The LGBT+ Consortium is pleased to announce the launch of LGBT+ Futures Fund small grants programme to support LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans+) voluntary and community organisations across England.
Applications are now open, with the deadline for receiving applications Wednesday 6th March at 5pm.
This year, they are holding two special voting rounds of the Bags of Help community project funding scheme across England, Scotland and Wales, called Bags of Help Centenary Grants.
Victims of domestic abuse, homelessness or substance abuse, will be supported to return to work by a new government fund, launched today (7 Feb) by the Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt.
People’s Postcode Lottery is urging charities and community groups across Southern England, Scotland & Wales to apply for funding, through People’s Postcode Trust’s Small Grants programme.
The current funding round is open to charities and organisations in Southern England (excluding London & Greater London), Scotland & Wales until 1 May.
In the first of two discussion papers, NPC focus on charities’ role in influencing change in the prison system. They share our early findings from conversations across the sector with policymakers, parliamentarians charities and funders. And propose a framework for thinking about how charities bring about change.
Data protection has always been historically important, from Caesar’s cipher device to our modern data protection laws. Data protection is a core area of a charity’s operations and the implementation of the GDPR by the European Union in May 2018 means that charities need to understand and implement regulation effectively and efficiently. Effective and efficient data management is so much more than simply knowing what data is coming in and what your charity is doing with it.
Time to Talk Day 2019 is taking place on Thursday 7 February.
This year’s Time to Talk Day is all about bringing together the right ingredients, to have a conversation about mental health. Whether that’s tea, biscuits and close friends or a room full of people challenging mental health stigma, we want you to get talking.
The Big Lunch is about millions of people getting together to share food, have fun and get to know each other better. It's a simple idea - that for a few glorious hours, cars stop, shyness stops and neighbours come together in the street to meet, greet, share, swap, sing, plan and laugh.
Principles should be viewed as a benchmark of good practice, and are complementary to existing sector codes
Endorsement of the principles is voluntary, but NCVO encourages all charities to reflect them in their work and decision making
A new report suggests that volunteering could be a powerful way for young people to overcome feelings of isolation.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Comic Relief have renewed their commitment to supporting not for profit organisations who are using technology to deliver new ideas and make their services more effective, with funding totalling £2.4 million. After co-funding two rounds of Tech for Good in 2017 and 2018, we have once again joined forces to continue running the programme for another three years to 2021.
Five per cent of UK adults don’t believe the Holocaust – the intentional murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators – really happened and one in 12 (8%) say the scale of the Holocaust has been exaggerated, according to research released on Holocaust Memorial Day (Sunday 27 January 2019).
Mobile technology is now an essential part of modern business, with more of our data being stored on tablets and smartphones. What's more, these devices are now as powerful as traditional computers, and because they often leave the safety of the office (and home), they need even more protection than 'desktop' equipment.
A lot has changed since it was created in 1948, and today the NHS is responding to changes in society that were never expected, let alone planned for.
The Government has announced additional funding for the NHS and this means they can plan to make the NHS fit for the future for patients, their families and our staff.
The draft Environment Bill published today by the Government does not go far enough to tackle the serious environmental challenges we face or provide legal certainty for the future of our natural world, say The Wildlife Trusts. And nor does the accompanying policy note.
The Bill and policy note fall short in a number of ways:
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place each year on 27 January.
Green-fingered communities across England can now bid for a share of £1 million fund to help develop their own ‘pocket parks’.
Pocket parks are small plots of land, often about the size of a tennis court, and mostly seen in urban spaces. They provide a green oasis which can help improve the physical and mental health of the communities using them.
There are so many organisations, tools and websites, it can be difficult to know where to look.
We’ve all been there. Chatting at a family dinner or social gathering, and the ‘so what do you do?’ question comes up. ‘I work for a charity’ you reply, to be met with umpteen opinions and factoids about how to do your job, fundraising, or charities generally.
