A new culture of charitable giving from the home, accelerated by high-profile fundraising initiatives like Children in Need and Live Aid, shifted public ideas of philanthropy. Action often centred around those impacted by poverty, both at home and internationally. In the wider sector, changes included the rise of corporate giving and community foundations, plus an improvement in the way charitable organisations measured and evaluated their impact.

New Trusts joined SFCT – including The Jerusalem Trust, The Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, The Tedworth Charitable Trust and The Ashden Trust. Hugh de Quetteville led a steadily growing staff team, which from 1989 included in-house finance support – much-needed given the increasing volume of grants to process.