The HSCVF Local Grant and Capacity Building Scheme 2012 has been launched. The funding offers both a capacity building support package, which aims to build organisational capacity that will assist with longer term sustainability, and grant monies to develop volunteer-led service delivery through a discrete project.

Deadline: 3 September 2012

A new awards page on the Home Office website attempts to draw together details of national, international and local award 

programmes which may be of interest to organisations working within crime and community safety.

The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has launched a new £2 million funding programme for registered charities whose work supports older people.

Deadline: 20 September 2012

Tesco Charity Community Awards provide one-off donations of between £500 and £4,000, applications to support local projects for elderly people and adults/children with disabilities should be made between 1st August and the 30th September 2012.

Projects in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber will have the opportunity to apply for repeat and ongoing activities under Awards for All in a new six month pilot scheme from 1 June 2012.

The Inclusive Sport Fund has been set up by Sport England with £8 million of National Lottery Funding. It will invest in programmes designed to grow the number of disabled young people (age 14+) and adults regularly playing sport.

A new Gift Aid and tax repayment claim form, R68(i) was introduced in March, replacing the old versions of the form. The updated form is expected to speed up the repayment process and result in fewer errors being made. HMRC will stop accepting claims on the old forms over the next few months, so charities need to double-check that they are using the up-to-date version.

Charity Fraud: A guide for the trustees and managers of charities is written to help charities prevent and detect fraud, and also provides information on what to do and where to report if fraud has occurred. This publication has been produced by 15 public law enforcement and charity sector organisations as part of the Charity Fraud Project.

Social Enterprise UK has published 'Start your social enterprise', providing the essentials to help plan a social venture. It covers "everything from writing your business plan, finding investment and funding, to deciding on the most suitable legal structure and governance".

The Charity Commission has produced a strategy document that describes the Charity Commission's role and approach in dealing with safeguarding issues in relation to charities.

New UK regulations that came into force in May 2011 mean that organisations now need the consent of individual visitors to their website if they are to use "cookies". The Information Commissioner gave a grace period of 12 months for organisations to address the new regulations but they now need to consider how they intend to tackle the legal, technical and practical implications of the legislation.

Information and guidance provided by Russell Cooke Solicitors