Against a backdrop of growing need and a shrinking state, the social sector needs effective answers and solutions. NPC has launched a commitment by charities, funders and infrastructure bodies to work in a way that emphasises place as a positive way to achieve the changes we are all working towards.
The DigitalAgenda Impact Awards celebrate digital innovations that improve people’s lives and the world around us. They are open to any business, government or non-profit using digital products or services for positive social or environmental benefit.
The Impact Awards, now in their third year, are open to any UK-operating businesses, government or non-profit using digital products or services for positive social or environmental benefit.
Small charities are optimistic about their prospects in 2019 despite increasing uncertainty. The majority (84%) of its leaders expect to maintain or increase organisational income in 2019 and over three quarters say they plan to help more people. However, this optimism does not appear to be borne out of stability for the sector, as two-thirds report more uncertainty in their operating environments than in previous years.
Social Enterprise UK, with the support of Power to Change, The Cordant Group, Engie and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales are undertaking a research project on how social value is being used within central and local government.
The project will develop unique insight into the impact of the Social Value Act to date, and propose recommendations for the future.
Less than a quarter of larger charities accurately reported the level of financial reserves they hold in their trustees’ annual report, according to a review by the Charity Commission.
Established to celebrate and support ambitious charities working in the fields of Youth, Welfare and Community, we are looking for charities who would like mentoring and coaching support to get their organisation to the next stage in its development. This year the Awards are will support 20 charities across the North, the Midlands and Wales.
Expressions of interest are now open for year 2 of ‘Thrive – Access to Employment’, an accelerator programme which provides intensive support to social ventures wanting to scale up quickly.
Government launches new fund to help communities celebrate the contribution of the Windrush Generation
Councils and community groups have a chance to bid for a share of up to £500,000 to fund celebrations
NCVO have published the text of two letters sent by NCVO to the prime minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, seeking clarification around the use of 'adverse publicity' clauses in government contracts.
Loneliness is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, Theresa May said today as she launched the first cross-Government strategy to tackle it.
The Prime Minister confirmed all GPs in England will be able to refer patients experiencing loneliness to community activities and voluntary services by 2023.
CSI works for all third sector organisations involved in European funding programmes to facilitate a healthy exchange of knowledge and make sure that their voice is heard at national level.
On the 12 November 2018 the service you use to update your charity details is changing.
Trustees of all charities have a legal obligation to keep the details on the charity register accurate and up to date.
This helps maintain public trust and confidence in the charity sector, and enables the Commission, as the regulator, to contact you with important regulatory information.
Responding to today’s Budget, IPPR North Director Sarah Longlands said:
Karl Wilding's presentation outlining NCVO’s thinking on how Brexit will shape the landscape for the voluntary sector, what we can do to prepare for all eventualities and what it might mean in the longer term. Presented at the VONNE Conference, 18 October 2018
The accompanying slides for this presentation are available here.
Like any other sector, charities are not immune to criminal abuse from fraudsters. Fraud poses a serious risk to valuable funds and sensitive data, and can damage the good reputation of charities, affecting public trust and confidence in the sector as a whole.
Fraud is a serious problem that you can’t afford to ignore. Charities can, and should do more, to be fraud-aware.
NCVO, CharityComms, Small Charities Coalition, FSI, the Institute of Fundraising and Acevo are asking charities to thank their supporters and show the difference they have helped to make using #YouMadeItHappen on 19th November.
Once more SEUK is running the #WhoKnew campaign and they want you to get involved!
In an open letter to Downing Street, the organisations have demanded that the Government recognise compelling evidence that the services and support that children and young people rely on are at breaking point.
We all know that effective governance makes a difference. And by sharing examples of inspirational trustees and brilliant boards we want to show how great governance and doing good go hand-in-hand.
The move is a key step in delivering the Fund’s digital ambitions outlined in its ‘Supporting Charities and Community Organisations Strategy’[1]. It follows recognition that more could be done to enable charities and groups to make the most of digital opportunities.
Comic Relief are excited to launch this funding opportunity focussed on strengthening women’s and girls’ movements.
