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News archive 2009  

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December 2009

• A Christmas message from Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector
• The new Compact is launched
• Government grants worth over £3.6 million given to charities to help fight recession  
• New Department of Health funding model opens up volunteering
• Anne McGuire Call for Evidence January 2010
• Social Investment Wholesale Bank consultation responses and Pre-Budget Report announcements
• The CAA reports on life in local areas 
• Call for tenders: Graduate Volunteering Scheme
• It's Smart for Government to work with the Third Sector…  
• Social Enterprise Awards 2009
• New Director General for Office of the Third Sector and Social Exclusion Taskforce 
• £33 million in Government grants provide much needed help in communities
• Government publishes Building Stronger Communities Taskforce response  

November 2009

• Launch of the Philantropy Ambassador's website
• Charity Commission board members appointed
• vInspired Awards 2009
• Compact Awards 2009
• Funding scheme for volunteer managers
• The Prime Minister hosts a Social Enterprise Day reception at Number 10
• Social Enterprise Day 2009
• OTS supports government departments to explore social enterprise ideas
• Launch of Philanthropy Ambassador's new website
• New grants aim to get disabled people volunteering
• New round of £2 million small capital grants fund
• The Bridges Ventures Social Entrepreneurs Fund makes its first investment
• 11 million Takeover Day gives young people chance to advise on volunteering
• Angela Smith presents 'Giving Nation' awards to schools
• Tessa Jowell speaks at ACEVO conference
• Making the case for business giving
• Compact Awards 2009
• Compact Week 2009

October 2009

• CSV Make a Difference Day 2009 
• Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, visits Lambeth Voluntary Action Council
• Government publishes PAC report, Building the Capacity of the Third Sector
• Community Shares Action Research: promoting enterprise, equity and engagement through community shares and bonds
• Third sector benefits from Real Help for Communities Modernisation Fund Grants
• Think outcomes, think Third Sector - IDeA commisioning programme goes live
• Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, tours East End social enterprises
• Funder Zone launched on Funding Central website 
• OTS and Capacitybuilders award £1.45 million in grants to provide support to volunteer managers 
• First tranche of £16.7 million Hardship Fund brings help to 74 third sector organisations
• Campbell Robb to move to Shelter
• Clore Social Leadership Programme Announces First Fellows
• New third sector organisation pilot research studies in Gloucestershire, Hackney & Bury
• Mary Portas, Queen of Charity Shops, visits the first Cabinet Office 'Donate Don't Dump' event
• Minister for the Third Sector opens £1.4 million Pelton Fell Community Resource Centre 
• Last chance for views on the next generation investment bank

September 2009 

• £2 million pilot fund announced by OTS to support disabled people to volunteer 
• Social Enterprise Coalition announces Peter Holbrook as new CEO
• Minister for the Third Sector sees Government help provided to charities in East Anglia
• Last call for 2010 Queen's Award for Volunteer Award nominations
• Next Steps for the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Minister for the Third Sector visits charities in Blackpool
• New opportunties for the sector to help tackle social exclusion
• Three supplementary Social Return on Investment guides published
• Minister for the Third Sector announces new investment and support for social investment
• Grow Stronger Together with grants from the Modernisation Fund
• Consultation on the Consolidation of Charity Law announced
• Minister for the Third Sector visits Community Assets Grant recipients St Clement's Hall in York
• Minister for the Third Sector visits Grassroots Grants and Targeted Support Fund beneficiaries in Nottingham
• First Community Asset Project opens in Birtley, Tyne & Wear

August 2009  

• Over 500 Targeted Support Fund grants awarded to help communities through the recession
• New Social Enterprise Ambassadors website
• Social Enterprise Access to Investment (SEATI) Programme opens for applications
• Communitybuilders fund open from Monday 7th September
• The Welfare to Work Market Needs You - Invititation to Sub Contractor Events
• Intentions into Actions - DCSF New Third Sector Strategy
• Invitation to ‘Right to Control’ consultation event for third sector providers

