Government commits extra £40m to Social Action Fund

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 28 Jun 2012

The government is to treble the funding available through the Social Action Fund, adding £40m over three years to the £20m already pledged.

The extra money was the only new announcement in yesterday’s update from the Cabinet Office reviewing progress on the Giving White Paper a year since its publication and providing feedback on the Giving Summit held early last month.

The additional £40m will “back ambitious social action campaigns that are looking to mobilise large numbers of people”. It will focus on “grassroots campaigns that give people the opportunity to help the most vulnerable people in society”.

Other announcements reiterated in the update included the Legacy 10 campaign to encourage more legacy pledges, efforts to improve the efficacy of payroll giving, the expansion of National Citizen Service and the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.

The publication of the update comes just a day after think tank ResPublica criticised successive governments for concentrating their efforts on policies that emphasise individual giving and volunteering at the expense of group and community interaction.

In the foreword to the update, the government said: “Our approach is to work closely with a coalition of the willing in both the business and voluntary sectors, who want to help shape a long-term shift in cultural attitudes.

“We have also got to recognise that this is a time when many people feel they have less time and money, and may be reluctant to be asked to do more.

“So we are very focused on making the act of giving much easier and more compelling for a broader base of people.”

Minister for civil society Nick Hurd (pictured) added: "If we can change peoples attitudes so that it is normal for young people and employees to volunteer in their communities, routine for people to donate a small amount of their salary and standard to leave money to chariable causes in your will, we will be well on our way to becoming one of the most charitable countries in the world."

Who's Who: Nick Hurd

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