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ACF News Archive
News from ACF members, often with reference to interesting information. Search by organisation below or use the main search box in the top right hand corner of the website to search for key words.
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18 November
The Bank Workers Charity (formerly the Bankers Benevolent Fund) are holding a series of Round Tables on this topic as follows:
- Tuesday 10th January
- Tuesday 24th January
- Tuesday 14th February
- Tuesday 6th March
Each session will have a maximum of 20 participants and take place at Pinners Hall, will start mid-morning and run over lunch, which will be provided.
The Round Tables will be chaired by Professor Paul Palmer, Associate Dean for Ethics, Sustainability and Engagement at Cass Business School, and will be held under Chatham House rules. There will be additional support from research associates at Cass, and technical input from UBS.
View full details…
9 November 2011
From April 2012, LankellyChase Foundation's mission will focus exclusively on bringing about change to improve the quality of life of people who face severe and multiple disadvantage.
View full details…
7 November 2011
Our current Chair is stepping down early 2012 and Odgers Berndtson have now been appointed to find a replacement. For further information visit www.odgers.com/37015.
View full details…
17 October
A new Fund to support the creation of new social action opportunities opens for applications today. Worth over £20million, the Social Action Fund managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Office for Civil Society is offering grants of £100k and upwards to projects across England that will expand volunteering and giving of time, money, knowledge and assets.
View full details…
13 October
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund would like to invite you to the third of their joint Shared Learning Seminars. The seminars will feature a frank discussion on policy change and advocacy and what funders could do to support changes in policy and practice. There will be presentations from Mike Kaye, Still Human Still Here Coalition and Danny Kushlick, Transform Drug Policy Foundation.View full details…
27 September
Giving our all recounts the evolution of The Tubney Charitable Trust and the various challenges it faced over time. Against this background it explores issues of interest to all grant-makers: strategic planning, governance, campaigning, risk management, project management, partnerships and financial management. This event should be of particular interest to grant-makers like Tubney who have committed to, or are contemplating, spending out.View full details…
27 September
Join TSR Cat the British Library on 14 October 2011 where they will share findings from their wide-ranging research programme on the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors in the UK. It is a chance to discuss and debate issues with researchers and help inform future research agendas.View full details…
29 June
This lecture will explore how engaging with the arts could shape the new social and economic paradigms that will enable us to move to a high wellbeing/low carbon future. Clare will answer questions and debate with the audience after the lecture and the session is followed by a networking reception.
View full details…
15 February
The Hilden Charitable Trust would like to invite you to the following event:
Invitation to view
‘Hope for Life’ and join a discussion on aid to the DR Congo Thursday March 3rd 5pm to 7.30pm 2011 at the Hilden Office
View full details…
07 Feb
After a series of meetings focused on research and medical issues, Waterloo Foundation's next meeting will have more of a focus on social care. This meeting will be on Thursday March 10th at 1:30 pm (venue to be confirmed).
They are delighted that Amanda Allard and Laura Courtney from the Council for Disabled Children will be coming along to tell attendees about their work. CDC (
www.ncb.org.uk/cdc/home.aspx) does a lot of policy work, and has networks on various topics such as transitions in service provision.
View full details…
17 January 2011
The Trustees of the LankellyChase Foundation are pleased to announce the appointment of Julian Corner to succeed Peter Kilgarriff as Chief Executive of the Foundation. He will take up his duties on May 16th 2011.
View full details…
23 December
Charities Evaluation Services has just opened for entries to its brand new Learning and Innovation Prize, which rewards organisations for good use of monitoring information or evaluation findings.
The Prize is aimed at highlighting the contribution that monitoring and evaluation makes to improving service delivery, not just accountability, and rewarding organisations who make the best use of the information that they have.
View full details…
13 December
October 2010 saw the UK’s first ever national Trustees’ Week. Its aim was to promote trusteeship and encourage more people to consider taking up the role. With the Big Society agenda also calling for more of us to get involved in our local communities, trusteeship has become a hot topic.
NPC ran a series of trustee seminars in May, June and July 2010, funded by The Clothworkers’ Company. Over 80 charity trustees came together to debate how they could make their charities more effective and to share ideas about improving trusteeship.
View full details…
16 November
To cover the last full year of City Parochial Foundation and Trust for London prior to their amalgamation, Trust for London have produced this short review of their work in 2009. It includes a list of all the grants they made during the year.
View full details…
08 November
A new report by the thinktank Demos, funded by the charity Scope and the Barrow Cadbury Trust, argues that the government's new 'work capacity test' will mean that half a million disabled people lose £4.87bn in benefits over the next five years.