They believe that the material and practical considerations of women and girls’ daily lives will only be significantly improved when we have full and equal power in decision making at all levels.
A home is a fundamental human need and a basic moral right, as vital as education or healthcare.
But in Britain today, that right is being denied to millions of people whose lives are blighted by homelessness, bad conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction.
In an online survey, charities were asked to comment on the resourcing of their core functions such as finance, human resources, IT, safeguarding and legal support, and 233 responded.
Your answers will help them to better understand the needs of the sector.
The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is an international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations that entered into force in 1987. Its purpose is to prevent the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (ill-treatment).
The Health and Social Care Committee will be holding an evidence session in October on the impact of a no-deal Brexit on health and social care.
Ahead of the session, the Committee is inviting written submissions from all interested parties, setting out:
Three quarters of UK households (74%) have used a charity in the last 12 months, though three out of every 10 people did not realise they were using one, according to new research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
While there has been some reassurance from Government, the overall picture suggests that, as it currently stands, Brexit will have a negative impact for charities.
The Code of Fundraising Practice outlines the standards expected of charitable fundraisers across the UK. It is a key part of maintaining public trust and confidence in the sector, providing reassurance for the public that charitable organisations hold themselves accountable and that they will handle complaints appropriately.
The programme aims to amplify the voices of individuals and groups who are calling for an end to sexual harassment and abuse, in their workplaces and in their communities.
The directors of the CIC will need to produce a conversion resolution which confirms that the members of the CIC wish to convert the CIC into a CIO under the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Conversion) Regulations which came into force on 1 September 2018.
It is funded by the Growth Fund, which was set up by the Big Lottery Fund and Big Society Capital, to support social investors committed to meeting the funding needs of charities and social enterprises.
The Enterprise Development Programme is a five year programme, providing a broad range of support for charities and social enterprises in England, helping them make a transition to new enterprise models, or grow existing ones.
Two year-long pilots of the Programme have launched in September 2018 for charities and social enterprises working in the Youth and Homelessness sectors.
The Information Commissioner is reminding organisations to be transparent with people’s personal information, after a survey revealed trust and confidence in how organisations handle personal data is still low, despite an improvement across sectors.
While there has been some reassurance from Government, the overall picture suggests that, as it currently stands, Brexit will have a negative impact for charities.
£1 million Digital Skills Innovation Fund will help people from underrepresented groups gain the skills they need to work in digital roles.
An additional £400,000 will help older and disabled people get life-changing digital skills.
Primary care and mental health services are seeing an increase in clients with practical problems that take up significant clinical time.
If so NHS England want you to tell them about it. In fact, they want to support you to tell everyone about it.
NHS England will be awarding grants of up to £2,500 to a number of projects that showcase good practice around patient and citizen involvement in healthcare.
The NHS has just celebrated its 70th birthday.
A lot has changed since it was created in 1948, and as a result the NHS is responding to changes in society that were never expected, let alone planned for, when it was set up 70 years ago.
UK charities hold funds, personal, financial and commercial data (and other information) that is of interest or monetary value to a range of cyber criminals and other groups.
Click here to see the full list of shortlisted applicants.
The four charity regulators in the UK and Republic of Ireland have decided to hold a governance review of the constitution and composition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) committee and the SORP making process.
Eligible charities and community organisations from across England can apply for up to £80,000 from the Building Connections Fund Youth strand, to expand or enhance their work tackling youth loneliness.
The government’s new civil society strategy has delivered a range of positive announcements, but implementation will be key, said the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which represents charities and volunteering.
Commenting, Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said:
Last year the Charity Commission consulted with the charity sector about the annual return for 2018.
The service is available to adults across North West England, who have sight loss, and who may benefit from a regular chat with somebody.
Agreement has been reached between the National Employers and the NJC Trade Union Side on rates of pay applicable from 1 April 2018 and 1 April 2019.
UNISON and GMB both voted to accept whilst Unite voted to reject. However, in line with the Constitution of the NJC, Unite accepts the collective majority decision of the other unions that the pay award should now be implemented.
