The Leadership Trust Foundation is preparing to launch a Centre for Civil Society, to be chaired by Governance magazine editor Dorothy Dalton (pictured).

The aims of the Centre will be twofold: to support the development of civil society going forward by providing specialist training to aspiring leaders, and by helping civil society to play a part in building a new worldwide ethos of socially responsible leadership.

LTF chief executive Paul Winter said the new Centre would house all the Foundation’s existing grant distribution work, bursaries and sponsorships to civil society groups but would also go further in devising training courses that are tailored to leading civil society organisations.

He said the Foundation’s research capability would be deployed to investigate how best to develop the sector’s leadership, and the new Centre would also offer advice and a brokerage service that would bring together, for mutual benefit, leaders from civil society and the private sector.

The Foundation is still consulting with leaders in the sector, such as Sir Stuart Etherington and Charity Awards judges, to establish what the Centre should provide.  It is expected to launch in September.