Charity

Funders should recognise that putting black and minoritised people in certain posts does not necessarily make them anti-racist, according to new research. A study by The Ubele Initiative looks at the extent to which newfound awareness catalysed by the Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impacts of Covid-19 on minoritised communities led to enduring

Charities risk missing out on a share of trillions of pounds of inherited wealth from a “lost generation” of affluent millennial givers unless the sector finds targeted ways to connect with them, new research warns.   A new report by the think tank the Beacon Collaborative shows charities have  preconceptions about the giving habits of the

The charity leaders body Acevo has called for the culture secretary to publicly affirm charities’ right to campaign amid concern that a “vocal minority” of MPs is persistently trying to stifle them. In a letter to Oliver Dowden, Vicky Browning, chief executive of Acevo, says she is becoming increasingly concerned that some MPs are repeatedly

“Substantial gaps” in data are having major implications for how effectively the voluntary sector is able to function, according to a new paper.  What’s missing? Evaluating social sector data gaps,  has been published by the research charity Pro Bono Economics as part of the ongoing Law Family Commission on Civil Society, a two-year initiative launched

The union Unite is calling for all senior leaders at Amnesty International UK to step down after reports of racism at the human rights organisation.  The union said it would put forward a motion calling for all the AIUK senior management team and its chair to resign after accounts from former staff members about their

Dozens of foundations that control hundreds of million of pounds in funding have signed a commitment to do more to tackle the cause and impacts of climate change. The Funder Commitment on Climate Change was launched in November 2019 and has been overseen by the Association of Charitable Foundations since June last year.  The latest

A group of more than 60 charity leaders has put out a statement backing charities’ right to campaign after a group of backbench Conservative MPs called for the government to stop the “worthless work” of organisations “promulgating weird, woke ideas”.  In a parliamentary debate yesterday, following the highly disputed report by the Commission on Race

The Charity Commission has registered a controversial gay, lesbian and bisexual campaign group as a charity despite receiving more than 100 formal objections and uncovering “inflammatory and offensive” social media activity by the organisation. The regulator said yesterday it had registered the LGB Alliance, which was set up in 2019 by a group of activists

Former Amnesty International UK staff have called on its leadership to resign after a report found incidents of overt racism at its international secretariat, including senior staff using the P-word and the N-word. Former AIUK staff spoke to Third Sector after it emerged that an internal review – commissioned following the Black Lives Matter protests

Total pre-pandemic income at children’s charity Barnardo’s fell by about £9m last year, driven in part by a reduction in donations and legacies. The charity’s accounts up to 31 March 2020, filed with Companies House last week, show total income was down to £296.5m, compared with £306m in the previous year.  Total spending was £219.3m, slightly

The Fundraising Regulator and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising have published guidance covering in-person events and cash collections as coronavirus restrictions continue to be eased across the UK.  The two bodies said the two pieces of guidance, one covering events and community fundraising activities and the other focusing on cash collections, were aimed at helping charities

A senior civil servant in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport  has admitted the controversial involvement of accountancy firm PWC in allocating emergency covid funding was “overly onerous” in some cases. Appearing before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee yesterday, Sarah Healey, the DCMS permanent secretary, said the decision to have PWC review

The Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales has announced a new racial equity funding programme for small and local charities that are led by, and support, black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities.  From 20 April eligible charities will be able to apply for two-year unrestricted grants of £50,000 alongside development support.  Funding will be

Children’s charity Barnado’s has formed a joint bid to operate the UK National Lottery’s fourth licence with an Italian company. The charity said it could not say how much the offer was worth, but the partnership represents a very significant income opportunity. Italian lottery operator Sisal announced its entry into the Gambling Commission’s competition to

There will be an independent review of charity regulation in Northern Ireland after a court ruling found that decisions made by the commission’s staff were unlawful. An appeal by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland was dismissed in the High Court in February last year. It followed a 2019 judgment that ruled only the commission’s

Oxfam GB has been rocked by fresh allegations of misconduct that whistleblowers allege the charity ignored for years before a grievance was raised. It is the second time in the space of a month allegations have surfaced against the charity’s staff, after it suspended two employees following reports of abuses of power by senior managers in

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations will reimburse staff for lost earnings during furlough after it revealed an improved financial position and new leadership team following a restructure.  Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown restrictions on its revenue-generating activities, the umbrella body had previously forecast a £1.3m budget deficit for 2020/21. 

