Charities can apply for grants of up to £10,000 towards work ensuring their data is managed correctly, following the launch of a new fund.
The Charity and Community Fund, launched by the DPO Centre, will provide voluntary organisations with discounted consultancy services to ensure their data protection work meets required standards.
The fund is worth £100,000 in total. The grants will fund 80 per cent of work with consultants, with the charity paying the remainder.
The DPO Centre said that it hoped that the grants would help charities to collect and hold data appropriately without diverting money from work with beneficiaries.
Grants can be used to work on data protection policy as well as training staff and reviewing any existing gaps in data protection work.
Rob Masson, the firm’s chief executive, said: “In our years of working with charities and not-for-profits we have come to appreciate the balance they must draw between the cost of accessing high-quality professional advice and the need to focus their precious financial resources on their cause.
“We are proud to launch our Charity and Community Fund to help them address this balance, to provide them with access to the highest level of support for their data protection compliance and in turn, enable them to build greater trust, loyalty and engagement with their service users, partners and stakeholders.”
The Charity and Community Fund is open to applications until November.
Charities were warned earlier this year about the consequences of handling data, after a government survey found that three-quarters of voluntary organisations had been targeted by cyber criminals.