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News from ACF Members

This page provides news and information from ACF member trusts and foundations.  If you require further information about any of these news items please follow the links from the 'posting' organisation.

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2 February 2012

Where the Green Grants Went 5

Where the Green Grants Went 5 analyses some £227m of grants made by 147 trusts and foundations over a three year period. One striking finding in the report is that there has been a big increase in the proportion of environmental philanthropy going to tackle climate change.  

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31 January 2012

NPC publishes 'Inspiring Impact'

Inspiring impact sets out the current state of impact measurement in the social sector, and outlines how the participants in the Impact Summit plan to inspire change and increase the focus on impact to help more charities and funders use their resources effectively to make the most positive difference.

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26 January 2012

Wolfson Foundation awards £20million to UCL for experimental neurology centre

A new centre dedicated to the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases will be established at UCL following the award of a £20million grant from the Wolfson Foundation, it was announced today. The grant is the largest single award ever made by the Foundation and one of the largest philanthropic donations in UCL’s history. It is made as a result of the Wolfson Neurology Initiative, designed as a legacy to Lord Wolfson of Marylebone, who died in 2010.

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25 January 2012

Supporting Change and Impact Fund

The Big Lottery Fund has issued the first of its grants from the £50m Supporting Change & Impact fund, designed to prepare charities for future sustainability in the wake of a tough funding climate. Some 93 grants of up to £10,000 have been awarded to projects already receiving BIG funding in England. The initiative, which was launched in October last year, will allow projects in the last 18 months of their funding time to develop and review their schemes for future sustainability. 

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18 January 2012

Events in Northern Ireland - Achievements, Challenges and the road ahead for an Ageing Population

Big Lottery Fund, The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland are jointly hosting an event on 9 February 2012, 10.00am – 3.00pm, in Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey to raise awareness of key issues to inform and influence policy, to share learning that can inform practice and to provide an opportunity to celebrate and increase recognition of good practice in projects that involve older people.  

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12 January 2012

Voluntary Sector Independence

The Panel on the Independence of the Voluntary Sector chaired by Dame Anne Owers and established by the Baring Foundation in June 2011 has published the first of what will be five annual assessments on sector independence.  Its report highlights ‘real and present’ risks to the independence of the voluntary sector, with support for disadvantaged groups under particular threat. To view the report in full please visit www.independencepanel.org.uk.

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9 January 2012

Scotland Funders' Forum

The Forum has published a new report Beneath the Radar, highlighting the crucial role played by small community groups in addressing local need. The report features seven case studies emphasising the  contribution made by such groups to community well-being – and raises concerns about the increased struggle they face to survive in the current economic climate. Further details can be found at http://scotlandfundersforum.org.uk/2011/12/07/beneath-the-radar/ 

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6 January 2012

Carnegie Trust UK - New publication

The Carnegie UK Trust has recently published Power: A Practical Guide for Facilitating Social Change.  The handbook has been developed from a piece of work that was undertaken between 2008 and the end of last year by the Carnegie UK Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, exploring the link between analysing power and achieving social change.

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5 January 2012

Impetus Trust winds Top turn around award 2011

Impetus Trust has won the prestigious Europe’s Top Turnaround Awards 2011 in the ‘Third and Public Sector’ category, for its venture philanthropy work helping charities and social enterprises to transform their organisations.

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21 November 2011

Cattanach Trust closes programme for new website and theme

The Cattanach Charitable Trust is closing its website to new applications from Friday 25 November 2011 until 1 March 2012.  Organisations will not be able to apply for funding between this period. Current pending applications will be dealt with at the next Trustees’ meeting on 16 February.

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9 September 2011

What's happening in our communities, and what can be done to improve them?

Following August 2011's riots across the UK, this paper reviews JRF's back catalogue of research. Over the last 20 years JRF has looked at social and economic conditions, community engagement, regeneration and partnership in poor neighbourhoods, using evidence from hundreds of estates and neighbourhoods across the UK.

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17 August 2011

Over 500 young people tell JPF what they think about the rioting…

  • 50% think cause of riots was mindless violence the rest say:
    (boredom 13.5%) (lack of provision / interest in young 13.2%) (lack of morals 10.6%)
    (gap between rich and poor 6.6%) (youth unemployment 6%)
     
  • 5%   were asked to get involved but less than 0.5% were actually involved 
  • 95% definitely would not take part if asked to, 2% would consider ( *1) 
  • 63% got their information from TV/Radio not social networking (14%) 
  • 45% feel the coverage of young people was unfair 
  • 86% think parents should take more responsibility for their children’s crimes 
   

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4 August 2011

New publications available from Trust for London

Three new publications have recently been completed and are available from Trust for London:  
  • Annual Review 2010, reporting on £6.6 million of grants made to 138 voluntary and community organisations.
  • Safeguarding Children's Rights: exploring issues of witchcraft and spirit possession in London's African communities. 
  • No Longer Invisible: the Latin American community in London - the first large-scale survey of its kind, commissioned by Trust for London and the Latin American Women's Rights Service
 

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20 July 2011

John Ellerman Foundation Appoints a New Director and Chair

The Trustees of the John Ellerman Foundation would like to announce the appointment of Nicola Pollock as their new Director.  Nicola will take up her role on 19 September 2011. The trustees would also like to draw your attention to several other important trustee changes...