In this episode, senior features and analysis writer Rebecca Cooney and editor Emily Burt discuss the plight of charity chairs during the pandemic.  A recent report, Chairing Through Covid: Above and Beyond, found almost two-thirds – 62 per cent – of chairs had reported spending four or more days a month on their chairing role during the Covid-19

An independent review of governance has been carried out at HIV Scotland after concerns were raised with the regulator about spending on consultants and advances made to the charity’s then-chief executive. HIV Scotland appointed Alastair Hudson as its interim chief executive in January after the charity’s former boss, Nathan Sparling, stepped down at the end of

Charity chairs significantly increased the amount of time spent on their role during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research from the Association of Chairs, but many lacked sufficient training and support. The report Chairing through Covid: above and beyond, which was supported by charity investment managers CCLA, surveyed 710 charity chairs and vice-chairs in

A charity that supports families living with Huntingon’s disease has appointed a new chief executive. The Scottish Huntington’s Association yesterday named Alistair Haw as its boss following the retirement of John Eden, who left the charity after 11 years in the top role.  Haw has worked with the charity for five years in the role

New research has found that almost nine out of 10 foundations plan to maintain or increase funding to charities this year despite many reporting that the pandemic had a negative impact on their finances. A survey by the Association of Charitable Foundations asked its members what their forecast was for 2021, in comparison to the impact

The pandemic has accelerated more effective collaboration between charities and local authorities during the pandemic, according to new research. Charity think tank New Philanthropy Capital tracked three local authority areas – Buckinghamshire, Coventry and Sutton – across a six-month period to learn how place-based coordination is changing. Researchers analysed the shift toward more collaboration between

A second report in the space of a week has found that more funding is needed for black and ethnic minority-led organisations in the UK.  The report, A quantitative analysis of the emergency funding to the UK black and minority ethnic voluntary sector during Covid-19, was commissioned by The Funders For Race Equality Alliance.  The

Charity shops across England and Wales have welcomed back shoppers today as the sector expects to “bounce back” with a surge of high-quality donated goods. In advice published today, membership body the Charity Retail Association said it is anticipating strong trading and high levels of donations as non-essential shops, including charity shops, are permitted to reopen

Simon Blake, chief executive of the community interest company Mental Health First Aid England, has formally launched legal proceedings against the actor and London mayoral candidate Laurence Fox. Blake announced his intention to sue the actor-turned-aspiring politician in October after Fox called Blake “a paedophile” on Twitter. Blake, who is deputy chair of the LGBT

Tributes have been paid to the former chair of the National Lottery Community Fund, who has died unexpectedly at the age of 64.  Peter Ainsworth, who had also been chair of the Churches Conservation Trust since 2016, held the role at the then-Big Lottery Fund between 2011 and 2019.  Described as a “passionate advocate for

Membership bodies have criticised “confusing” and “inconsistent” local authority grant funding after new research found that fewer than half of all councils are willing or able to identify charities when awarding discretionary grants. Research by Third Sector found thousands of small charities in England have accessed more than £17m in local authority grant funding since

In this edition, senior features and analysis writer Rebecca Cooney and editor Emily Burt discuss what’s been going on in the world of charities.  This includes the story about the National Trust saying it is “open to debate'” after a new pressure group attracted thousands of members in an attempt to force the charity to “regain the

Scores of voluntary sector organisations have paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, who died this morning aged 99. The royal family has asked people who want to mark his death to make gifts to “charities close to their hearts”. Prince Philip served as a patron or president of more than 750 organisations and carried