Charity

The world’s richest man has announced that he is setting up a £7.7bn fund that will give grants to organisations tackling climate change. Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of the retailing giant Amazon, announced in an Instagram post yesterday that he was giving the funds to establish the Bezos Earth Fund, which will begin

The Art Fund, which makes grants to support museums and galleries, has appointed Jenny Waldman as its next chief executive. Waldman was previously the director of 14-18 NOW, which was the UK’s official arts programme for the centenary of the First World War. Waldman will replace Stephen Deuchar, who announced in September that he would

We are shocked and saddened to hear about the deaths of as many as 31 civilians, and 12 other people injured, in strikes on Al Jawf governorate in northern Yemen on February 15. This latest tragic incident closely follows an attack on February 7 on Marib’s main hospital which serves up to 15,000 people. In addition,

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator has appointed an interim manager to an LGBT charity after its only active trustee resigned and it changed its objects without the regulator’s consent.  The OSCR said in a statement that it had appointed an “interim judicial factor” to the Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Community Project, which is

Baroness Barran will remain the Minister for Civil Society after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first major reshuffle following the election in December.  Number 10 confirmed on Friday afternoon that the Conservative peer, who was first appointed to the role in July, had been confirmed in the position once more.  Barran, who has been a member

The Fundraising Regulator has been criticised for its handling of contested evidence after an independent review of its investigation into a complaint about a cancer charity’s fundraising practices. In a review of its decision published yesterday, the regulator was found to have used vague evidence when criticising an allegedly unwanted bag drop by the Recycling

The Coram group of children’s charities has merged with the Shakespeare Schools Foundation. The SSF, which was founded in 2000, uses the works of William Shakespeare to help build children’s confidence and cultural capital. It also runs the annual Shakespeare Schools Festival. The two charities said they had merged to allow for more collaboration and

The auction of the “shouldergate” dress worn in parliament by the shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin has raised £20,200 for Girlguiding. The Batley & Spen MP put the garment up for auction on eBay to raise funds for the charity after she was criticised on social media for wearing the dress in the House of

The Institute of Fundraising has been granted chartered status.  The membership body said in a statement today that the Queen had approved its application on Wednesday, paving the way for the organisation to become the Chartered Institute of Fundraising later this year.  The IoF said becoming a chartered body would have benefits including elevating the

Julie Bentley is to step down as chief executive of Action for Children after 18 months in the role.   Bentley said on Twitter today that she was leaving for personal reasons, but did not provide further details. 2/2: They have consistently inspired me and made me feel proud. I am honoured to have served them these

Fourteen new Sorp Committee members have been appointed to oversee the accounting rules for the charity sector across the UK and Ireland. The appointments come after a review of the committee’s membership, initiated in August 2018, and criticism from several quarters about the make-up of the committee. Joe Saxton, founder of the think tank nfpSynergy,

Oliver Dowden has been appointed as the new culture secretary, overseeing the government department that holds responsibility for the voluntary sector. Latest headlines The MP for Hertsmere, who was Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, has been promoted to succeed Baroness Morgan at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as part

Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK, has been appointed chief executive of the business support charity Pilotlight.  Mayo, who has led the business network since 2009, will succeed Gillian Murray, who is stepping down after 14 years at Pilotlight, the past seven as chief executive. Latest headlines Before joining Co-operatives UK, Mayo was chief

The Supreme Court today heard the beginning of an appeal against the decision to deny sleep-in care workers the minimum wage when on call, saving charities an estimated £400m. The case, which is expected to last two days, is the latest in a long-running battle about the legal status of sleep-in care workers, who often

The British Museum is under pressure to end its relationship with the oil giant BP after staff backed a 1,500-strong protest over the weekend. The museum, which opened a new Trojan War exhibition at the weekend, sponsored by BP, was targeted on Friday morning by protesters dressed as Greek hoplite soldiers flanking a wooden Trojan

Time is running out to submit entries for Third Sector‘s Business Charity Awards 2020, which celebrate the significant contribution made by companies to UK charities and social enterprises.  The deadline for entries in this year’s awards, which are in their eleventh year, is 11:59pm on 17 February. Latest headlines There are 25 categories, including a

Salary growth for women working in charity finance roles far outstripped that for their male counterparts last year, new figures show.  Research conducted by the recruitment company Robertson Bell found that the average rise in earnings for women in charity finance positions was 4.1 per cent in 2019, compared with 2.4 per cent for men. 

