Department for Culture, Media and Sport
£250,000 to encourage charitable donations
One of the best parts of my job is that I see first-hand the amazing work local charities and community groups do.
Day in, day out they help support the needs of local people and serve their communities.
I’ve been impressed to see a good number of small, local charities adapting to challenges by finding different sources of funding and coming together to reduce costs, whilst at the same time focusing on what is best for their communities. Organisations such as Deaf Direct in Hereford, which I visited earlier in the summer.
Deaf Direct provide services and advice to help local deaf and hard of hearing people to live more independently. I learnt about their fantastic work, specifically their pilot alongside the NHS which makes it easier for the deaf community to make 111 calls by using an app.
I want to help these local charities and community groups, who work hard to support the needs of local people, to become more independent, more resilient and more sustainable. That is why I’m focusing on building capability, encouraging giving and supporting investment.
It’s also the reason Government is offering at least £250,000 in match funding for a campaign that encourages donations. This will help local charities and community groups to raise vital income, attract new donors and increase awareness of their work.
Organisations that believe they have the expertise and capacity to deliver this campaign can apply here.
Local Charities Day
The campaign will form a major part of our plans for Local Charities Day which will take place later this year.
The day will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate local charities and community groups, and help to raise their profile so they can receive the recognition they richly deserve.
Because we should shout from the rooftops about the energy, the commitment, the expertise that small and local charities bring.
Our work to help small and local organisations will be bolstered by the move of the Office for Civil Society (OCS) to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The OCS’s work to build a stronger civil society chimes completely with DCMS’s existing work to enrich lives.
This match funding will help these committed, local organisations do exactly that on both fronts.