The Foundation for Social Improvement has closed and formally transferred its assets to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
NCVO said in a statement today that it would take on responsibility for Small Charities Week as well as other “key assets” previously controlled by the FSI.
Existing FSI members will be able to join the NCVO for free if their annual turnover is less than £50,000, the statement added. Free membership is normally only available to charities with income under £30,000.
NCVO will also take over the FSI’s learning management system and its training materials, although those materials may find a “long-term home” at other suitable organisations in the future, according to a spokesperson.
The FSI announced in March that it would wind down amid what it called “increasingly challenging” financial conditions.
NCVO helped establish a 14-member Small Charities Advisory Board to try to safeguard the legacy of the FSI and the Small Charities Coalition, which closed down last year. That board held its first meetings this month.
Noorzaman Rashid, chair of the FSI, said: “As we must cease our activities today, we have agreed to transfer our key assets to NCVO.
“We believe NCVO has the capacity and power to connect and collaborate with others – and we believe this is a key way to ensure our legacy of small charity support lives on.”
Sarah Vibert, chief executive of NCVO, said: “We are extremely saddened by the closure of the FSI but are determined to ensure the specialist support provided by the FSI is not lost.
“We will support the maintenance of some of the FSI’s core small charity assets while working with the support of the Small Charities Advisory Panel to seek new partnerships for the future delivery and evolution [of support for small charities] which will benefit all small voluntary organisations.”