Organisations to distribute the government’s £130 million Grassroots Grants programme across England have now been selected.

There are two streams, small grants (up to £5,000) to small third sector organisations and money to help local funders build endowment funds to provide a continuous source of small grant funding.

Background new item at Office of Third Sector http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/080721_grg.aspx, or go to Community Development Foundation for the list of local funders.

Media regulator Ofcom has published ‘Community radio: volunteer input’, containing guidelines for community radio stations that wish to use volunteer time as part of station turnover (e.g. when calculating allowed income from sponsorship).

Download in pdf, 112KB, from http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/volunteerinput.pdf. Community Media Association will be producing more detailed guidance shortly (http://www.commedia.org.uk).

– A consultation paper has been issued on the “third sector’s strategic voice” within the Communities and Local Government Department, the Third Sector Partnership Board, covering its future role and remit, membership and way of working. Respond by 30th September, download from
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/thirdsectorconsultation.

– There is a consultation paper on The Empowerment Fund - proposals to provide support for existing national third sector organisations operating across England to help local communities turn key proposals into practical action on the ground. Views needed by 30th September, http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/empowermentfund.

– Closely related is a Ministry of Justice proposed framework for greater citizen engagement, using innovative methods such as citizens’ summits and juries to inform national policy-making. The discussion paper also contains proposals for strengthening the process for petitioning the House of Commons. To 31st October, http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/citizen-engagement.htm.

The long awaited community empowerment White Paper was published by the Communities and Local Government Department last week (9th July).

The stated intention in the first paragraph is “to pass power into the hands of local communities. We want to generate vibrant local democracy in every part of the country, and to give real control over local decisions and services to a wider pool of active citizens.” Go to the main page for ‘Communities in control: real people, real power’ or download the full White Paper (pdf, 1.72MB) from http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/886045.pdf.

The largest single programme proposed is a £70 million Communitybuilders fund, to help community organisations grow and thrive, which is jointly funded with the Office of the Third Sector and should begin in Spring 2009 - http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/080709_community.aspx. Also see Consultation section above. Detailed reactions from sector bodies were still to come at newsletter production time.

Community asset transfer pilot schemes were also announced - the West Midlands press release for example is here: http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=373357&NewsAreaID=2. ‘Managing Risks in Asset Transfer: A Guide’, practical guide to help local authorities and community organisations more effectively manage the risks involved, has also been published, http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/managingrisks.

This year’s TalkTalk Innovation in the Community Awards are open for entries.

This enables charity and community groups throughout the UK to harness the power of the internet, with 30 winners receiving grants of £2,000 each to fund technology related projects, and five overall winners will also get technology equipment of their choice. Last year’s winners ranged from chat rooms on health issues to web-based support networks.

See http://www.talktalk.co.uk/innovation, and apply by 30th September.

Unity Trust Bank has announced a Community Asset Transfer loan account, for any charitable, voluntary or community group taking on a community asset transferred from public ownership under the government scheme.

News item, or go direct to account details at http://www.unity.co.uk/CAT.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews, has declared that he is “committed to implementing the findings of the Quirk review in Wales”, which called for more community ownership of public buildings, “across all of Wales not just the most populated towns and cities”. He hopes to make a further announcement in the autumn on establishing a community asset fund to help to make the buildings fit for purpose. News item at http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2321519/?lang=en.

The Deputy Minister has also announced a “new fund to boost community regeneration” of at least £25 million over the next three years. This should have a sharper focus than previous Communities First funds on stimulating practical improvements to tackle poverty, contribute to wider regeneration initiatives and improving employability. See http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2315902/?lang=en.

The ‘Our South West’ web site has a guide to reducing the environmental impacts of conferences and seminars, which now includes a ‘Greener Events Guide Checklist for Outdoor/Community Events’ (small pdf).

See http://www.oursouthwest.com/SusBus/gevents.html#companion-guides

(Source: Acre Alert)

The Awards for Bridging Cultures has been launched to celebrate local schemes and projects, run by community and voluntary organisations, that build bridges between communities. The ABCs aims to showcase this work, raise awareness of the wide range of activity and encourage applicants to share their learning.

“Winners will receive publicity for their scheme, financial rewards to invest in their projects and the opportunity to become leaders in their field.” Applications by 1st October, http://www.bridgingcultures.org.uk.

(Source: Voluntary Arts England newsletter)

A diverse group of national organisations have come together as the Rural Social Justice Coalition to help improve the lives of the most disadvantaged people in rural areas. It launched at Acre’s Rural Life Conference recently.

See http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/projects/rsjc/overview for more details.

(Source: xpress digest

A new service aims to help rural communities in Scotland apply for a range of funding programmes aimed at tackling climate change, reducing waste and improving environmental management.

Rural Direct is operated by the Crofters’ Commission and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Its phone number is 0845 838 8598.

Rural Gateway news item, with email address, at http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2295&d=11&h=24&f=46.

Ofcom is consulting on the criteria and process for considering changes to a community radio station’s key commitments which form part of its licence.

Closing date 21st July, http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/regulation_cr/.