The Prince Update - April 1st
Our writer Richard Prince shares his regular horizon scan of the sector news, flagging up developments, new funding and opportunities in the social sector for portfolio careerists and others to be aware of.
Next phase of £165 million programme for vulnerable families launched
The newly named ‘Supporting Families’ programme, previously known as the ‘Troubled Families’ programme, includes work to support people to leave abusive relationships, get the right joined-up support for those with mental health issues and help people to find work. The programme launches its next phase, backed by £165 million in funding for 2021 to 2022.
Demand for Plunkett Foundation's advice and support services rose last year
The Plunkett Foundation said that demand for its advice and financial services rose by over 50% during 2020, as communities looked to take over local businesses and assets struggling because of the coronavirus crisis. The Foundation’s 2020 Impact Report, published yesterday, said that the charity had provided specialist advice to twice as many groups compared with 2019. £4m was raised in 2020 through community shares, which helped save pubs which would otherwise have been derelict, and create local shops.
Comment: Could be continuing interest in community assets as local government funds dry up further
Charity Bank secures £1m in new equity investments
Charity Bank, the loans and savings bank for positive social change, has secured £1m in new equity investments from two investors. The Samworth Foundation has become the newest shareholder of Charity Bank with an investment of £500k. In addition, existing Charity Bank shareholder, Barrow Cadbury Trust, has increased their total investment in the bank by £500k to £750k. The new investments are timely, coming as Charity Bank announces record new lending commitments in H2 2020, approving £49m of loans, the highest amount of new loan approvals over a six-month period in the history of the bank. Demand for Charity Bank loans is high and continues to grow; with an additional £23m of loans approved in the first quarter of 2021.
NPC: charities unlikely to receive much of the government's 'levelling up' agenda funds
Charities are unlikely to receive much of the funding earmarked through the government’s “levelling up” agenda because there are fewer charities in areas where the fund is targeted, new research indicates. The not-for-profit think tank NPC found there were 28 per cent fewer local charities per 1,000 people in areas prioritised for the government's £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund than in wealthier locations. NPC said this implied there would be fewer chances for charity partnerships in the places where it mattered most.
The government has made “levelling up” a priority since the 2019 election, an agenda aimed at reducing regional inequalities and spreading prosperity around the UK. Charities gave the Levelling Up Fund a cautious welcome when it was announced in November last year. But NPC said it put too much emphasis on hard infrastructure such as roads and buildings and ignored social issues that could be just as much of a drag on prosperity. The think tank said there was limited scope for social infrastructure services such as youth provision, addiction or homelessness, although there was potential for skills training.
NAO: largest coronavirus support fund was more than £140m oversubscribed
The National Audit Office says a fund that was due to provide £310m of emergency help to voluntary sector organisations was reduced to less than £200m. £310m of the government’s £750m support package for the sector was originally allocated to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, which was managed by The National Lottery Community Fund. But the NAO says this was later reduced to £199m, mainly due to funds being allocated into a match-funding scheme for a small number of voluntary sector organisations. After administration and evaluation costs of £11m were deducted, just £188m was left for charities to access.
The NAO’s report says the CCSF was heavily oversubscribed, receiving more than 13,800 applications worth nearly £342m. “This narrowed the original intention from also supporting key sector players, organisations considered strategically important to communities.”
Government agrees to reforms on charity spending and investment
Charity trustees will have more freedom over how to use surplus fundraising and permanent endowments, under legal changes announced today. They are among the changes promised by the government in response to recommendations made by the Law Commission in 2017. The Law Commission made 43 recommendations, of which the government accepted or partially accepted all but six. Ministers rejected reforms which would have made it easier for to challenge judgments by the Charity Commission.
In the event that people give to fundraising campaigns which either miss their target or raise more than was expected, charities will now be able to keep donations of up to £120 without involving the regulator. Under current rules, trustees must seek a donor’s permission about what to do with the gift. Other reforms include reviewing financial reporting thresholds, to ensure that they take into account inflation, and making it easier to amend governing documents.
Funding for NCS Trust in 2022 ‘has yet to be decided’
The government has not decided how much funding it will provide the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust for 2022, while it reviews youth service provision. The NCS Trust is the Royal Charter body that oversees the government's main youth programme for England, focused on 16 to 17 year-olds. Its most recent annual report for 2019-2020 was published at the end of last week. This reveals that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has agreed enough to deliver its programme activities for summer and autumn 2021, but funding for a 2022 programme has not been decided.
The Third Sector Awards provide an opportunity for voluntary organisations of all sizes, and the people who work for them, to celebrate their work and the real difference they make to society. After the extraordinary events of the Covid-19 pandemic, this has never been so important. Entering the Third Sector Awards is your opportunity to shout about just how great your charity, organisation or team is. This is the chance to bring your work to life, tell its story and be awarded for it. The Third Sector Awards pride themselves on educating and inspiring the sector, as well as offering every entrant detailed feedback on their entry from our expert panel of judges. Entries for 2021 are now open.
John Lyon’s Charity pledges extra £22m for children and young people's charities
The John Lyon’s Charity, which gives grants to organisations operating in nine boroughs in the capital, has ring-fenced the multimillion-pound funding from its endowment with a new strategy. The charity said that most young people spent their time either at school, at home or in the community, so it would look to target organisations that work in those areas. It said it would support organisations by initiating collaborations, replicating successful initiatives and rehabilitating organisations, using this funding as a lifeline for many that are at risk of permanent closure.
The charity is inviting applications from both schools and arts institutions in London. Organisations must operate in the boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea, the City of London or Westminster.
IFS: Chesney Hawkes was number 1 the last and only time homes were valued for council tax!
That’s not an April Fool. It’s true!
Average weekly earnings, which were £215 in 1991, stand at £572 today. Moving closer to our subject of interest, property prices in England have more than quadrupled over that period, far outstripping the growth in earnings. Much has changed over those thirty years. Arsenal, The Soviet Union and Chesney Hawkes are no longer the powers they once were. But one thing that hasn’t changed in England and Scotland over those three decades is the property valuations on which council tax is based