Charity and Voluntary Sector

BHF: A cardiologist in Canada has claimed people can expect to live an additional 40 or 50 years after the age of 50 if they follow 7 simple steps.
Press release & links  
 
PT: Senior Citi executives have run an Enterprise workshop for young entrepreneurs, in support of the Prince's Trust
Press release & links
 
DfE: A recent announcement sees the creation of a new Communities and Families Fund which will receive £1.5m a year for the next 3 years to assist local childcare and family support work.
Press release & links  
 
Directgov: If you get the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), it is now easier to get your free vehicle tax.  You’ll now be given a reusable Certificate of Entitlement to DLA, rather than having to get a new one each year.
Press release & links
 
BIG: A funding lifeline of at least £50m to support hundreds of vital Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) projects & services in England was announced last week by the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).  The full impact on the VCS of cutbacks is still to come according to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) which estimates that voluntary & community groups will face a reduction in public funding of over £900m by 2016, losing a total of £2.8bn in that period.
 
As part of the funding package, BIG has made £17m available to fund an additional 650 charitable & community projects through its 2 main open grants programmes, Reaching Communities and Awards for All.  Over the next few months, BIG will also be offering grants of up to £10,000 to close to 1,000 existing BIG grant holders in the last 18 months of their projects to review the way they work and explore ways of becoming more sustainable.
Press release & links
 
nef: Last week, nef launched the first Centre for Excellence on Social Return on Investment (SROI). This new venture will lead to the first comprehensive, consistent approach to valuing an individual’s wellbeing.  It aims to further understanding of value for money in a way which includes social & environmental outcomes.
 
The Centre comprises 3 key pillars:
* The development of a common currency for well-being economics
* Communities of practise – online learning forums to advance the methodology & share experiences
* Masterclasses on SROI methodology, the building blocks of a new approach to valuation
Press release & links
 
DH: A new charity has been established by the Department of Health to provide financial assistance for those people who were infected with hepatitis C before September 1991, as a result of NHS treatment by blood transfusions or blood products. The establishment of the Caxton Foundation is part of a package of improved support announced in January 2011.
Press release & links
 
STFC: Communities across England will have a twinkle in their eye and get a big environmental & educational boost thanks to Dark Sky Discovery – a pioneering new national & regional partnership of astronomy & environmental organisations led by the Science and Technology Facilities Council
 
A £176.8k grant, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and awarded through Natural England’s Access to Nature programme, will support a 2-year programme to inspire people of all ages & backgrounds to come together in their local area and enjoy the night sky in a radically new way.
Press release & links
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