A thirty million pound Scottish Investment Fund is being set up by the Scottish Government to help trading charities and social enterprises increase their turnover or become financially sustainable. It will provide a mixture of loan/repayable finance and grant funding to mature established social economy organisations who have been trading successfully for at least three years. Official news item at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/06/18150321, or see fund manager Social Investment Scotland’s information, including a pdf download (61KB) of the Investment Strategy.

As reported by Charity Finance (http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/home/content.php?id=1993), organisations at an earlier stage of development will be able to apply to the separate Third Sector Enterprise Fund, which will have £12 million over three years available in amounts of up to £100,000. Details are to follow in the next few months.

The Scottish Government has also published ‘Enterprising Third Sector Action Plan, 2008-11′ to “help to create the right conditions in which an enterprising Third Sector - including social enterprises - can thrive, enabling the Third Sector to play a full role in the development, design and delivery of policy and services in Scotland.” This is a large pdf, see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/15300/Actionplan for introduction and link.

The Scottish charity regulator OSCR has delayed the completion of its current phase of the Rolling Review of charitable status (the Charity Test) from the end of May until October.

The review is looking at how existing charities meet the new tests under the Scottish Charities Act (similar but not identical to the new tests south of the border), focusing initially on 30 selected to provide a representative sample of ‘priority’ charities - including schools, care providers and membership organisations.

OSCR cites issues such as levels of fees and other possible restrictions on access; the provision of charitable benefit for people that are not members; and ongoing research into affordability of charges as areas that require more work to ensure consistency in applying the charity test.

OSCR news item, SCVO news item at http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/NewsAndEvents/TFNetArticle.aspx?pid=4268.

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.

A Climate Challenge Fund has been launched by the Scottish Government, with over eighteen million pounds open to a wide variety of organisations to deliver innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions significantly at a local level. For example becoming more energy efficient, encouraging people to walk and cycle more, and using local, sustainable food.

News item at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/06/03101154 or go direct to http://www.itsourfuture.co.uk/climate_challenge_fund/index.html.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator warns, in its latest Reporter e-newsletter, that submitted annual accounts which do not meet the required standard will, for accounting periods ending 31st March 2008 and later, be returned to the charity. The charity will then have to make the necessary changes to the accounts and re-submit them within 60 days.

Previously OSCR had taken a pragmatic approach and written to the charity with a qualified pass letter, highlighting the deficiencies requiring compliance in the following year. http://www.oscr.org.uk/AnnualReturn.stm.

The Scottish Consumer Council has produced a research report ‘Complaints in the Charity Sector’.

Based on a survey of 185 large registered charities, with incomes of over half a million pounds each, it found much good practice with three quarters actively providing information to consumers about how to complain. However they were less good at encouraging consumers to come forward with a complaint in the first place.

See http://www.scotconsumer.org.uk/consumerrights/publications.htm for the summary (a useful 24 pages) or full report, or the news release (pdf, 44KB) at http://www.scotconsumer.org.uk/pressinfo/08news_re/nr05char.pdf.

(Source: OSCR Reporter)

The Scottish Government has announced that small charities, churches and voluntary organisations north of the border will continue to be exempt from paying water charges. This is part of the principles which will be used in determining water service charge levels for 2010 - 2014.

News release at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/05/30114338. Scottish umbrella body SCVO has cautiously welcomed the news, but is concerned that the scheme may remain very complex - http://www.scvo.org.uk/scvo/TFNPR/ViewTFNPR.aspx?pr=7412.

Skye and Lochalsh Community Toolkit web site has an updated version of the Model Memorandum and Articles of Association for a ‘community right to buy’ body, developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Download available from http://www.slcvo.org.uk/ctoolkit?PageName=organisational/your-constitution.html.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, with the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, has produced a promotional leaflet highlighting how housing associations are playing their part in developing the social economy.

‘Housing Associations and Social Enterprise: Engaging with Scotland’s growing alternative business movement’ in pdf format, 301KB, from http://www.sfha.co.uk/site/documents/842.pdf. (Source: CRNS)

The CREATE Consortium wants a change to the benefits system, to enable community organisations to pay people to do work that strengthens their neighbourhood without it affecting any of their benefits. The Community Allowance would help tackle the benefits trap and be a regeneration tool too.

The Consortium aims to run pilots in each English region, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. More at http://www.communityallowance.org, including a chance to back the idea. Note that the site requires cookies to work properly.

The charity status of colleges in Scotland is to be protected by an order which has been laid before the Scottish Parliament.

This follows one of the first reviews of charity status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, which found that that Ministerial powers to direct further education colleges were inconsistent with the requirement under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 that charities should operate independently of government. The order exempts colleges from the requirement.

Scottish Government news item at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/05/21110137.

Action Earth provides grants of up to £50 to assist groups in England, Scotland and Wales in carrying out environmental projects by the end of July.

This year, there are also a limited number of £250 grants, only available in Scotland and funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, specifically intended for biodiversity projects. Apply a.s.a.p. at http://www.actionearth.org.uk.

(Source: Third Force eNews)