Charity donations from FTSE 100 firms ‘have not keep pace with profits’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As the largest listed companies, FTSE 100 businesses can lead and drive a responsible corporate culture throughout the UK’s business sector Neil Heslop, chief executive of Caf Caf found FTSE 100 total donations were £1.82 billion in 2023. An Associated British Foods spokesperson said the Garfield Weston Foundation, one of the UK’s leading grant-making institutions which has given £1.5 billion since 1958, is “funded principally by dividends coming from Associated British Foods plc”. “In addition, companies within the ABF group contribute significant amounts to charity in their own right.” Neil Heslop, chief executive of Caf, said: “As the largest listed companies, FTSE 100 businesses can lead and drive a responsible corporate culture throughout the UK’s business sector.” Giving at least 1% of pre-tax profits to charity and maintaining that level in years with lower profits is considered best practice for businesses. This year is the first time Caf’s annual report analysed charitable giving by the UK’s wider business community, beyond the donations given by FTSE 100 firms.