Practical examples of how organisations have secured senior buy-in for their programme and overcome risk and strategic challenges. Interactive discussion about the approach to measurement of impact and building the Strategic Case and information about the tools and resources available to support this. Intention is for this to be interactive, real life examples and practical solutions to take away.
This Call for Evidence is to improve understanding of:
What are employers doing, if anything, to create fair opportunities for ex-offenders to compete for jobs within their organisations in the UK?
What information or support would help employers to make the decision to remove the criminal conviction declaration tick-box from their job application forms?
National Citizen Service Trust (NCST)* are inviting organisations to join one of their six discovery events which they are hosting during August 2018. At these events NCST will be communicating their shared vision for the future and providing information about our forthcoming procurement for the 2020 Programme.
The Charity Digital Code of Practice aims to help charities increase impact, develop skills and improve sustainability, based around 7 principles. Its steering group are looking for input on the draft Code, and have launched an online consultation.
Last year The Charity Commission consulted with the charity sector about the annual return for 2018.
Now’s the Time is the second programme from the Justice and Equality Fund managed by Rosa. The programme aims to amplify the voices of individuals and groups who are calling for an end to sexual harassment and abuse, in their workplaces and in their communities.
Funding applications will only be accepted between 1st and 15th August.
Community groups will be able to apply for grants from £500 to £20,000 from the funding pot.
People can choose from three options – ‘Starting a New Claim’, ‘Managing your Claim’, and ‘Solving Problems’ to find out more about their rights, including information on job search, the claimant commitment, in-work conditionality, sanctions, and more.
Civil society really matters – it is a valuable and essential part of our daily lives, bringing people together, building their confidence and capability, offering a helping hand to those in crisis, delivering services, challenging injustice.
In a fragile and turbulent world, volunteers are active in every major shock and stress situation experienced by communities – from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts.
End Hunger UK have launched a national petition, designed to send a powerful message to the Prime Minister – it's time to fix Universal Credit.
1 - 2 November 2018, Liverpool
#duenorth5
The Fifth Annual North of England Inequalities Conference will be held in Liverpool on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 November 2018.
This House of Commons Library paper describes the principles behind Housing First and outlines some of the evidence behind it. The paper also sets out how Housing First has developed in the UK, and what support that it has been offered by the governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Government recently announced extra funding for the NHS in England and committed to developing a long term plan for the service. ‘Priorities for the plan’ is designed to support officials preparing the long term plan and other policies to improve health and care.
The rules about automatic disqualification for trustees are changing, more reasons are being added and the rules will also apply to some charity senior manager positions (chief executives and finance directors - and those in equivalent roles).
The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has today launched a public consultation on proposals for moving all existing claimants of a working age income-related benefit to Universal Credit.
All charities must keep their details up-to-date by law. The commission will be improving the current service so you can keep a regular check on your details, and update them when they change.
The £11.5 million Building Connections Fund is a partnership between Government, Big Lottery Fund and the Co-op Foundation which was set up in response to the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness to support projects that prevent or reduce loneliness.
The fund aims to:
In partnership with Sport England, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is calling for applications to the new Integrated Communities Innovation Fund. The first stage invites short expressions of interest by 11.45pm on 20 August 2018.
Reporting of serious safeguarding incidents by charities continues to increase, according to the Charity Commission. The regulator has published an update on the work of its interim safeguarding taskforce, and has confirmed that it received 620 safeguarding related reports in April and May 2018, compared to 196 during the same period in 2017.
New laws and high profile investigations have helped put data protection and privacy at the centre of the UK public’s consciousness like never before, the Information Commissioner has said.
The Ministry of Defence has launched its first strategy to tackle domestic abuse within the Armed Forces and defence civilian communities.
The strategy builds on existing work by the military in this area, such as providing specialist training to welfare staff, and will include the launch of a campaign to raise awareness across the Armed Forces and enhancing support for civilian staff.
It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen's coronation. It is the MBE for volunteer groups.
