The Prince Update - July 26th
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.
Sector news
London Councils pan-London Grants Programme 2022-2026
London Councils represents London’s 32 borough councils and the City of London. It is a cross-party organisation that works on behalf of its member authorities, regardless of political persuasion. London Councils manages a pan-London grants programme on behalf of its member authorities. The current programme, which has invested £6million a year since 2017 on combatting homelessness and tackling domestic and sexual abuse, is due to end March next year.
The new programme prospectus outlines the requirements for the programme and the services that London Councils is seeking on behalf of the boroughs. The programme focuses on two priorities:
· Combatting homelessness
· Tackling domestic and sexual abuse
Voluntary and community, and not-for-profit organisations specialising in combatting homelessness and tackling domestic abuse can apply for funding form the new programme
Community Ownership Fund: prospectus and assessment criteria guidance
Charities and community groups can apply for grants from a new government programme to take over local assets such as pubs, theatres and parks. The first round of the government’s Community Ownership Fund (COF) has opened to applications and will close on 13 August. It will distribute £150m in the next four years. Charities can bid for grants of up to £50,000 in revenue funding, and the government will match fund up to £250,000 in capital costs.
The bidding prospectus provides detailed guidance on the purpose of the fund, eligibility criteria, funding and support assessment criteria and the decision-making process.
The UK government will assess bids from across the UK against a common assessment framework. Applications will be scored using this framework, and final decisions on funding will be made by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Priorities for investment in Bidding Round 1 are to invest in good quality and viable projects which are ready to take on the ownership and management of a community asset and run it as a sustainable community business. This guidance provides you with detailed information of the assessment criteria used. It sets out how to apply the assessment criteria in your application. You can read full criteria here.
Comment: Vital information to know about for anyone applying
IFS predicts 'difficult' Spending Review
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will have little headroom for extra commitments in the autumn Spending Review, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. If Sunak wants to keep within the path for borrowing set out in March, he can afford a sizeable short-term giveaway, but due to economic scarring, these will not be permanent, the report said.
“Our forecasts suggest the chancellor has almost no additional wiggle room for permanent spending giveaways if he is to remain on course to deliver current budget balance. This suggests a very difficult Spending Review. Any additional spending to meet the demands and cost pressures from Covid-19, or to meet pre-existing spending demands such as for social care, would potentially require spending cuts elsewhere or further increases in tax.”
Life Chances Fund (LCF) social impact bonds in children’s social care
DCMS commissioned the Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) to undertake an evaluation of the LCF. The LCF was launched as an £80 million outcomes fund, which aims to tackle complex social problems by helping people in society who face the most significant barriers to leading happy and productive lives in England. The LCF contributes to SIB projects through payments by results contracts. These contracts involve social investors and are locally commissioned.
This report provides findings on seven children’s social care projects commissioned through Social Impact Bonds (SIBs)
Youth social action rapid evidence assessment
DCMS commissioned Alma Economics to undertake a rapid evidence assessment (REA) around youth social action. The aims of the research were to explore:
· the causes of participation in youth social action and policy implications
· the impact of youth social action on outcomes for young people
The REA reviewed 87 studies published after 2012 which focused on children and young people aged 10-20. Studies were from the UK, other OECD countries and EU-27 countries.
Top 100 UK social enterprises revealed: NatWest SE100 2021
The NatWest SE100 once again celebrates UK social enterprises in all their wonderful diversity. The Top 100 are judged on a wide range of criteria – from the growth and sustainability of their businesses to the innovation and resilience they have demonstrated and the social impact they have delivered.
Comment: Eastside Primetimers is one of them, as well as several Eastside Primetimers clients and partners
Charity Commission publishes Annual Report, Business plan and customer survey research
A collection of documents reporting on the Commission’s work in 2020 to 2021 and setting out its plan for 2021 to 2022.
Charity Commission opposes government over regulation plans for large charities
The Charity Commission has pressed the government to drop plans for imposing further regulations on large charities. The Commission said that new financial reporting rules, currently being considered by ministers, are ill-suited to charities and would impose an “extensive additional regulatory burden and financial cost on the sector”. One proposal would make senior staff at charities with annual incomes over £100m personally liable for errors in the accuracy of financial reporting, and potentially face bans or fines.
Independent examination of charity accounts and charity reporting and accounting: guidance for trustees
Where a charity’s annual income is over £25,000, the trustees must arrange for an independent person or accountancy firm to carry out either an audit or an independent examination of their charity’s accounts. This recently updated Charity Commission Guidance (CC31) explains what independent examination involves, how to select an independent examiner for your charity and what you need to do to prepare for an independent examination.
Also updated recently is guidance which explains the different accounting and reporting requirements for both company and non-company charities, plus all CIOs for financial years beginning on or after 1 November 2016 - Charity Commission Guidance (CC15d)
Comment: essential information for trustees
Donations and charity shop spending up 16% as Covid restrictions lift
Charitable donations and spending at charity shops rose sharply in the last three months, according to data released by the building society Nationwide. Analysis of over half a billion transactions by Nationwide members showed that they contributed £134m to charities between April and June, up 16% compared with the first three months of the year. This included spending in charity shops, direct debit and one-off donations, and paying for services delivered by charities, the company said.
Comment: useful figures about individual giving and charity shop spending from April to June - it will be interesting to see how the latest changes to restrictions last week impact the sector in the current quarter
2. Charity careers and future of work
Ruth Owen: ‘This has to be the moment for disabled people in diversity’
Interview in Civil Society with Ruth Owen, chief executive at the disability charity Leonard Cheshire, about how to level up post-pandemic and engage the younger generation.
Returning to work now restrictions have lifted: what should businesses be doing?
With lockdown rules eased in England and a ‘pingdemic’ on the horizon, HR and employment law experts offer advice on employers’ next steps
Comment: relevant for charities too
Two-thirds of HR practitioners expect remote working to increase their workload, poll finds
Experts advise that people professionals cannot be ‘all things to all people’ and should be mindful of their own wellbeing.
Londoners call on the Mayor to prioritise good work post-pandemic, poll finds
New polling of over 1,000 Londoners by the Learning and Work Institute/Trust for London Better Work Network sheds light on how the quality of work in the capital has been affected by the pandemic. Over two in five (41%) low-income workers said they do not currently have a secure contract with a minimum set of hours, demonstrating the impact of job security, including the lack of minimum hours, on pay. Similarly, low-income workers are also less likely (36%) to be satisfied with their opportunities for progression, before the pandemic and now, compared to other workers (46%).