Autumn budget 2019
Chancellor Sajid Javid has announced that he is no longer preparing a budget for next month with the Government fully focused on seeking a general election instead. The budget had been scheduled for 6 November.
Currently the Office for Budget Responsibility says on their website that they will still publish their outlook for the UK economy on the 6 November, but this could change once there is an official statement from government that the budget is cancelled. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
New Code of Fundraising Practice
The Fundraising Regulator’s revised Code of Fundraising Practice came into force on 1 October 2019. The new Code – split into three sections – aims to be more accessible and easier to navigate.
- Part one covers the standards that apply to all fundraising
- Part two includes the standards when working with others (including professional fundraisers, corporate partners and volunteers)
- Part three includes the standards that apply to specific fundraising methods (such as events, lotteries and digital fundraising)
EU funding and the impact of a no-deal Brexit
In a guest blog for NCVO, Sam Windett of young people’s charity Impetus outlines the risks a no-deal Brexit poses to ESF funding. ESF provides £500m per year in England alone for programmes supporting people furthest from the job market into education, training and employment. Sam echoes our calls for more clarity from government on the design, implementation and size of the UK shared prosperity fund (UKSPF) which will replaced EU funding post-Brexit. Contact me if you’d like to be involved in our campaign to ensure the UKSPF adequately caters for disadvantaged communities.
New @CPMR_Europe finds if the UK remained in the EU it would be entitled to over 13 billion euros of regional development funding (a significant increase on 2014-2020 allocation). Important when planning Shared Prosperity Fund levels https://t.co/lq8YUCY9Wz @NCVO @ersa_news
— Samantha Windett (@SamanthaWindett) October 16, 2019
In other EU funding news, we’ve heard that the asylum migration and integration fund (AMIF) provided by the EU will not be covered by the government’s guarantee for EU funding in event of a no-deal exit unless bid for directly to the EU (which we understand is very rare). Please contact me if your organisation is affected or if you have more information to share.
Payroll Giving Hub launching soon
Launching soon, the Payroll Giving Hub is a free tool that makes giving to charity through pay easy. Anyone can search whether their employer offers Payroll Giving, sign up to give or request their employers implement the scheme. Developed by the Geared for Giving Campaign, the hub is designed to make promoting Payroll Giving simpler for charities to increase your regular income and tax-free donations.
Geared for Giving are calling on charities to pre-register. On launch they’ll provide everything you need to get started, including a link for your website, guidance, promotional materials and information on data and security. Simply email register@gearedforgiving.org for more details.
https://twitter.com/GearedforGiving/status/1185147569065938945
Charity fraud awareness hub
As part of Charity Fraud Awareness Week which takes place 21–25 October, UK Finance and the Charity Commission have launched a free online awareness hub. The hub is a one-stop shop for information, guidance and case studies, bringing together charity professionals from across the globe to discuss and share ideas on how to protect the sector. To access the hub visit the website and sign up.
New fund for frontline organisations tackling loneliness
The government has announced a new £2m fund to help organisations at the frontline of tackling loneliness across the country. The funding aims to support frontline, grassroots organisations that bring people together and help them build social connections. These could include community cafes, street parties, coffee mornings or local walking groups.
Making Tax Digital
Charity Tax Group (CTG) has developed a Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT ‘mythbuster’ document for charities. From 1 April this year, VAT registered charities with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold (£85,000) have been required to comply with new reporting requirements. CTG is aware that there is still some confusion about Making Tax Digital; their ‘mythbuster’ seeks to address some common misconceptions.
Government U-turn on proposed probate fee hike
The government has abandoned plans to alter the charging structure for probate fees which are paid when administering someone’s estate after they die. It intended to replace the current flat fee of £215 with a sliding scale, meaning higher value estates would have been charged anything up to £6000. Along with the Institute of Fundraising, Remember a Charity, the Institute of Legacy Management and the Law Society, we expressed concerns that the change would have meant less money for families and the good causes that people care about, so we’re pleased the government has reconsidered its plans.
MoJ scraps proposed probate fee changes https://t.co/b0JkdexfFs pic.twitter.com/OhNvxmgQ6b
— ukfundraising (@ukfundraising) October 14, 2019
Update from Funding Central
This month we’re highlighting just a couple of the thousands of funding opportunities and latest news listed on Funding Central.
Check out the updates on the BBC Children in Need small grants programme. Applications are now open for decisions in the spring. Grants of up to £10,000 per year are available for projects benefiting children and young people who are experiencing disadvantage.
Visit Funding Central and search for thousands of other funding opportunities through our funding search. Such as the Veolia Environmental Trust grants ranging from £10,000 to £75,000 covering four themes:
- Community buildings and rooms
- Outdoor spaces
- Play and recreation
- Biodiversity projects
Visit Funding Central to find out more about these grants including a link to Veolia’s postcode finder, which will help you to find out if the location of your project is eligible for a grant.
Don’t worry if neither of these funds fit your project we have thousands more for you to search on Funding Central
NCVO/Bates Wells Trustee Conference 2019
4 November, The Brewery, London
Join 400 colleagues from across the sector at the leading annual event for trustees, chairs, honorary treasurers, chief executives and anyone who works with a governing board.
Paul joined NCVO over seven years ago after working for a leading public affairs agency. Since then he’s led our policy work on a variety of issues, including welfare-to-work reforms, volunteering, the Compact, public service commissioning and procurement regulations. He now leads our work on funding and finance with a particular focus on charity tax relief and safeguarding EU funding post-Brexit. 
