Community Rights web site provides information about the progress of  Community Rights  as expressed in the Localism Act 2012  - http://communityrights.communities.gov.uk/ and should be worth also reading in conversation with Public Authority and Human rights and The Equality Act for Social Enterprise Entrepreneurs recommended reading build society and grow the economy.

Two Community Rights came into effect in April 2012:

• Community Right to Build – giving communities the right to build small-scale, site-specific projects without going through the normal planning application process
• Neighbourhood planning – giving communities more say about what can be built in their area

Two more rights are expected to come into effect between May and July 2012:

• Community Right to Challenge – giving communities the right to challenge to take over a council service they think they can run differently or better
• Community Right to Bid – giving communities the right to bid to buy and take over the running of local assets that are important to them
• BIS Local offices could be seen to have a relationship to these new rights, centres of intelligence BIS has a network of six teams supporting economic growth at local level. The teams will support the delivery of BIS policy on the ground, for the South West and beyond

Innovation in Giving Fund to back established charities - The Cabinet Office and Nesta announced on 23 April 2012, the second round of the £10 million Innovation in Giving Fund, which aims to find and back innovative ideas for increasing levels of volunteering and charitable giving. More information at -http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/innovation-giving-fund-back-established-charities

Following the successful first round, which backed game-changing ideas to increase giving, the second round will include a search for established charities that want to use their expertise, networks, assets and capabilities to find new ways to engage people in giving. Innovation in Giving Fund winners from the first round were announced in February, details can be found at - http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/winners-innovation-giving-fund-announced-today

Over the next year, Nesta will support a group of medium and large charities with national reach to increase their impact through adopting and integrating innovations that support their mission.  Approximately 10 charities will be selected to receive a share of £1.5 million.

Social investment market - The Government’s policy ambition is for social investment to become a third pillar of finance for the social sector, alongside traditional philanthropy and Government grants.

Growing the social investment market has the potential to build society and grow the economy, currently the Government is conducting a range of innovative initiatives to support this policy area:

• Big Society Capital
• Social Impact Bonds
• Investment and Contract Readiness Fund
• Impact measurement
• Review of tax relief

More information on these initiatives and the Government’s Vision and Strategy for Growing the Social Investment Market are available at -http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/growing-social-investment-market and http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/growing-social-investment-market-faqs

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 was enacted on 8 March 2012, the details of the Act are at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/3/contents/enacted

Social Enterprise UK has published a guide to social value and what the new law will mean in practice for public bodies, social enterprises and voluntary sector organisations -

http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/uploads/files/2012/03/public_services_act_2012_a_brief_guide_web_version_final.pdf

Big Lottery Fund  New Village SOS

Big Lottery Fund has announced a second round of Village SOS funding opened on 10 April and is now accepting applications for their Village SOS funding. Village SOS will be looking to award grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 (including VAT) for truly enterprising and original community enterprises.  They will fund projects based in communities that have a population of 3,000 people or less.  For more information see the Village SOS website - http://www.villagesos.org.uk/ more details on funding criteria athttp://www.villagesos.org.uk/funding

The top rate of income tax will drop 5% to 45% ?

£20 million will available to the not-for-profit advice sector in 2013–14, and in 2014–15 to support the sector to changes in the way that it is funded their in though no convincing policy that describes the new way. The government is exploring enterprise loans for young people to start new businesses. HM Treasury will conduct a review of the financial barriers to social investment.

There will be a cap on currently uncapped income tax reliefs, including relief for charitable donations, from 6 April 2013. For anyone seeking to claim more than £50,000 of relief, a cap will be set at 25 per cent of income. Will this contribute to the, policy that describes the new way to meet the cost of privately provide public services ( charities ) The Government have said they will work with the charity sector to ensure this does not have a harmful impact on donations, perhaps introducing tax planning service to the sector it is hard to define the purpose of this move.

From April 2013, the Government will relax the on-lending requirements that currently place conditions on the speed with which Community Development Finance Institutions must on-lend the funding they receive, and introduce new rules to allow investors to carry unused relief forward resulting in ?. (Finance Bill 2013).

