Charity

The Charity Commission today moved to silence “false and misleading” claims about the ongoing closure of the Islamic Centre of England’s London headquarters. The regulator released a statement saying the mosque could not be reopened because the charity had “problems in securing the necessary insurance”. It added: “The commission is aware of various reports and

Charities and their donors have benefitted from a significant year-on-year increase in tax relief, with the 2022/23 total hitting almost £6bn. The sum includes a 19 per cent rise in Gift Aid, with HM Revenue & Customs paying charities £1.6bn in the last financial year. But there are concerns about payroll giving, as the total

One of the UK’s fastest-growing charities has appointed a new number two to “take fundraising to the next level”. Last month, Islamic Relief Worldwide reported 2022 income of £234m – up from £183m in 2021 and £130.3m in 2019. Now it is targeting even greater growth and today announced the appointment of Zia Salik as

A food bank charity has equipped its volunteers with body-worn cameras in the hope they will protect them after two spitting attacks. Gillingham Street Angels food bank posted on Facebook on Monday revealing that volunteers would be wearing body cameras following a second spitting incident.  “Again today we’ve had staff members spat at. Who would’ve

Stonewall’s chief executive, Nancy Kelley, has announced that she is stepping down at the end of this month. After just over three years in the role, Kelley reflected on the controversies and victories by tweeting: “I can’t say it’s always been a pleasure, but it has surely been a privilege leading Stonewall.” The former deputy

A convicted fraudster who stole £27,000 from a probation firm had previously used £180,000 of charity money to renovate a cottage and buy antique alarm clocks, an inquiry reveals today. Hugh Morgan-Williams used his role as trustee of The Cowesby Trust to access the money, according to the final report of a seven-year Charity Commission

A 60-year-old charitable foundation today announced that it will “dismantle and close” itself – and divvy out its £134m endowment fund among other organisations. Lankelly Chase revealed the unexpected news this morning, saying it was part of the “traditional philanthropy model” that was entangled with “colonial capitalism”. It said on its website that it wanted

A major aid charity has admitted making “slow progress” towards becoming an anti-racist organisation – 18 months after its leaders apologised over a scathing independent race audit. The audit highlighted historical structural racism at ActionAid UK, with black and ethnic minority employees feeling “less valued, less supported, less empowered” than their white colleagues. Eighteen months

Trustees are today being warned to “keep detailed, up-to-date records” after recent examples of charities coming under scrutiny from the regulator. Last week, a compliance case was launched into Forgotten Veterans UK when an independent examiner was unable to source records to account for £89,000 of expenditure and £151,000 of donations. And yesterday, the Charity

Together for Mental Wellbeing is the major charity that is relevant to the highest proportion of people, new figures show.  Data from Third Sector’s latest Charity Brand Index, which is produced with the research company Harris Interactive, shows that 72 per cent of people agreed that “this charity is relevant to me”.  The index is

The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) and the Nightingale Fund have merged to become one charity. As part of the merger, the Nightingale Fund has entrusted its funds to the Florence Nightingale Foundation, with the latter retaining its title as the charity moving forward. The move was officially completed on Friday last week. Professor Greta Westwood

The £88m Royal Parks charity has opened its first shop – in the heart of Hyde Park. The shop opened in the recently-renovated boat house by the Serpentine Lake opened on Tuesday. It sells a range of products, including books, clothes and homeware. The Royal Parks split from the government to register as a charity

More than 90 charities have signed an open letter to Rishi Sunak, demanding that he keeps his promise on climate finance. The open letter, released today (7 July), calls on the prime minister to “urgently demonstrate” how the government’s commitment to provide £11.6bn in climate finance over five years from 2021 will be met.  It

In a landmark ruling, two judges have today rejected an attempt by a transgender rights group to have a gay rights organisation stripped of its charitable status. An at-times bitter battle saw Mermaids, which supports transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children and their families, appeal against the Charity Commission’s decision to register the LGB Alliance

An indefinite strike by charity workers will continue after they turned down a pay offer labelled “paltry” by Unite the Union. St Mungo’s said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, which it said came despite the offer being negotiated and agreed with Unite and Acas. In a press release, the trade union, which represents