Any group of 2 or more people doing volunteering work can be nominated for the award. The majority of the group must be volunteers, and more than half the volunteers must have the right to live in the UK.
2019 GSK IMPACT Awards - Core funding and free training for health charities
In a fragile and turbulent world, volunteers are active in every major shock and stress situation experienced by communities – from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts.
The Cabinet Office have published a Call for Evidence on offender employment. They would like to get responses from as many public, private and voluntary sector employers, organisations and professionals who:
Pilotlight are looking for ambitious charities and social enterprises based in England and Wales who need support to get to the next step in their development.
By working with Pilotlight, organisations have:
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched the second round of funding from its grants programme to promote and support independent, innovative research and solutions focused on privacy and data protection issues.
For the last 18 months, The Social Change Project has sought to answer one critical question: what can we learn about how social change is happening today that can strengthen civil society’s future efforts?
What we have learnt is being launched today in a new report which urges civil society to unleash its “Social Power” by being much bolder and braver.
The Behavioural Insights Team believe that to some extent, funders’ behavioural biases – the facets of human psychology that lead us to make decisions that are not always economically rational – are driving their aversion to core costs.
With smaller charities struggling to attract new volunteers, supporters and donations the initiative aims to help overcome this by specifying the prize money must be used to fund an element of marketing.
Everything you say will help shape the Code, so that it enables your charity and the rest of the sector to use digital effectively.
The consultation is open from 9am on Tuesday 3 July and runs until 9am on Tuesday 25 September 2018.
Chairs and Vice Chairs of charities and non-profit organisations in England with an annual income of under £1 million.
You will:
The Charity Tax Commission has launched a consultation seeking views on whether and how the tax treatment of charities – estimated to be worth around £3.7bn a year – needs to be reformed.
To mark the 10th anniversary of their Social Investment Fund, Esmée Fairburn have written a report reflecting on the achievements, insights and lessons learned to date.
Small Charity Week celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector who make an invaluable contribution to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes across the UK and the rest of the world.
Charities and community groups can now benefit from receiving free resources, courtesy of businesses donating their surplus stocks.
The only requirement is that the charities and community groups register at www.givingworldonline.com, there is even an option to request certain products that would truly help the local community, completely free of charge.
Since the project was commissioned by NHS England in 2016, the RSA has been working with the New Economics Foundation (NEF) to build momentum for change by supporting six NHS ‘New Care Model’ sites across England. The Health as a social movement programme has contributed to a growing inventiveness of the health system to be open to new influences to meet the daunting challenges it faces, regardless of significant extra resource.
The UK Civil Society Almanac provides a comprehensive overview of the UK voluntary sector with a lot of information on finance, workforce and volunteering.
Ahead of the Almanac 2018 launch in May, NCVO are giving a sneak preview of the latest data on motivations and barriers to volunteering.
Ms Dove, who succeeds Michael O’Toole, will work alongside government departments and the Crown Commercial Service to strengthen the sector, support the upcoming Civil Society Strategy, and encourage VSCE organisations to operate more commercially.
Claire Dove VCSE Crown Representative said:
In March 2017, there were 869,000 people working in the voluntary sector. As seen in the chart below, most were from the UK (814,000) while 33,000 were from the EU and 22,000 from the rest of the world.
We all have mental health. Good mental health is an asset that helps us to thrive. This is not just the absence of a mental health problem, but having the ability to think, feel and act in a way that allows us to enjoy life and deal with the challenges it presents. Yet it can be easy to assume that ongoing stress is the price we have to pay to keep our lives on track. It is time to challenge that assumption.
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Salford CVS & Volunteer Centre
Registered address
The Old Town Hall
5 Irwell Place
Salford, M30 0FN
Tel: 0161 787 7795
Email: office@salfordcvs.co.uk
Salford CVS is the city-wide infrastructure organisation for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector; providing specialist information, advice, development support and opportunities for influence and collaboration.
My colleague Hannah Barton and I were invited to attend a play at the Yemeni Community Associatio