Gift Aid: The Government will work with the charity sector to simplify the administration of Gift Aid in the context of charity shops. As announced at Budget 2011, from April 2012 the Government will withdraw Self Assessment Donate for tax returns for 2011–12 onwards and where taxpayers donate a pre-eminent object or collection of objects to the nation and that object is accepted, the taxpayer will receive a reduction in their tax liability based on a set percentage of the value of the object they are donating. For individuals the tax reduction will be 30 per cent and for companies 20 per cent.

Furthermore, the Government will introduce a new Gift Aid small donations scheme from April 2013 to enable charities to claim a Gift Aid style top-up payment on up to £5,000 of small donations, without the need to collect Gift Aid declarations this will perhaps support an economy of rewarded supplication which will suit the principal of gratified patriarchy very well.

From the wealthy we will take less.. from the poor we will take with one hand an offer what ? on the other a Napkin ?

BSWN Pilots online Project Management, Strategic Funding and Finance Training

BSWN are piloting two ILM endorsed, online training courses in Project management & Strategic Funding and Finance. We have limited opportunity for members  who are interested in participating in this pilot which will lead to an accreditation. If you are interested please submit your CV details to Pilots@BSWN.org.uk. This opportunity would be of interest to managers, trustees, and community groups engaged in raising funds or starting new projects. There are no costs implications for participating organisations.

Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards

Social enterprises and community organisations across Greater London, Bristol and its surrounding area are being invited to enter the Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards for the opportunity to win up to £50,000.

Development awards

Adventure Capital Fund (The Social Investment Business)

There is one programme available from the

Adventure Capital Fund (The Social Investment Business).  Makes low interest investments and grants to community enterprises to help them move to greater sustainability through enterprise. The Community-builders Fund is managed on ACF’s behalf by, The Social Investment Business

The Community-builders Fund (previously owned by the Department of Community and Local Government) is now an endowed fund, owned and administered by the Adventure Capital Fund. It supports neighbourhood-based, community-led organisations to become more sustainable through a mixture of loans, grants and business support.Email: Ffi

Community Sustainable Energy Programme

CSEP is an open grants programme run by BRE as an award partner of the BIG Lottery Fund (BIG). BRE carries out research, consultancy, training and testing to help create better buildings and communities.

Grants are available for feasibility studies on installing microgeneration technologies listed below. The maximum grant available is £5,000 or 75 per cent of the study cost Capital Grants

Grants are available for the purchase and installation of any combination of the following technologies:Solar ,thermal hot water ,Heat pumps ,Automated wood pellet stoves, Wood fuelled boiler systems. Funding is available for energy efficiency measures, such as cavity wall and loft insulation in combination with the heat generating microgeneration technology. Organisations can apply for up to £50,000 or 50 per cent of the project cost

How to apply

BBC Children in need Grant Programme Current dead line

Grants are open to organisations working with disadvantaged children and young people who are 18 years old and under. Your organisation and project must be based in the UK and you need to be a registered charity or other not-for-profit organisation. There are four general grant deadlines each year: 15 January, 15 April, 15 July, 15 October.

Application guidelines

£150 million Big Society 'endowment for the nation' launched

The new Community First endowment, which aims to raise £150 million to be invested to secure the future of local community projects in England, has been launched by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society.

The Government will pay in up to £50 million, giving 50p for every £1 raised from individual, corporate and philanthropic donors. With Gift Aid tax relief, this will create a pot worth in excess of £150 million. The money will be invested and the return, expected to be up to £12 million per year,will be used to provide grants to local community and social action projects from 2015 onwards. The Community Development Foundation (CDF), which manages Community First, will begin work with local Community Foundations in the Community Foundation Network (CFN) to raise money for the endowment.

For more information This link provides Cabinet office briefing

Community Foundation Network Manage this fund.

CCLA Fund management support may be provided by

Gloucestershire Community Foundation

The Sustainability Grant - to respond to the needs of voluntary groups faced with unprecedented funding constraints. The Foundation is therefore running 3 grants programmes in 2012. Bids will be considered for grants of between £1000 and £10,000. Guidelines for these three grant programmes can be obtained by contacting

Jane Jarman, Grants Development Manager

Further information about Gloucestershire Community Foundation

New Credit Union Powers Benefit UK Charities and Social Enterprises

From 8 January 2012, charities, community groups and social enterprises across England, Scotland and Wales can, for the first time, join a credit union and use the financial services it provides.

