinks. Jocelyn Phimister and Anna Josse also had the pleasure of attending Quilter Cheviot Charities’ Christmas Evening Reception. Thank you to everyone for the invitations and the opportunity to meet new people while hearing about your important work. Earlier this week, we held our festive lunch together with our trustees: Penny Lovell, Sharonjit Clare , Charles Mesquita, Jeremy Amias and Jonathan Gold. Thanks to a fabulous quiz orchestrated by Felix Clarke and Eoin Hallam, we realised how much we knew about each other!

What connects the creator of Candy Crush, the founder of Kindred Capital, and the CEO of Lupus UK? All are parents of children with rare medical conditions and are philanthropists, funding and fundraising for more scientific research and support for families. They joined us in November at our first 20th-anniversary event, Scientific-Research and Philanthropy - shaping the future of giving. Each has a collective fund with us to support their causes. We were honoured that they chose to share their stories at our event.  Their willingness to share personal insights helped the audience gain a better understanding of how philanthropy impacts medical research, highlighted areas that can be improved, and expressed their hopes for the future. What we loved was how the panel talked about how empowering having these open conversations can be as at times this type of philanthropic journey can feel isolating and lonely. You can read more in depth highlights from the discussion here: https://lnkd.in/d8yBW3Zj Riccardo Zacconi Leila Rastegar Zegna Caroline Olshewsky Diana Noble Anna Josse #Philanthropy #ScientificResearch #MedicalResearch #Health #MajorDonors

Applauding award-winning athletes and artistic masterpieces, celebrating breakfasts for children, networking with charity advisors, and developing women's leadership skills – it was a busy month of events and learning for the team at Prism. Here’s what we got up to in November: ⭐A huge congratulations to all the award winners at the Variety Disability Sports Awards. Our relationship managers, Sadie E. and Eoin H. attended this year's Disability Sports Awards, hosted by Variety, the Children's Charity. It was an impressive celebration championing disability sports at all levels, from grassroots to GB Paralympians. 🍂 The impact of the Autumn Budget on the charity sector was discussed at the recent Charity Sector Update 2024 attended by relationship managers Arzoo Shrestha and Isabel Bottley. Hosted by Moore Kingston Smith, it covered accounting and governance changes that will influence the sector. Thank you to Luke Holt for the invitation. 👨🎨 Our CEO, Anna Josse, enjoyed a celebration of Monet at the beautiful Courtauld Gallery. Thank you to Winckworth Sherwood LLP for hosting and we look forward to another year of working with your Charities and Social Enterprises team. 👑 Practical tips for navigating leadership challenges were the focus of an inspiring event hosted by the Women in Leadership Group at Charles Russell Speechlys. Our Head of Donor Advised Funds and Collective Funds, Caledonia Dickinson, watched an insightful presentation by Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst and left with a powerful reminder: "The only person’s behaviour we can change is our own." Thanks to Sarah Wigington for creating a welcoming and empowering atmosphere. 🍳 Relationship Manager Arzoo Shrestha attended Magic Breakfast's Festive Celebration event. The Chair of Trustees, Aniela Shuckburgh – presented some of the charity's key challenges and achievements and highlighted the importance of breakfast for children. One London school shared their experience of the scheme and the voices of some of its children. "If I have breakfast here, that means my mum gets to eat at home because if I’m home, she has none." 🔵The National Blue Plaque Scheme celebrated individuals from all walks of life who have made significant contributions to society throughout history at their event. Anna Josse heard more about the scheme expanding nationally to capture more stories. Special thanks to Lord Neil Mendoza, Chair of Historic England hosting the inspiring event and the wonderful skyline views. 💫Deputy CEO @Adiva Kalms met with other charity advisors and lawyers with a keen interest in philanthropy at a special reception hosted by the legal firm Farrer & Co at their historic premises. Always a pleasure to see James Maloney. #Philanthropy #Charity #Thirdsector #WealthManagement #Finance #FinancialAdvisors

Strikes, Spares, and Smiles! We know that strong teams build stronger communities; that’s why we always encourage our teams to spend some time connecting and unwinding. So it was great to see them all at the bowling alley for their social. There was some friendly competition and lots of laughter as they celebrated, not just their strikes (and a few gutter balls!). Whether supporting philanthropic goals or cheering each other on, teamwork is at the heart of everything we do. Here’s to the moments that inspire us—both on and off the lanes. #TeamPrism #BowlingFun #StrongerTogether #WorkHardPlayHard #PhilanthropyInAction Caledonia Dickinson Abi Sever Jocelyn Phimister Isabel Bottley Arzoo Shrestha . Leticia Mary Kansime Ellie Lawrence Gabriel Tucker David Blomfield Eoin Hallam

