Category: News

Regulator publishes new guidelines on grant-making as charity sector continues to feel financial squeeze

Stuart Mitchell

The Charity Commission has published new guidance to help charity trustees make confident, responsible grant-making decisions at a time when many charities are facing sustained financial pressure. Thousands of charities carry out their purposes by making grants to other organisations. This guidance explores the fundamentals of effective grant-making, from setting funding priorities and carrying out due diligence, to monitoring grants and reporting impact.    In March, the charity regulator revealed that grant-making charities awarded £17.84 billion in grants during 2024, up from £16.97 billion in 2023, which included £12 billion to other charities. However, for a third…

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Afghan Refugee Women’s XI Takes to the Field for Landmark England Tour

Stuart Mitchell

The Afghan Refugee Women’s XI has taken to the cricket field this summer for a landmark tour of England, marking a significant moment for a group of players whose international careers were abruptly halted when the Taliban effectively outlawed women’s sport in Afghanistan in 2021. The tour will see the team play T20 matches and attend the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Lord’s. For players who were forced to flee their homeland and rebuild their lives abroad, it represents a rare opportunity to come together once again as a team on the…

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SASC and Garfield Weston Foundation partner to tackle UK’s stepping stone housing crisis

Stuart Mitchell

Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) and the Garfield Weston Foundation (GWF) have partnered to develop and seed the Housing Pathways Fund (HPF), an impact first fund designed to expand the supply of affordable stepping stone accommodation across the UK. The Fund targets a critical gap in the housing system as thousands of people remain stuck in supported or temporary accommodation despite being ready to live independently, simply because there is a critical lack of genuinely affordable options for them to move on to. To address this, HPF provides flexible, low-cost…

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University of East Anglia receives major philanthropic donation to revitalise the Sainsbury Centre art museum

Stuart Mitchell

A vision to revitalise the Sainsbury Centre, one of the most popular art museums in the UK, has been made possible with a gift of £91.2 million from Lord David Sainsbury through Gatsby, his charitable foundation, representing one of the largest ever donations made to a UK museum.  Lord David Sainsbury said: “My father always regarded his commissioning of Norman Foster to produce the Sainsbury Centre as one of the best things he ever did, and it gives me great pleasure to provide the funding to enhance its future.”  The donation to the University of…

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UKRI backs Midlands Mindforge to deploy first spinout investments

Stuart Mitchell

Midlands Mindforge, the investment company dedicated to supporting university spinouts in the Midlands, has completed its first round of investments. Marking a major milestone in scaling high‑potential, research‑led businesses emerging from the Midlands, this will help unlock an initial £30 million of capital into the region. This active investment stage follows support from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (through Research England) along with the: Mayors of the East and West Midlands Rigby Group Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) via the Invest in UK University Research and Development (R&D)…

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