View full details…
1 November
In a series of online articles, the Directory of Social Change has asked some of the UK’s leading trusts and foundations to give their insight into how funders go about making grants and what they consider to be best practice in how they support their beneficiaries. Contributions have been made by the Henry Smith Charity, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Nationwide Foundation.
View full details…
29 October
The Asian Foundation for Philanthropy would like to draw your attention to an important event in their calendar talking place on the 16 November.
‘Domestic Violence: Suffer in silence or make some AWAG’ is a comparison of domestic violence in India and the UK.
Follow the links to find out what exactly AWAG is (!) and to find out more about their event, volunteers and guest speakers.
View full details…
12 October
The European Association for Philanthropy and Giving will be hosting a round table event to focus on and address the question 'Can the big society create new cultures of giving?'.
The event will be chaired by Andrew Phillips (Lord Phillips of Sudbury) and be attended by an expert panel with well know names across the sector.
View full details…
11 October
The Big Lottery Fund has today allocated £200,000 to the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) to create a one-stop knowledge resource that will be available to the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.
Birmingham University-based TSRC will collaborate with the British Library in establishing a “Knowledge Portal”, an on-line catalogue and library of published material on and for the VCS in the UK that will become a permanent part of the British Library’s Social Sciences collection.
View full details…
11 October
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has launched its latest issue-based funding to support work that is improving the life choices and chances of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system. The funding is open to registered charities, working alongside statutory services and the Foundation is specifically interested in applications that:
- are new or innovative and pushes existing ‘boundaries’
- will extend or replicate an existing and proven model of working
- will improve joined-up working with statutory agencies to deliver better services.
View full details…
08 October
Carnegie UK Trust has reviewed the evolution and diversity of the LEADER programme in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and beyond and has recently published
'A Common Rural Development Policy?'. In this publication they consider the merits of more widespread and systematic use of the LEADER approach in equipping rural communities to meet their significant future challenges.
View full details…
13 September
Tenders are invited for an independent evaluation of the work of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund is an independent grant-giving charity established in September 1997 to continue the Princess’ humanitarian work in the UK and overseas.
The Fund is currently spending out its capital and will close at the end of 2012. The evaluation will seek to investigate how effectively the Fund has used its assets – both financial and non-financial – to campaign for social change in its areas of focus, primarily since the launch of its Strategic Plan in 2007.
View full details…
13 September 2010
London Funders have recently announced their autumn programme of events for funders and investors in London’s voluntary and community sector. For the complete details visit the website
www.londonfunders.org.uk.
View full details…
19 August 2010
New Philanthropy Capital has launched a paper encouraging charities to prove their value during the current series of funding cuts.
'Proving Your Worth to Whitehall' uses the nine questions the Treasury will ask every Whitehall department to answer during the autumn spending review, and applies them to a charity.
View full details…
16 August 2010
JRF's annual update, based on what members of the public think people need to achieve a socially acceptable standard of living. Over time, changes in prices alter the cost of a minimum standard of living, and changes in social norms will change the 'minimum' that is required. This study considers both of these elements, and updates the budgets to April 2010.
View full details…
13 August 2010
NPC is continuously looking for new ways to get people to think about effectiveness among charities. It has recently launched a new YouTube channel, which gives you the viewer the chance to see the faces behind some of NPC's most popular reports. The channel will feature NPC staff discussing the thinking behind NPC's approach and introducing some of our publications, as well as clips from NPC events.
View full details…
06 August
The Nationwide Foundation has invested £262,500 towards the Community Land Trust Fund, an initiative providing affordable homes to people priced out of their communities in which they were brought up.
View full details…
19 July 2010
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is to invest £700,000 in a new three year programme designed to encourage older people to take part in the arts. Jointly funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's Arts & Older People Programme will provide new opportunities for older people to engage with the arts, by joining a workshop or trying out a new arts activity.
View full details…
1 July 2010
City Parochial Foundation and its sister fund Trust for London, which collectively give out over £6 million a year, will amalgamate on 30 June 2010. The new organisation will be known as Trust for London.
View full details…
15 June 2010
Westminster Amalgamated Charity would like to share with members and non-members alike their new website which can be found at
http://www.w-a-c.org.uk/. The organisation awards grants to both individuals and groups and hopes that the website will add to the growing interest shown in their oganisation.
