Rhodri Davies

Rhodri Davies is a widely-respected expert and commentator on philanthropy and civil society issues. He is the Founder and Director of the think-tank Why Philanthropy Matters and the host of the Philanthropisms podcast. He is also a Pears Research Fellow in the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, and the Philanthropy Expert in Residence at the Pears Foundation.

He has published widely, including three books, Rich Expectations: How Rich People Give (2025), What is Philanthropy For? (2023) and Public Good by Private Means: How Philanthropy Shapes Britain (2016); as well as a chapter in the Routledge Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Philanthropy (2024).

Rhodri graduated from the University of Oxford with a first-class degree in Mathematics and Philosophy and embarked upon an academic career before migrating into public policy work, where he has spent more than 15 years specialising in philanthropy and civil society issues, including as Head of Policy at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).