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18 July 2011

The Growing Scientist Project - Rochester Bridge Trust

The Growing Scientist project is being sponsored by the Rochester Bridge Trust and aims to engage up to 1,000 pupils a year in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Its longer term objective is to encourage further study and future careers in these subjects. The £60,000 grant from the Rochester Bridge Trust will fund a programme of events during 2011 and 2012, starting with a Space Day this autumn when the students will be designing and firing rockets as well as talking via a video link with people who can tell them from first hand experience about the challenges of living in space. The schools will also be teaming up with each other to develop their own projects.

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17 June 2011

Joseph Rowntree Foundation Publishes New Reasearch on Young people, Alcohol and Influences

This report presents the findings from a major study of young people and their relationship with alcohol, and explores the wide range of influences on their drinking. This study differs from other research: it develops evidence of how different domains of influence work together, understanding their relative importance in tackling different patterns of drinking among different groups.
 

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15 June 2011

Burdett Trustees Launch New £1.7 Million Empowerment Programme

The Trustees are delighted to announce a new £1.7 million grants programme. The Empowerment Programme is part of the Trust’s proactive work to identify opportunities and fund projects that advance its long-term strategic goals. The Trust invites proposals from charities and non-profit organisations that wish to take advantage of opportunities that have arisen from recent developments in the health sector.

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10 June 2011

Rochester Bridge Trust Grant To Fund Education Centre In Blue Town

Young people in Sheppey will be able to take a hands-on approach to discovering their heritage and their history, thanks to a grant from the Rochester Bridge Trust. 

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7 June 2011

New Barrow Cadbury Trust Website

In April 2011, the Barrow Cadbury Trust launched a new website. The site includes information about each of their programmes: Criminal Justice, Migration and Europe, and Poverty and Inclusion. All reports and publications supported by the Trust are available for download, including research from academics, think tanks and universities, good practice guides, and campaigning materials.

There are also details on the history of the Trust, information about trustees and staff, links to useful resources, and a frequently updated news and events section. www.bctrust.org.uk.
 

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31 May 2011

Foundations and charities invest in first social impact bond

The majority of investors in the first-ever social impact bond launched by the UK government were foundations and charities, according to an early report into the success of the payment-by-results pilot. The social impact bond (SIB) model attracts funding from private investors to pay for interventions to improve outcomes on a payment-by-results basis. 

HMP Peterborough, as host of the first of six planned SIB contracts aimed at reducing re-offending announced in December’s Green Paper, Breaking the Cycle, attracted funding from more than ten charitable trusts including ACF members Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Henry Smith Foundation, Lankelly Chase Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Tudor Trust.

To view the SIB report please click here.  

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20 May 2011

Rochester Bridge Trust - a new project

The Rochester Bridge Trust is sponsoring an innovative two-year programme to bring a wide range of young musicians, including DJs and MCs, together. There will be free music workshops and two concerts each year, all with music inspired by the River Medway.

Kent Music, a music education charity, will be leading the programme, and will be working in partnership with Rhythmix, a charity specialising in youth music initiatives. They aim to work with young musicians in the Maidstone, Tonbridge and Medway area.

 

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19 May 2011

Public Spending Cuts: Learning the Lessons from Canada

The Barrow Cadbury Fund is currently hosting Michael Mendelson, who was a deputy-minister of the Cabinet Office in Ontario at the time of the major fiscal consolidation in Canada in the 1990s.  Canada has frequently been quoted as an example of successful fiscal consolidation, which the UK could emulate.

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16 May 2011

Big Lottery Fund Chair and England Comittee Chair Appointed

Minister for Cabinet Office Francis Maude has today announced that Peter Ainsworth will be the UK Chair of the Big Lottery Fund and Nat Sloane will be the England Committee Chair.

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07 April 2011

NESTA's New Research Maps Supply and Demand for Social Finance

Two pioneering research reports which address significant gaps in the evidence base for the development of the social investment market and shine a light on how the market can be developed are published today by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

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