Further information

Big Society Investment from Dormant Bank Accounts

Approximately £3.1 million from dormant bank accounts will support four new projects that will benefit local communities in England.

For further information

Brussels gives Big Society Capital( Dormant Bank Accounts)  the green light - 21 December 2011

The European Commission has approved the use of up to £400m from dormant bank accounts to set up Big Society Capital. Commission vice president Joaquín Almunia, in charge of competition policy, said: 'The commitments and safeguards put in place by the UK ensure that state aid linked to this innovative project in the social sector remains well-targeted and does not result in undue distortions of competition.' It was feared that a decision from the Commission could take up to 18 months, resulting in a delay in properly setting up Big Society Capital (BSC), which is currently making social investments through an interim committee within the Big Lottery Fund through the scheme The Big Society Investment Fund.

BSC is still seeking FSA authorisation, and plans to be open for business in the first quarter of next year.  The European Commission’s approval of BSC will last five years. An increase of the initial capitalisation of BSC through dormant account money beyond £400m, and any increase of BSC’s total balance sheet beyond £600m, will need to be notified to the Commission.

Key Changes to the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities Buildings Fund

The Big Lottery has made several changes to the eligibility of its Reaching Communities buildings fund.They have decided that capital funding for buildings over £100,000 will only be available to the most deprived areas of England.

For further information

No Second Night Out Initiative Goes Nationwide

No Second Night Out, a pilot programme in London, is set to spread to 19 communities across England. Each community will get £250,000 to ensure that no one spend a second night sleeping rough worth following up if you are working with people who are homeless .

Nation wide initiative

Report Proposes Business Subsidies for Voluntary Work

A UK think tank is proposing a scheme that would encourage businesses to introduce tax relief scheme supporting employees' voluntary work.

Cabinet Office Pledges £1 Million to Charity for Christmas Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd has revealed that the Government is to donate £1 million to Christmas charity appeals.

The Social Action Fund Round Two opens 9 January 2012

The Social Action Fund is a new grant fund of over £20 million managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Office for Civil Society. The Fund aims to inspire organisations to create new social action opportunities; encouraging people to give what they have, be it time, money, assets, knowledge or specific skills. The second application window opened Monday 9 January 2012. All applications will have to be received by noon on Friday 3 February 2012.

For more information social Action

Westminster Council Launches Civic Contract Consultation

Westminster City Council has invited the local community to consult on its proposed Civil Contract which sounds, a little like the Compact and could be worth emulating in the South West

civil contract.

National Citizens Service Delivery Partners

2012 by Local Authority Area in 2012 National Citizen Service will give up to 30,000

16-year-olds the chance to learn new skills and get involved in their community, a three-fold increase in the number of places in 2011.The scheme will take place in a number of different locations across England, information on providers by local authority area is available at this link

National Citizen Service

The European Commission has issued a Call for Proposals under the review programme details at this link

Europe for Citizens Programme.

Perhaps the most important opportunity for UK civil society organisation that is independent of  the current UK Government policy, but none the less an opportunity to capacity build civic participation

The George Cadbury Trust (George Henry T and Laurence J Cadbury Section)

Grant for voluntary and community organisations in the UK undertaking general charitable projects. Address: New Guild House 45 Great Charles Street Queensway Birmingham West Midlands B3 2LX

Gloucestershire County Council Mental Health Advocacy and Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy

Invitation to organisations to tender for the provision of Statutory services for vulnerable adults, including Independent Mental Health Advocacy and Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy. The successful provider will provide appropriate advocacy to empower users of Gloucestershire’s Health and Social care support. To provide support and choice for individuals using the comments, compliments and complaints procedure, helping them to identify the appropriate type of assistance they would require from the Advocacy Service. To facilitate the making of appropriate referrals to the Service by relevant professionals.

invitation to organisations to tender for the provision of

The Oak Foundation

Grants are available to not-for-profit organisations for projects that address issues of global, social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged.

Science and Engineering Week Awards 2012

The 2012 National Science and Engineering Week (NSEW) Event Awards are now open to applications.

To contact BSWN with your queries on support and funding contact pilots@bswn.org.uk.

We are planning the launch of a series of member led networks later this year shearing control of access to and development of information and social action. Your participation will be of benefit if you would like to know more about

social action mail us through this link.