Philanthropy

Helping charities and community groups is important to us. We are proud to partner with organisations making a difference in many of your communities.

Group of people working on urban garden together.

Our guiding principles

Baillie Gifford supports charity and community organisations across the world. We do it because it is the right thing to do: we have a responsibility to help our communities and we want to support organisations making a difference.

The Philanthropy Team looks after this activity, working with over 150 charity and community groups annually. We have three guiding principles:

1. Our community engagement is purely philanthropic
We are motivated by helping people, not by marketing or advertising benefits. We focus on supporting grassroots projects. We prioritise those who may find it harder to seek funding elsewhere.

2. We apply a long-term perspective to everything we do.
Rather than looking for a short-term fix, we work with charities over multiple years, supporting their growth and long-term development.

3. Our staff are at the heart of our charitable giving.
We want Baillie Gifford to be a place where people can make a difference and value the opportunity to do so.

Charities we support

Juliet Tweedie and Sam Pattman in Baillie Gifford office.

Meet the team

As Baillie Gifford’s Philanthropy Team, we manage the partnership’s charitable giving. We work with a committee of staff subgroups spanning arts, community, grassroots sports, health and education, international, natural environment and social causes.

Most of our philanthropy is focused on charities working in Scotland, where we are headquartered. But we are a global company and we have increased our giving overseas. Our international offices in Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Krakow, New York, Shanghai, Toronto and Zurich all support local causes chosen by their staff.

We strive to be open, honest, approachable and transparent, providing help where it is needed the most.
The Philanthropy Team

Staff giving

Each year, staff nominate and vote for a Charity of the Year. We then fundraise for the chosen charity through staff events and initiatives. We also look to support the charity in other ways. That can include volunteering and mentoring, training resources, design and printing, and technology support.

Staff can also make a difference through our Charity of your Choice programme, where they nominate a charity to receive a £1,000 grant. The initiative runs three times a year, with the Philanthropy Committee approving about 50 grants each round. Since launching in 2017, our staff have helped 650 charities across the world.

Philanthropy

Propose your charity for support

We are happy to hear from charities looking for support, so please get in touch if your organisation is making a difference and you think Baillie Gifford could help.

Important information

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited provides investment management and advisory services to non-UK clients and is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited is not licensed under the Regulation of Investment Advising, Investment Marketing and Portfolio Management Law, 5755-1995 (the “Advice Law”) and does not carry insurance pursuant to the Advice Law.

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited markets and distributes Baillie Gifford’s range of collective investment schemes to Qualified Clients and Qualified Investors in Israel, as listed in the First Addendum to the Regulation of Investment Advising, Investment Marketing and Portfolio Management Law, 5755-1995 (the “Advice Law”) and in the First Addendum to the Israel Securities Law, 5728-1968 (the “Securities Law”). Detailed disclosure of the collective investment schemes can be found within this website and in the relevant scheme prospectus.

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited does not provide investment advice. If you are in any doubt about whether an investment is suitable, you should seek independent advice.

No action has been or will be taken in Israel that would permit a public offering or distribution of the Funds mentioned in this website to the public in Israel. This website and the Funds mentioned herein have not been approved by the Israeli Securities Authority (the “ISA”). In addition, the Funds mentioned in this website are not regulated under the provisions of Israel’s Joint Investment Trusts law, 5754-1994 (the “Joint Investment Trusts Law”). This website and the Funds mentioned herein will only be distributed to Israeli residents in reliance on an exemption from any advice or marketing restrictions [in a manner that will not constitute “an offer to the public” under sections 15 and 15a of]/[in reliance on an exemption from the prospectus requirements under] the Israel Securities Law, 5728-1968 (the “Securities Law”) or the Joint Investment Trusts Law, and any guidelines, pronouncements or rulings issued from time to time by the ISA as applicable.

Diversity and inclusion

Fairness. Equality. Openness. Three principles that form the backbone of Baillie Gifford.

Philosophy and values

We build relationships with outstanding entrepreneurs and forward-thinking academics.