Bulletin Contents - 16 May 2007

TAX AND NON-CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE

GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE ON RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING IN SMALLER FIRMS

A CHANCE TO ATTEND PARTY CONFERENCES

VCS ENGAGE

PIANO AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTARY GROUP

ASSETS TO BE SOLD FOR £1?

FUNDING UPDATE

O2 'It's Your Community' fund

E.ON Source

Opportunities for Volunteering

TAX AND NON-CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE

From HM Revenue and Customs Charities News page: The detailed guidance notes for charities about charitable expenditure have been completely revised, updated and re-titled to reflect the provisions introduced by FA06 concerning the treatment of non-charitable expenditure and transactions with substantial donors. "Where a charity's income and gains are not applied solely to charitable purposes, its exemption from tax may be restricted."
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/guidance-notes/annex2/annex_ii.htm.

GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE ON RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION

Official 'Guidance on new measures to outlaw discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities and services' has been published (online only) by the Department for Communities and Local Government. As previously noted here, these regulations came into effect on 30th April. It covers issues such as liability and the limited exemptions - duties are similar to those under other anti-discrimination laws.
From http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1510068.

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING IN SMALLER FIRMS

Volunteering England is working to spread the message to smaller companies that you don't need the budget of a multinational corporation to sponsor staff in their voluntary work. A special section for SMEs (small and medium size enterprises) has been created on their Employer Supported Volunteering web pages of Volunteering England, at http://www.volunteering.org.uk/sme.

A CHANCE TO ATTEND PARTY CONFERENCES

Small charities with an income below £100,000 may be able to get a bursary from NCVO to attend this year's party conferences in the autumn and also get a chance to air issues directly with a minister or senior MP. Eligible organisations need to explain why they wish to attend a party conference, what they would ask if they were in a meeting with an MP and the policies or changes they would like to see.  The deadline for applications is 2nd July. Contact Sultana Begum on 020 7520 2505, or see Charity Finance news alert at http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/charitynewsalert/issue28/smallcharities.asp.

VCS ENGAGE

VCS Engage is a DfES-funded initiative designed to identify and address the needs of voluntary and community sector organisations, working to deliver services within the framework of Every Child Matters. The programme aims to help voluntary and community sector organisations acquire the skills and knowledge needed to successfully engage in the new framework, and strengthen the sector's involvement in the planning, commissioning and delivery of services for children, young people and their families. http://www.vcsengage.org.uk.

PIANO AVAILABLE FOR VOLUNTARY GROUP

Upright piano in good working order. Janet Ford 0161 330 2970. Piano currently at Dukinfield Chapel

ASSETS TO BE SOLD FOR £1?

Disused schools and swimming pools could be sold to community groups for as little as £1 under a new government scheme to revive local facilities. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly says the initiative will create "a new era of civic pride" by giving local people more say in how local assets are used.

Councils will be asked to identify unused sites, such as old hospitals, empty pubs and disused police stations. Ruth Kelly, who launched the initiative this week in Sheffield at a former Victorian school transformed into a community centre, announced a £30m fund to support 20 pilot projects across the country.

It follows the publication of a report by Lewisham Council chief executive Barry Quirk, which argues that handing public assets to communities leads to better services and stronger communities. Local authorities already have powers to sell or lease assets at prices below the market value, but the Quirk Report found that these powers were not often used.

Under the new scheme, councils will be given the go-ahead to sell assets for as little as £1 where it is clearly for the good of local people. A £30m Cabinet Office community assets fund, managed by the Big Lottery Fund, will support the buildings' new community owners.    Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6656365.stm

FUNDING UPDATE

O2 'It's Your Community' fund

The O2 'It's Your Community' fund supports local environmental, urban renewal and conservation projects and could be used to hire tools and equipment, or to purchase plants, paint, signs and materials.

Examples could  include turning derelict land into an amenity park or wildlife area; Protecting local wildlife and increasing bio-diversity; Tree planting; Renovating a building for community use.

Grants of up to £1,000 are available, and judging will take place monthly on the 20th( There will be no awards given for the months of December and August. Applications received then will automatically go forward into January and September.)

More Information http://www.o2.com/cr/community_fund.asp 

E.ON Source

E.ON SOURCE funding supports the development of efficient and sustainable energy measures for community organizations with grants of up to £30,000.

Projects that would be considered include:

• The purchase and installation of one or more renewable energy technologies (e.g. wind, solar thermal, PV, wood etc)
• The renovation of existing facilities to incorporate micro-generation technology (e.g. the reinstatement of a watermill and the purchase of a turbine to produce hydro-electricity)
• An energy efficiency makeover for your building that could demonstrate significant energy savings and also behavioural change amongst users
• The use of new or innovative technology to deliver either energy savings or micro-generation capacity
• A project which can demonstrate the intelligent use of waste energy (e.g. a district heating system that uses waste heat from one building to heat or power another

Applications are reviewed three times a year, the next deadline is 24 August and then 21 December.

More Information http://www.eon-uk.com/source.aspx 

Opportunities for Volunteering

Opportunities for Volunteering (OFV) is a Department of Health scheme which will distribute £6.7 million this year to 300 local health and social care projects in England. OFV aims to enable local voluntary sector health and social care organisations in England to involve volunteers in their work. Volunteering England (VE) is one of 16 national charities that distribute OFV grants on behalf of the Department of Health. In total VE distributes approximately £1.7 million a year, of which £500,000 is in grants to new projects. Each year around 400 organisations submit preliminary OFV applications forms to VE of which only 15-18 will receive funding.

The OFV grants from Volunteer England are between £10,000 and £35,000.

Completed preliminary applications forms must be received by Volunteering England by 5pm on Monday, 30th July 2007. VE will assess the preliminary application forms and invite approximately 45 organisations to submit a full application. VE will contact successful preliminary applicants by Friday, 24th September.

Contact Information: Grants Helpline, Volunteering England , Regents Wharf , 8 All Saints Street , London , N1 9RL, email ofv2007@volunteering.org or telephone 020 7520 8991