UK Community Foundations appoints permanent chief executive

UK Community Foundations (UKCF) has appointed Rosemary Macdonald as its permanent chief executive, having temporarily held the post since March.

She takes up the top role on a permanent basis having been chief executive of Wiltshire Community Foundation for the last 12 years.

The organisation represents the UK network of 46 accredited community foundations, which backs philanthropy and community support in their areas. Collectively the network has endowed funds of £700m.

A priority in recent months has been to support communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.



“I am so proud of the work community foundations did in quickly getting funds to those who needed it on a local level when coronavirus took its toll,” said Macdonald.

“UKCF has a long history of distributing funds to people in need in society – and that work has never been more important. UKCF plays an important role in the charity sector in speaking up for the smaller groups and organisations who otherwise struggle to be heard.”

As permanent chief executive Macdonald said she will prioritise championing local philanthropy “as we enter challenging fiscal times”.

She also pledged to develop the skills of its members and “put diversity, equality and inclusion at the heart of what we do”. This includes training among the network to understand “the needs of marginalised communities to ensure that we deliver equitable grant making.”

UKCF board chair Dr Jerome Booth added: “She brings enormous experience of the community foundation network and a passion for the work. Rosemary performed extremely effectively in what has been a high-pressure period as the network responds to the coronavirus pandemic across the UK.”

    Share Story:

Recent Stories


Charity Times video Q&A: In conversation with Hilda Hayo, CEO of Dementia UK
Charity Times editor, Lauren Weymouth, is joined by Dementia UK CEO, Hilda Hayo to discuss why the charity receives such high workplace satisfaction results, what a positive working culture looks like and the importance of lived experience among staff. The pair talk about challenges facing the charity, the impact felt by the pandemic and how it's striving to overcome obstacles and continue to be a highly impactful organisation for anybody affected by dementia.
Charity Times Awards 2023

Mitigating risk and reducing claims
The cost-of-living crisis is impacting charities in a number of ways, including the risks they take. Endsleigh Insurance’s* senior risk management consultant Scott Crichton joins Charity Times to discuss the ramifications of prioritising certain types of risk over others, the financial implications risk can have if not managed properly, and tips for charities to help manage those risks.

* Coming soon… Howden, the new name for Endsleigh.