Civil Society

I don’t agree with the thrust of this article – its time we moved away from charities being dependent on grants. Enlightened social enterprise is the way to the bright sunlit uplands in my view in terms of this debate. We’re thrilled to be working on this agenda in the context of rural market failure in Leicestershire. I’m happy to tell you more if you email me. The article itself says:

Charity representative bodies, think tanks and grant makers have told the government that the new civil society strategy should include an emphasis on grants, encouraging the sector to speak out and better more meaningful engagement.

The minister for civil society, Tracey Crouch, announced that she was working on a new strategy last year and the consultation opened earlier this year. The deadline to respond was 9am yesterday.

Here are some of the things that charities have asked for:

• Reform of the Lobbying Act
• Better consultation and engagement
• Improve commissioning across government to widen access to smaller charities
• Beef up the Social Value Act
• Use dormant assets to support community foundations
• Fund charities with grants
• Funding for the Charity Commission