View full details…
01 June 2010
White Stuff has committed to giving at least 1% of its annual profits for 2010-11 to the Foundation and, as such, provides its principal source of income. Each White Stuff shop supports a local charity and raises funds through fun customer activities and events, as well as creative window schemes. For instance in Autumn 2009, a nationwide window campaign ‘Give a Gnome a Home’ saw thousands of customers adopt a gnome and the scheme raised over £30,000 for local charities. Plus, the company will support the Foundation with the profits from sales of fun items in its shops.
View full details…
25 May 2010
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales today published its annual report announcing £20.6 million had been invested in tackling disadvantage in 2009.
One of the UK’s leading grant makers, the independently run Foundation supports charities that help disadvantaged people play a fuller role in the community. During 2009, the Foundation funded over 900 small to medium sized charities tackling nationwide-wide issues through local community work. Over 1,800 jobs and 6,900 volunteering opportunities (often leading to employment) have been supported in the last three years throughout England and Wales.
View full details…
17 May 2010
ACF is very pleased to announce a series of three linked discussions on the roles of foundations in what is becoming a very changed world. Building specifically on requests from members, and on the Charity Commission’s report last year, Firm Foundations, these events aim to provide a unique space for Chief Executives to review the financial and policy context ahead for foundations.
View full details…
04 May 2010
Following the 2010 Budget announcement that charitable tax reliefs would be extended to certain organisations in the European Union, Norway and Iceland, and its subsequent enactment in the Finance Act 2010, there have been many discussions about the details of this change in the law. Given the level of uncertainty about what these changes mean in practice for charities, CTG has asked CTG Observer Member Sam Macdonald, Partner at Farrer & Co LLP, to draft a paper highlighting the key consequences of the legislation for charities within England and Wales
View full details…
19 March 2010
Come to ACF Conference 2010 - Inspire your thinking at this year’s ACF Conference where current topics and future trends are debated in a stimulating mix of plenaries and workshops. ACF Conference is the ideal space for independent charitable funders to meet, share and learn.
View full details…
18 March 2010
Navigating the markets: Investment insights for charities, foundations and endowments. A Dow Jones event sponsored by CCLA and M+G Investments on 28 April 2010.
View full details…
26 February 2010
For the first time ever, the EFC is holding a Foundation Week, from 31 May to 4 June 2010. This will be an event that includes OPEN DAYS for the public and other stakeholders in the run-up to the EFC’s Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Conference.
View full details…
22 December 2009
Carnegie UK Trust has long championed the work of rural communities across the UK and Ireland. Our report, A Charter for Rural Communities was published in June 2007. This new publication, A Manifesto for Rural Communities, builds upon the vision provided in the Charter but acknowledges the accelerating pace of economic, social and environmental change. Here we set out some very positive opportunities for rural communities (and indeed communities everywhere) to survive and thrive during what are proving to be turbulent times.
View full details…
16 November 2009
New grants aim to get more disabled people volunteering are available from 16 November 2009. These grants are part of the £2 million Access to Volunteering Fund, which was developed by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office as a pilot scheme in Greater London, the West Midlands and the North West. The first deadline for applications is
1 December.
View full details…
29 October 2009
Lambeth Endowed Charities is looking to recruit a Grants Officer. This is a great opportunity to join a small, progressive organisation concerned with improving the lives of those affected by poverty and the consequent social exclusion. Deadline for applications is noon 24 November 2009.
View full details…
1 October 2009
A fund of £3 million over five years has been created by the Baring Foundation for grants to strengthen arts organisations with a trackrecord of work with older people. To accompany the new programme, the Foundation has published the first Uk-wide mapping report of such work entitled
Ageing Artfully.
View full details…
15 October 2009
Genesis Philanthropy Group is recruiting for a Senior Advisor, a part time consultant who will serve as GPG’s primary resource for expertise on best practices in Foundation operations and grant making. Candidates must have a record of experience as a senior executive with a significant philanthropic foundation.
View full details…
14 October 2009
The European Association for Philanthropy and Giving event - Grant-making in the downturn on 11 November 2009. This event would be suitable for grantmaking trusts and foundations, charities seeking to fundraise from grantmakers, advisers, consultants and intermediaries advising these organisations, and anyone with an interest in the relationship between grantmakers and charities and the impact of the recession on their work.
View full details…
1 October 2009
The Dulverton Trust is an independent Grant-Making Charitable Trust which provides support for a wide range of charities. A vacancy will arise on the retirement of the current Director in May 2010. Closing date for applications is
5 November 2009.
View full details…
29 September 2009
Chris Underhill from BasicNeeds comes to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund on
Wednesday 21 October 2009 to discuss how partner organisations in the local area were consulted in order to gain an understanding of the socio-economic situations facing internally displaced men, women, youth and children, and how priority needs and expectations of this beneficiary group were identified and solutions found.
