Charity

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

Door-to-door, street and private site fundraising will be allowed from Monday as part of the next step in the government’s roadmap out of national lockdown measures, ministers have confirmed.  The easing of Covid-19 restrictions for the sector will allow fundraisers to resume face-to-face interactions with supporters after more than a year of finding new ways

The homelessness charity St Mungo’s had denied it has a “bullying and anti-union culture” after maintenance staff voted to begin indefinite strike action later this month. The walkout by employees in the charity’s property services department follows a claim in March by the union Unite of an anti-union bias by senior management at St Mungo’s.

An employee at a football charity was victimised amid a number of grievances and a foul-mouthed argument with the chairman of a connected lower league football club, an employment tribunal has concluded. The tribunal heard how Robbie Cowling, chairman and owner of the League Two club Colchester United, claimed he had been “headbutted” by Mark

The charity Changing Faces, which supports people who have a scar, mark or condition that makes them visibly different, has appointed Heather Blake as its new chief executive. Blake, director of support and influencing at Prostate Cancer UK, will succeed Becky Hewitt, who announced in November that she planned to step down. Hewitt will remain

Marie Curie has made two appointments to its senior leadership team. The end-of-life charity has brought in Tiffany Willcox in the new role of chief technology officer and appointed Amanda Oakley Smith as chief financial officer. Willcox, who joined last week from the optical retailer Specsavers, where she was head of technology, will lead the

The National Trust said it is open to debate its shared history after a new pressure group attracted thousands of members in an attempt to force the charity to “regain the nation’s trust”. The Restore Trust said it was a grassroots movement of 6,100 current and former members that was set up following a report

The Charity Commission has confirmed it was aware of fresh allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct at Oxfam when it lifted its regulatory oversight of the charity in February.  The charity has suspended two staff members after The Times newspaper reported claims of abuses of power by senior managers in the Democratic Republic of the

Anna Dixon, chief executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, is to step down in June. Dixon has led the charitable foundation, which aims to help people enjoy later life, since 2015. She was previously director of strategy and quality at the Department of Health and a visiting fellow at The London School of Economics.

This week, senior features and analysis writer Rebecca Cooney and editor Emily Burt discuss what a return to the office might look like for charities when coronavirus restrictions are lifted later on this year. Many organisations will be contemplating how to return to the office, or indeed if to return to the office, if the

The Prime Minister’s special adviser for civil society and communities is to leave his post in May, the day after an official report downplayed the problem of structural racism in the UK.  Samuel Kasumu, who is also co-founder of Inclusive Boards, an executive search firm specialising in creating more diverse business leadership, has been in

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has added three directors to its senior leadership team.  The social change charity has announced that it had appointed Graeme Cooke as director of evidence and policy, Frank Soodeen as director of communications and public engagement and Sophia Parker, whose directorate is yet to be named but will focus on a