Hurd outlines ways for funders to collaborate with government

By: 

Cheryl Chapman

Managing Editor, Philanthropy UK

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd  wrapped up the Association of Charitable Foundations’ (ACF) annual conference on Tuesday Oct 18^th by outlining three ways government and private funders might collaborate in today’s "challenging environment".

Hurd suggested in a world where "anecdotes will no longer be funded’" and charities must show the measurable impact they are having in order to appease government commissioners and fulfil payment by results funding strategies, charitable trusts might collaborate to create impact measures that were coherent across sub-sectors and cost-effective even for smaller charities.

He said he was concerned the impact measurement space was becoming too fragmented and incoherent and making life difficult for charities.  “Is there room for agreement on measures?” he asked.

Secondly, Hurd suggested trusts and foundations could use “the large amounts of money [they] sit on” to develop the social investment market from its current embryonic state.

He said new guidance - referring to CC14 - from the Charity Commission expected soon will be helpful –-  “though not a game-changer”.

Hurd said more importantly he was looking for sector leaders who wanted to help build the market and said they should make themselves known to the OCS.

Lastly, Hurd suggested that private funding might be used to match the newly-launched £80m Community First fund aimed at helping neighbourhoods take control of their local issues. He said he wanted to make it easier for the 500-strong force of community organisers (who this week began working  ) to find a source of funds to match the £80m of taxpayers’ money and  “act as a catalyst” of the localism agenda.

Hurd’s speech came at the end of a packed ACF conference which featured a range of workshops and topics featuring speakers from across the globe.