A new institute dedicated to the organisation of charities has opened at the University of Oxford.
The Gradel Institute of Charity, based at New College, says it is “the first research centre in the world to concentrate on charities as organisations, not solely as a form of philanthropy”.
The new body’s work will include research into how to create sustainability in the voluntary sector, gathering information from around the world about the sector, running seminars, lectures and summer schools, and developing charity leaders.
The institute will be based in a tower that forms part of the college’s new Quadrangle site.
Sir Stephen Bubb, a former chief executive of the charity leaders body Acevo who has been leading work to develop the institute, has been appointed executive director, and Peter Frumkin joins from the University of Pennsylvania as academic director.
Frumkin said: “The Gradel Institute has the dual goal of catalysing the resources and expertise of the University of Oxford to develop new insights about charities, while also translating these ideas into programmes that engage leaders who are committed to achieving greater effectiveness in their work.”
Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, who has supported the institute since its inception, said in a statement: “The establishment of the world’s first research centre focusing on charity is an inspiring and essential step towards understanding and addressing the critical challenges faced by charitable organisations.
“May its work pave the way for a better understanding of the sector and empower individuals and organisations to create lasting and positive change in society.”