Charities Benefit From Big Society Fund

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Minister for Civil Society, have announced that charities across England have been awarded a total of £77.5million in the third wave of payouts from the £107million Transition Fund to help them prepare for new Big Society opportunities.

Around 900 charities have received support from the Transition Fund so far.

Charities like the Beat Bullying, which has helped countless children and young people deeply affected by bullying, and ICENI, which treats and tackles addiction in Ipswich and Suffolk, are using the money to modernise. This will help them make the most of more opportunities for them to deliver public services and new sources of finance, such as capital investment from the Big Society Bank, which the Government is developing as part of its drive to support a Big Society.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said: "We all want a bigger, stronger society where people get involved and do their bit.

"This isn't new - there are already loads of people right across Britain taking responsibility and making our communities better places to live.

"What is new is that this Government is making it easier for people to do more: giving people power to improve public service, putting communities in control, and supporting people to help others."

Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said: "The Transition Fund is part of a much wider package of support for charities and voluntary groups and social enterprises.

"The Cabinet Office will invest around £470million in direct support over four years.

"We are opening up new opportunities for charities to deliver public services, cutting red tape and developing new sources of finance such as the Big Society Bank."

The Transition Fund was announced in the Spending Review, October 2010. The Fund closed to applications on 21 January 2011. £94million has now been committed and final awards will be announced later this summer.

(BMcN/GK)