Strengthening Civic Space: Protecting diverse voices in UK civil society

Civic space in the UK is evolving, and some communities face barriers to being heard. Fadi Itani explores how these dynamics affect Muslim-led charities and the wider voluntary sector, highlighting the material and reputational impacts, from funding challenges to public trust. This session will provide practical strategies for charities to safeguard their credibility, engage effectively, and ensure all communities have a valued voice in shaping society. Attendees will leave inspired with a clearer understanding of how defending inclusivity strengthens the sector and democracy for everyone.

Fadi Itani, chief executive, Muslim Charities Forum

The Power of Friendship

Every fourth person in the UK is regularly lonely, and yet friendship is our most overlooked, undervalued relationship. Faith-based charities and communities bring more people together regularly than any other sector; with intentional changes, we can bring change to these troubling loneliness statistics. In this closing session, author, broadcaster and Friendship Lab founder Sheridan Voysey will reveal why intentional friendship formation is a powerful response to isolation that nurtures hope, strengthens mental health, and transforms how we live and work together.

Sheridan Voysey, founder, Friendship Lab

Regulation and trust: updates from the Charity Commission

Faith-based charities continue to face close public and regulatory scrutiny. This session from the Charity Commission will draw on our recent casework to highlight common issues that impact on trust and confidence in the sector. The session will also outline practical steps that charities can take to strengthen compliance, improve governance, and build public trust.

Trust, localisation and transforming impact in global development

Drawing on recent analysis, this session explores the distinctive role faith-based organisations and local faith communities play in humanitarianism and international development. It will examine how faith networks - often deeply embedded, highly trusted, and locally rooted - contribute to reaching marginalised communities, shaping social norms, and strengthening resilience in complex contexts. Building on this, the session will focus on key learnings for all types of faith charities seeking to deepen their impact. In particular the importance of shifting from externally driven models to genuinely locally led, community-owned approaches.

Luke Martin, programme development and innovations manager, Tearfund and Osmawani Binti Osman, international external relations coordinator, Islamic Relief Worldwide

Faith, service, and volunteering - maximising participation across traditions

Faith communities are among the UK’s most powerful engines of volunteering, yet they operate through very different cultural and organisational models. This interfaith panel explores what drives volunteer engagement across traditions and identifies practical approaches charities can use to expand participation, improve retention, and build more resilient volunteering ecosystems.

Panel - Nicky Goldman, chief executive, Jewish Volunteering Network, Richard Harries, director, Caritas Westminster and Randeep Singh Lall DL, chief executive, NishkamSWAT

Misogyny, media, and the risk landscape for faith charities

Faith charities today operate under increasing public and media scrutiny, particularly around issues of gender and equality. High-profile reports have alleged that some organisations use religious frameworks in ways that can be seen as justifying discrimination or harm. This workshop offers a safe space to engage honestly with these critiques, understand the regulatory and reputational risks involved, and explore practical strategies for governance and communication that protect both mission and credibility.

Lucy Bushill-Matthews, governance trainer and consultant, and faculty, Faith in Leadership

Sacred responsibility: the case for reparative action

As debates around reparations gain momentum, this session challenges faith-based organisations and foundations to reconsider their roles. Are existing charitable models sufficient, or is a deeper reckoning required?  This session will explore how one major foundation is approaching this question in practice, examining how institutions can grapple with historical harm, power, and responsibility. Attendees will be invited to reflect on what meaningful “repair” could look like in their own contexts.

Keon West, head of reparations, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

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