As Community Foundations from across Britain gather for their biennial conference, they have called on the Government to promote the teaching of charity in schools to achieve “a long term shift in the culture of philanthropy in the UK”.

The call comes in the publication of Community Foundation Network’s final Manifesto for Community Philanthropists, which has been the subject of extensive consultation over the summer and which is to be launched as the Conference’s finale on Thursday, September 10 .

The biennial Conference, which is being held in Nottingham, is expected to attract around 400 delegates from the country’s 57 Community Foundations.

Minister for the Third Sector, Angela Smith MP, is to address the conference on Wednesday 9th September, with other keynote speakers including CFN Honorary President, Baroness Usha Prashar CBE, and Dame Stephanie Shirley, the Government’s Ambassador for Philanthropy.

Other key recommendations in the Manifesto - the purpose of which is to shape political thinking in the run up to the General Election - include:

· Special giving zones with favourable tax treatment for donors, in areas of greatest need.

· The creation of bank gifting accounts to simplify giving and ensure tax efficiency.

· A System of lifetime legacies to enable philanthropists to release funds during their lifetimes rather than having to wait until they die.

The manifesto is the result of a year’s careful research by a working group of donors, grant makers and academics led by Community Foundation Network Chair and community philanthropist, Matthew Bowcock, drawing on the experience of local Community Foundations.

Commenting on its recommendation, Bowcock said: “We need to empower local people to fund and deliver change within their own communities. In these difficult economic times when money is tight, there are far too many obstacles to philanthropists who want to engage with local groups to bring about change.

“These recommendations include major reforms to the banking, taxation and the education systems to both release more funds today and promote a culture of giving in the future."