July 2009

• Community Service Programme – Local Authority Pilots
• £5.5 million fund allocated across 12 projects to help close widening generation gap through volunteering
• Government responds to Social Enterprise Summit
• Hardship Fund opens for applications
• Tender for evaluation of the Targeted Support Fund
• Dame Suzi Leather to serve second-term as Charity Commission chair
• Taskforce calls for effective partnerships across sectors to beat the recession
• Prime Minister launches new scheme to get more people volunteering during the recession
• Compact refresh consultation launched
• Over 1000 frontline groups successful in accessing Modernisation Fund bursaries
• Second phase of the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning
• OTS launches Social Investment Wholesale Bank consultation
• Public Accounts Committee publishes report on Building the Capacity of the Third Sector
• New report shows a big increase in demand for sector support services as a result of the recession
• Baroness Neuberger publishes review of volunteering in the civil service
• Minister calls on public sector to sign up to volunteering
• 500th bursary awarded by Capacitybuilders as Modernisation Fund meets growing sector need
• Free event advertising for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009
• Communitybuilders - Adventure Capital Fund selected as national delivery partner

June 2009

• New £16.7m Hardship Fund to be delivered by the Community Development Foundation
• New guidance to help cut red tape for third sector organisations
• NCVO and Office of the Third Sector launch Funding Central
• New Cabinet Committee on the third sector’s involvement in public service delivery
• Barclays Commercial Bank agrees to provide £9.5m in matched funding of Modernisation Fund
• Criteria for the new £16.7m Hardship Fund announced
• New £3 million Government fund to boost volunteer management over the next two years
• New Minister for the Third Sector
• Pensions Regulator Statement
• Access all the information from the Third Sector Involvement in the Future Jobs Fund Seminar held on 2nd June
• Online application open for grants from the Real Help for Communities: Modernisation Fund

May 2009

• Research into licensing public charitable collections
• Making the most of the Comprehensive Area Assessment
• Compact Awards 2009
• Third sector involvement in the Future Jobs Fund seminar
• Chair for 'Skills – Third Sector'
• Minister fast-tracks frontline ideas for reform of public services
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport publishes Third Sector Strategy
• Future Jobs Fund open for bidding: Social enterprise to be part of £1bn job creation drive
• Minister announces third sector task force on climate change membership
• Minister pledges unprecedented Government support for social enterprises
• Extra £6.6 million to boost volunteering over the next two years
• New Guide for Social Return on Investment launched
• Report published on central government spending on the voluntary and community sector
• Minister calls for Local Statutory Bodies to work more closely with third sector organisations
• Doing it our way - How four areas are developing an environment for a thriving third sector
• Dame Stephanie Shirley appointed as Giving and Philanthropy Ambassador
• Applications encouraged from third sector for partnership in promoting sustainable business travel
• Safer Homes grants for third sector organisations

April 2009

• £15m now available for services supporting local people during the recession
• Essex invests!
• Support for the sector announced in Budget
• Generations Together - £5.5 million fund to help close the widening generation gap
• Social Enterprise Summit
• 50 areas to benefit from £15m funding through the Real Help for Communities: Targeted Support Fund
• Government backs charity campaigning
• CIC Regulator launches review of dividend cap
• Third Sector Advisory Body publish health check of the Office of the Third Sector
• Health Launchpad Seeks ‘Social Entrepreneur in Residence’ for Primary Care Trust

March 2009

• New Building Stronger Communities Taskforce
• Red tape cut for small charities
• Real Help for Communities: regional roadshows in April, May and June 2009
• Third Sector Taskforce on climate change and environment launched
• Department of Health announce £1m boost to organisations run by people with disabilities
• Minister visits frontline third sector organisations in Norwich
• Working in a Consortium summary guide published
• Grassroots Grants programme reaches more community groups
• Call to allow more offenders to volunteer
• Comprehensive Area Assessment: Third Sector crucial to understanding local authority performance

February 2009

• Capacitybuilders announce details of £1 million package for third sector recession support
• Grassroots Grants: Government responds to the needs of local organisations during recession
• Real Help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises
• NAO publishes report on building capacity in the third sector

January 2009

• Nearly 50,000 charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises have their say on public sector support
• Charities Act 2006 - more changes implemented
• 2500th Grassroots Grant goes to Lincolnshire mother support group
• Workshop for local authorities prioritising third sector indicators
• Reports analysing State of the Sector Panel data published
• Package of support measures open to third sector businesses
• Tender for research into licensing public charitable collections
• Join Sir Bert Massie for an on-line debate