View full details…
7 August 2009
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has launched a new £1 million funding programme for charities which are working to improve the life choices and chances of young offenders.
View full details…
17 July 2009
The Carnegie UK Trust Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland and openDemocracy are hosting an event to explore the role of civil society associations in creating and supporting spaces for dissenting voices. The event will be held on Tuesday 28 July 2009 in London.
View full details…
09 July 2009
LankellyChase Foundation wish to appoint new Trustees and invite applications from candidates who can demonstrate first hand experience of the sectors supported by the Foundation or have complementary skills in project evaluation and/or governance of charities. Deadline for applications is 31 July 2009.
View full details…
06 July 2009
The Charity Commission's report 'A Guide to Corporate Foundations' has been published. ACF members from the Corporate and Business Issue Based Network gave invaluable input to the discussions about, and the development of this guide.
View full details…
7 June 2009
ACF PRESS RELEASE - 7 June 2009. New ACF survey on the impact of the recession finds that trusts and foundations are cautiously optimistic over the longer term.
View full details…
16 April 2009
After the Crunch New Investment Thinking for Foundations, Endowments and Charities - 9 June 10:00 – 15:30 (including luncheon debate) at a Central London location. A unique, free-to-attend event for Trustees, Chief Executives and Financial Directors of charitable organisations, arranged by Dow Jones in association with ACF, and sponsored by CCLA.
View full details…
19 May 2009
The Big Lottery Fund have developed a course for their staff to help them identify potential insolvency cases. They are holding the training course in Newcastle and London, and would like to invite external funders to take part.
View full details…
18 May 2009
ACF is the membership association for the UK’s charitable and independent funders that use their financial and other assets to support charities working for a better society. By encouraging best practice in grant-making, ACF seeks to ensure more efficient support for charities and their beneficiaries.
The Membership Development Manager will use their marketing expertise to develop and implement a plan to promote the benefits of ACF’s role and services for foundations, significantly increasing our membership, along with the voice and influence of our members in the policy arena.
View full details…
15 May 2009
ACF is looking for an intern with excellent organisational skills to work on placement for 3 – 4 months depending on availability, for 2 days per week, to assist with the planning and running of two conferences for grant-making organisations in the UK.
View full details…
22 April 2009
Insider Knowledge - Series Two programme of events held at The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, The County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road between 11:30am – 12:30pm.
View full details…
22 April 2009
The Carnegie UK Trust’s Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society is organising two free events in May;
creating a climate for a just society and
the role of UK civil society in defending global civil society.
View full details…
17 March 2009
Trustee Exchange Event - 26 March 2009 - Radisson SAS Portman Hotel, London
View full details…
28 January 2009
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has announced a major transition in the way it will operate in the UK. The changes have been outlined in its new strategic plan.
View full details…
29 November 2008
The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is one of the larger independent grantmaking foundations in the UK. We make grants to organisations which aim to maximise opportunities for individuals to experience a full quality of life, both now and in the future.
View full details…
10 October 2008
Members should be aware of the various statements issued by government and regulators today, 10 October, following concerns raised by sector bodies. No doubt, as events are moving quickly, further announcements will follow. This update also includes a link to announcements issued by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Charity Tax Group has produced this useful bulletin.
View full details…
10 October 2008
ACF will continue to talk with the Office of the Third Sector to raise the concerns of members about this issue. In the meantime, for members who are concerned about investments in failed Icelandic banks the Charity Commission has issued guidance - Financial Services Compensation Scheme - what it means for charities.
View full details…
6 October 2008
Following Phil Hope MP's promotion to the Department of Health, Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West, has been named as the new Minister of the Third Sector in Gordon Brown's recent cabinet reshufffle. He will move from his post as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Children, Schools and Families, where has been since 2007. Prior to this he was Lords Commissioner to the Treasury - a Senior Government Whip position.
View full details…
6 October 2008
Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) has appointed Richard Robinson as Investment Director, Lucy Palfreyman as Finance and Resources Director, and Dan Watson as Communications Manager. PHF, which operates programmes spanning Social Justice, Education & Learning, and the Arts, has grown significantly over the last three years, reflecting a strategic increase in its grant making activity. The foundation plans to expand its grant making to £20 million per year, particularly through the creation of a greater range of special initiatives.
View full details…
17 July 2008
A resent survey showed that most Gypsy & Traveller groups feel that grant makers are distant and inaccessible. Whether you are a grant maker which aims to address inequality or support the arts, we want to know about whether the Traveller community in the UK is accessing your grants programmes - and if not, why this is so.
