A reminder that community-based organisations are being invited to apply for funding to install renewable energy technologies (such as wind turbines and solar panels) and energy saving measures (such as roof and cavity wall insulation) in their buildings.

The Community Sustainable Energy programme is particularly keen to receive more applications for projects in the East Midlands, London, North East, North West and Yorkshire.The next application deadline is 7th August, http://www.communitysustainable.org.uk.

From ACRE headlines, http://www.acre.org.uk/resources_publications_headlines19june09.html.

Social Enterprise magazine reports that a senior figure from the Audit Commission warns that the MP expenses scandal will mean third sector organisations having to work harder to prove that they are not wasting public money.

Many organisations are not doing a good job when it came to reporting their impact: “The sentimental belief that you are doing good is not enough - there needs to be a huge amount of hard data”. http://www.socialenterprisemag.co.uk/sem/news/detail/index.asp?id=1020.

The Office of the Third Sector is to lead work across government to further the third sector’s involvement in the delivery of public services through a new committee of the Cabinet. With eight government departments invited, it will scrutinise their procurement procedures and take action on any identified barriers to sector involvement in public service delivery.

See OTS news release and Third Sector has further explanation on the committee at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/914799/.

Funding Central, the new web site managed by NCVO and funded by the Office of the Third Sector, was launched last week (17th June). It will provide the details of over 4,000 sources of income, focusing on grants, contracts and loan finance. September should see the addition of a wide range of tools and resources to help identify and manage the most appropriate income sources for an organisation. http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk.

Those working in Wales may also want to check the new Wales Third Sector Funding Portal at http://www.sustainablefundingcymru.org.uk/fundingportal, run by WCVA. An alternative English funding search site is http://fundingsearch.syfab.org.uk (South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau).

The government-backed Social Enterprise Investment Fund, which provides loans and grants to social enterprises which improve the quality of health and social care for local communities, has re-opened for applications under the new management of Futurebuilders England.

Department of Health news item at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/Recentstories/DH_100661, or see http://www.dh.gov.uk/seif.

The European Commission has accepted proposals from Euclid, the network of third sector leaders to set up a working group on the reform of European funding procedures to make them more ‘civil society-friendly’. See Third Sector news item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/913034/ (registration required) or Euclid at http://www.euclidnetwork.eu/pubb/news_ext.php?id=200.

Euclid is also looking for funding from charitable foundations for a feasibility study on a Europe-wide social investment bank to act as a wholesale lender to other social finance institutions, according to Third Sector, http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/913166/ (registration required).

There is a new, expanded version of NCVO’s income spectrum toolkit, for analysis of an organisation’s types of income and assessing whether a more diverse approach could be of benefit.

Download ‘Income Exploration Tool: Identifying and assessing the right income streams for you’ (pdf, 415KB).

The consortium to help the third sector win contracts, being put together by Futurebuilders England, is planning to bid for contracts from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Future Jobs Fund. If your organisation is interested in taking part, contact Ian Charlesworth, Futurebuilders Enterprise Director, phone 020 7842 7704 or email: ian.charlesworth@futurebuilders-england.org.uk.

The deadline for the bid is 30th June, so plans have to be finalised before then. Futurebuilders web site: http://www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk.

From New Start magazine: the Development Trusts Association Scotland has been given £250,000 over two years to encourage asset transfer from local authorities to community groups.

The Asset Transfer Programme involves a review of current practice for asset transfer across Scotland, seminars and toolkits on the benefits and risks of acquiring land and property, and eight demonstration projects. http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news/article/details-of-asset-transfer-progamme-unveiled/.

The Modernisation Fund Grants Programme, delivered by Capacitybuilders, is open for online applications from frontline organisations with an annual turnover of between £150,000 and £750,000 until 17th July.

The £1,000 bursary available under Phase One of the programme is for organisations to buy at least two days of advice and support to explore how they can become more resilient and work more closely with others, including through collaboration or merger. From the autumn, £10,000 grants will be available to help organisations which have gone through Phase One and would like to take further significant steps towards collaboration or merger.

See http://www.modernisationfund.org.uk, and also check out the local workshops which are described at http://www.modernisationfund.org.uk/grants/ldas.html.

English umbrella body NCVO has secured lottery funding to run a three-year Value of Infrastructure Programme “to transform the way infrastructure organisations support the voluntary and community sector”, working with Triangle Consulting and the Third Sector Research Centre.

Charity Finance news item on this is provocatively titled “NCVO wins grant to justify own existence”, http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=2886. NCVO news item at http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/press/releases/?id=14332, which includes some information on a launch event on 1st July for senior staff and volunteers from infrastructure agencies - places should be booked by 20th June.

The City Parochial Foundation and the New Policy Institute have created a new web site, London’s Poverty Profile at http://www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk, as “the first independent, comprehensive source of information about poverty and inequality in the capital”.

They expect that charities working in this area will make use of this resource in putting together funding applications (see Third Sector news item, http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/907735/).