Education has been the main focus over the years for Bermuda-based companies when it comes to donations.

Recently released figures by The Centre of Philanthropy's Donor Forum clearly indicate that Bermuda-based companies continue to focus considerable attention and financial resources on education.

In releasing their 2007 giving figures, Donor Forum Chair, Sonia Whayman said: "Of the 30 members who provided their 2007 giving information anonymously, all noted significant contributions to education.

"In total, of the $18.5 million donated overall to local charities $4.6m, or approximately 25 percent, was donated to education-focused charities."

She added: "These donations are incredibly important – the monies donated represent scholarships for Bermudian students, infrastructure support for our schools, healthcare services for those in need, art and dance education for our Island's youth, international sporting opportunities for our athletes, protection for our environment, and more.

"The donations have an enormous impact on the social status of our community and, indeed, on the very standard of living in Bermuda."

Ms. Whayman said that the Donor Forum currently has 56 members, representing a diverse spectrum of both international and local companies, which range from large foundations to some of the Island's smaller retailers.

"This sampling represents 30, mostly established, long-standing members from both the local and international financial services industries," she said.

When asked why education is chosen over other charities, Executive Director of the Centre on Philanthropy, Pam Barit Nolan said: "A donation towards education is really an investment in our youth and therefore our future prosperity.

"The corporate community recognises, as we all do, the importance of providing our youth with a solid and broad foundation, so that they can be well-equipped to become successful, contributing members to our society."

The next most popular non-profit sector was Health & Human Services, which collectively received approximately $3.7 million in corporate funding last year.

Ms Whayman explained the purpose of the survey and the value of the information gathered, saying: "This is the sixth year the Donor Forum has asked its members to provide data on their annual giving trends and the information is enormously valuable to the membership as it assists us with bench-marking our own efforts and provides us with a snapshot of activity within the Third Sector.

"Under the leadership of The Centre's Executive Director Pam Barit Nolan and her membership committee, we are starting to attract many new members to the Forum, so we are hopeful that going forward these numbers will be even more inclusive and provide the community-at-large with a more accurate and complete picture of corporate giving trends in Bermuda."

In agreement with Ms. Whayman's comments Ms. Nolan said: "It is not just about the money either, the survey asks the question, how much did you spend last year and in which areas?

"What it does not currently request is information on gifts in kind, staff volunteer hours, and other socially responsible activity.

"We believe that there is considerably more activity taking place than we are currently recording and, going forward, we hope to better address all these areas of corporate philanthropy."

Ms. Nolan added: "In 2005, the study received responses from 21 Donor Forum members, with a total of $12.4M in donations.

"In 2006, 20 member companies responded to the survey, with a total of $18.3M being donated to the local community."