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is spearheading a new campaign calling for voluntary sector organisations to consider divesting from companies in the fossil fuel industry.  The NCVO said today it was issuing a “rallying cry for our sector to take collective action on one of the biggest challenges we face”. The membership body said

The government is today being urged to withdraw a near-£40,000 grant to a UK charity, amid fears it has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. An open letter, signed by 29 organisations that support people from Hong Kong who have sought refuge in the UK, accuses the leadership of Wai Lin Society of having

The Captain Tom Foundation – set up by the family of the late fundraiser – has said it is “to close all payment channels” while a statutory inquiry is carried out. The charity has released a statement on the homepage of its website, dated July 2023, providing an update on its activities and future plans.

A charity and think tank has called for philanthropy to be “turned inside-out” to make grant-giving more inclusive and transparent. New Philanthropy Capital has released guidance outlining its approach to “open philanthropy”. The guide, published today, is based on an 18-month experiment by the organisation, which saw it distributing more than £570,000 of grants to

Complaints against Save the Children UK soared by 78 per cent in a year, thanks largely to the fallout from its rejection of a £750,000 donation. According to its annual report and accounts, published today, the charity’s income rose by £54m – from £240.4m in 2021 to £294.4m in 2022. Donations for families caught up

The RNLI today urged its employees and volunteers to “call out” inappropriate behaviour after a staff survey contained allegations of sexism and bigotry. The rescue charity published a statement to apologise after The Times and the BBC published reports based on the internal surveys from 2021 and 2022. It said it strove to become a

Police have been contacted after a charity shop’s Pride display was vandalised twice, including with a homophobic message. Staff at the British Heart Foundation shop in Enfield are “shocked and saddened” by the double attack, but have praised the community for its support. Volunteers, who had put up a Pride flag and the word ‘Pride’

Stephanie Draper, chief executive of the NGO umbrella body Bond, is to step down in the autumn.  Draper, who has led the charity since 2019, is leaving to take up another charity role, which is expected to be announced next week. In a statement, Bond said Draper had steered the sector through a “critical period”,

A former Comic Relief chief operating officer, investment banker and business turnaround expert has been named as the interim chief executive of a hospital charity. Alex Botha has been recruited to lead St George’s Hospital Charity with immediate effect. Botha replaces Amerjit Chohan, who left this month after five years in the post, saying he

The UK’s biggest grant-making organisation is looking into relocating its office, museum and library as it seeks to hit net zero. The charitable foundation announced yesterday (28 June) that its current buildings presented “significant decarbonisation challenges”. It said it had commissioned a “detailed survey” to look at how to make its current buildings in Euston,

One of the UK’s largest charities has named a new executive director to oversee the crucial areas of communications and external affairs. Sal Copley takes up the role at the British Red Cross in September, leaving her current position as external affairs director of Sustrans, a walking, wheeling and cycling charity.  She has also previously

Bowel Cancer UK, Guide Dogs, the RNID and the Prison Radio Association are among the charities to have been shortlisted in this year’s Third Sector Awards. The awards, which recognise the achievements of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, feature 33 categories covering sector excellence, partnerships and talent. Sector leaders shortlisted for the hotly contested

Barclays Bank has agreed to pay £21,500 to a Christian charity, having closed its account over its controversial ministry of helping people to “leave their LGBT attractions and life choices”. Barclays agreed the payment to Core Issues Trust ahead of a looming court case, where the charity sought to challenge the axing of its account.

The Brain Tumour Charity has announced its new chief executive, who will lead the organisation from next month. Michele Afif, who will start on 17 July, was the chief executive at Rays of Sunshine, a charity supporting seriously ill children, until late last year.  She said: “It’s my great privilege to take up the CEO

The regulator is taking a close look at an armed forces charity after an auditor flagged up a failure to provide records for £151,000 in donations and £89,000 of expenditure. The Charity Commission announced a compliance case into Forgotten Veterans UK, which has filed its accounts for the year to November 2021 279 days late.