Despite continued bipartisan support, the Trump administration announced a 22% cut to critical foreign assistance programs as part of its early budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2021. The real-world impacts of these cuts would be devastating – and in some cases deadly – for millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. U.S. foreign assistance dollars provides critically

Charity sector leaders have called on the government to urgently provide more clarity about how EU funds will be replaced next year and to increase funding for local councils in next month’s Budget. In a letter to Sajid Javid, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, from umbrella organisations including the Charity Finance Group, the National Council

The children’s mental health charity Place2Be has announced that it will close the eight locations it took on when it merged with the young people’s support charity The Art Room in 2018. The move comes after a review of the service provided by The Art Room, which is part of the larger charity, concluded it

Almost three-quarters of charity event professionals expect fundraising from mass-participation events to be harder in 2020 than it was last year, new research suggests.  A survey of more than 300 event professionals, conducted by the events company Massive, found that 60 per cent of respondents disagreed with the statement “fundraising will be easier in 2020

The strongest foundations learn from failure, have a culture of learning and base their decisions on lived experience, according to a report by the Association of Charitable Foundations.  The report, Impact and Learning: The Pillars of Stronger Foundation Practice, published today, looks at the seven qualities displayed by the charitable foundations that have the biggest

A brewery has launched a range of pub-shaped hideaways for hedgehogs as part of its partnership with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.  The Hibernation Arms hideaways, made in partnership with Camden Town Brewery, offer hedgehogs a place to sleep in winter and to give birth to hoglets in summer.  A limited run of 25 will

The National Rifle Association acted outside its charitable objects by promoting recreational shooting competitions, the Charity Commission has concluded.  A commission compliance case found the charity, which has objects of promoting the efficiency of the armed forces for the defence of the realm, was not furthering its charitable purpose in organising recreational shooting for civilians

Severe food insecurity rates across nine southern African countries are 140% higher now than in 2018, primarily because people are being hit by weather extremes driven by climate change, according to Oxfam, CARE, Plan International and World Vision. Across the Southern Africa region there are now 14.4 million people facing acute levels of hunger, compared

The former chief executive of Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been jailed for seven years after defrauding the charity of about £400,000. Stephen Coleman, 61, was sentenced at the Royal Court in Jersey yesterday after pleading guilty in November to 15 counts of fraud, two counts of forgery and two

Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation launches new Mental Health Fund for Young People via The Good Exchange Navigation Menu RealWire Limited Delivering Relevance, Releasing Influence Press Release Newbury, 6th February 2020 – Not-for-profit, charity-owned cloud platform The Good Exchange has today announced that Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation is launching a new dedicated fund in support of

An MP is attempting to introduce legislation that would establish a new body to provide support to small, front-line charities.  Simon Fell, the Conservative MP for Barrow & Furness, has put forward the Third Sector Organisations (Impact and Support) Bill, which would set up a new organisation to offer support to local charities in areas

The London Marathon Charitable Trust has awarded more than £2.2m in new grants to 20 organisations that help people access physical activity across the UK.  The biggest grant, of £1m, went to the disability sport charity the Activity Alliance, which will use the funds to encourage 4,000 inactive children and young people to take part

There are just over 24 hours remaining to enter Third Sector’s Business Charity Awards at the reduced-cost early-bird rate.  The awards celebrate the significant contribution made by companies to UK charities and social enterprises, and are in their eleventh year.  There are 25 categories in this year’s awards, including a new Sustainability award, plus Business