View full details…
13 June 2008
Our two day conference will refresh, inspire and invigorate you. Challenging plenaries will explore some of the major issues facing the world today, while a wide range of breakout sessions will consider a host of different topics relevant to the work of foundations and grant-making trusts. Download a brochure for full details of speakers and workshops.
View full details…
23 June 2008
The Barrow Cadbury Trust has launched a new funding stream aimed at fostering greater cohesion in some of Britain’s most diverse towns and cities. The trust will fund voluntary and community projects with grants typically worth £30,000.
View full details…
10 June 2008
The Baring Foundation is running a Special Initiative to promote intercultural dialogue. A major element of this is the creation of awards to reward good practice at the local level.
View full details…
10 June 2008
Charities Evaluation Services (CES) is launching the third and updated edition of PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations) on Wednesday 25th June.
View full details…
5 June 2008
GrantScape is committed to improving the natural environment and the quality of life of local communities through our grant programmes. Since 1997, the charity has awarded grants totalling over £8 million through our very popular Biodiversity Challenge Fund to support major nature conservation projects across England and Wales.
View full details…
19 May 2008
Northern Rock Foundation is reopening its grants programme for high-quality and high-profile culture and heritage projects in North East England and Cumbria. The programme will be worth 2 million in 2008. They are now seeking applications to support performing arts, contemporary craft, design and new media, museum and heritage exhibitions, festivals and collaborations as well as professional training for people working in these areas.
View full details…
14 May 2008
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is launching three exciting new approaches to its funding: a new funding strand based on Food, a pilot programme of work in Northern Ireland and a Finance Fund.View full details…
12 May 2008
The Nationwide Foundation, together with the Abbey Charitable Trust and Volunteering England has just launched research into how charities and companies can work better together for mutual benefit. View full details…
29 April 2008
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has just published its 2007 Annual report and accounts which confirms its commitment to focusing on funding small and medium charities working to tackle disadvantage at a local level and national level. In 2007 the Foundation gave grants totalling £24.3 million (over 1,200 grants). View full details…
23 April 2008
New Philanthropy Capital launch their new research into giving to organisations overseas.
View full details…
12 March 2008
Wishing to strengthen its positive impact on the biodiversity of the UK and the welfare of farmed animals both in the UK and internationally, The Tubney Charitable Trust
has announced a new, more focused approach to its charitable giving. Beginning on 3 June 2008, this will see the Trust awarding grants to invited applicants only.View full details…
22 February 2008
The Office of the Third Sector are in the process of setting up the new advisory body to be in place in April this year. They have set up a web microsite containing all the application information, and invite you to please view this, and also consider informing colleagues and/or contacts who may wish to apply.
View full details…
15 February 2008
The term “charity” can be traced back to biblical times, and was first formalised in English law in 1601 – so what does it mean in practice in 2008 – both in law and in spirit? The Charities Act 2006 – most of which comes into force in 2008 – has led to the first statutory redefinition of “charity” for over 400 years, and has fundamentally updated structures and regulatory frameworks. The lecture will explore these changes and will ask how the “spirit of charity” can continue to serve the third sector in the 21st century.View full details…
8 February 2008
Inspiring Scotland, an innovative scheme to deliver strategic, targeted and long term funding to the Scottish voluntary sector has been launched by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.
View full details…
8 February 2008
BBC Children in Need and The Hunter Foundation are delighted to announce a UK wide £2 million grants programme: Positive Destinations.
View full details…
5 February 2008
The Wellcome Trust announces its plans to increase its spending to almost £4 billion over the next five years.
View full details…
18 January 2008
GrantScape has published a review of their achievements over the last 10 years.
View full details…
3 January 2008
Andrew Barnett (newly appointed Director) outlines his vision for Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch.
View full details…
2 December 2007
The Carnegie UK Trust has published a report that summarises the findings of a series of futures events held by the Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland.
View full details…
21 November 2007
The Vodafone UK foundation has announced the winner of its new flagship funding programme, Reach. A collaboration of four charities will share £5m funding across three years for work helping 16-25 year olds facing social exclusion.
View full details…
15 November 2007
CPF and TfL have launched their latest publication,
Challenges: Reflections on Funding and Changes in London 1986-2007 by Tim Cook, former Clerk to the CPF Trustees. The report provides personal reflections on the changes with the Trust for London, as well as those taking place simultaneously at the City Parochial Foundation.
View full details…
29 October 2007
A new report published by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation argues that childhood is being undermined by the growth of risk aversion and its intrusion into every aspect of children's lives.
View full details…
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