This #GivingTuesday why don’t you maximise giving through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)?    Our DAFS offer peace of mind and a tax-efficient way to make a difference, without the complexities of managing your own foundation. Ideal for individuals, corporations, groups, and foundations, a DAF allows you to donate significant funds effortlessly, avoiding administrative burdens and governance challenges.   We handle the details, so you can focus on what matters most: making an impact.   To learn more you can read our helpful blog.    https://lnkd.in/eiHW-ZCG #Philanthropy #WealthManagement #DAFS #Finance #charity #fundraising

A risky new philanthropic approach or enlightened new revolution? Read our CEO Anna Josse’s thoughts in her latest article for City Wealth Magazine. https://lnkd.in/eHiS_7eC What are your thoughts?   #Philanthropy #CharityNews #fundraising #CharityFunding

There is one week left to vote for Anna Josse, Founder and CEO of Prism the Gift Fund as Women of the Year-Government, Regulatory and Not-for-Profit organisations in the Citywealth Power Women Awards 2025. Citywealth's Powerwomen Awards were established over 14 years ago to champion women in the wealth sector and highlight the female leaders of today and tomorrow. 👉You can vote here https://lnkd.in/d76shEzq We are excited to see Anna and the Prism team be recognised in the category for Government, Regulatory and Not-for-Profit organisations for our work in administering the giving of individuals, foundations and groups of donors making significant gifts to charities all over the world.  As we approach our 20th anniversary, Prism is projected to reach a cumulative income of $1 billion, with nearly $500 million already distributed to charities across the globe. Voting closes on 29th November 2025 #Philanthropy #Wealthmanagement #fundraising #CharityFunding

Some incredible insights and highlights from our 20th Anniversary teaser event ‘Philanthropy and Scientific Research’.  🔬 First, thank you to our generous panel: Riccardo Zacconi, founder of the PTEN Research Foundation and co-founder of King the creators of Candy Crush; Leila Rastegar Zegna, a founding member of the Kabuki Syndrome Foundation and founder of Kindred Capital VC; and Caroline Olshewsky, co-founder of the FAR - Foundation for ARID1B Research and CEO of LUPUS UK, who shared their personal stories and connection to the scientific research they are funding. The chair, Diana Noble, a trustee at Wellcome Trust and Bank of England helped weave together their personal stories, challenges faced, and hopes for the future. Together, we explored human motivation, funding and research challenges, different models for collaboration, and how we can shape the future of giving. Riccardo Zacconi, who set up his foundation ten years ago, has faced many challenges from finding the right team to overcoming significant barriers such as timescales and funding. There is a restlessness to get things done, but whilst in tech you may plan for three years ahead in medical research it’s ten years minimum. Caroline Olshewsky shared how the need for urgency to find help and support for your child or family member fuels the mission to advance rare disease research - a point shared by all on the panel. For Caroline, reaching out to others facing the same challenges and growing a community was the crux of their strategy. Leila Rastegar Zegna reminded us that every research effort, however niche, creates a ripple effect that benefits broader medical research. Funding research at its core may be initially motivated by those close to you but what you realise is that you are having an impact on a much bigger picture. Key takeaways included: 💫Fundraising for rare genetic diseases is driven by personal motivation and the desire to bring more control and attention to the cause. All the panel learned the landscape through persistence, building connections with families and experts, and identifying key research needs. 💫Collaboration is vital to success. Building a network of academic scientists, drug developers, and specialists is essential. There is also a crucial need for knowledge sharing in this space - particularly making failed experiments public to prevent more wasted resources. 💫Philanthropy plays a critical role in funding the long-term research required for rare diseases. Medical research takes time—often a decade or more. It can also be very risky. Early stage research is often fuelled by personal philanthropy. A huge thanks Glenn Baker PhD who welcomed us and to our hosts Charles Stanley And to our relationship manager, Jocelyn Phimister who worked so hard on this event. #Philanthropy #ScientificResearch #MedicalResearch #Raredieases #MajorDonors Anna Josse Adiva Kestenbaum Kalms, MBA