Knowledge Hub

Charity banking services debate in the House of Lords highlights challenges raised in CFG's new report. 

CFG's Head of Policy, Richard Sagar, looks at the announcement from new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, regarding the VAT cut for electricity bills and, though some details are still to be ironed out, he provides an overview of what's been said, and what charities need to be aware of.

The next wave of the VCSE Barometer survey is now out. Have your say about the state of the sector and let's continue to influence policy-makers together.

We appear to be at yet another political inflection point and it remains unclear what direction the country is heading in. Even so, there are a few specific updates worth recapping.

HM Treasury has published its response to consultations on two parts of the UK's SME finance framework: Commercial Credit Data Sharing (CCDS) and the Bank Referral Scheme (BRS). Neither was designed with charities in mind, but both have implications for the sector.

This year's CFG Small Charity Survey aims to understand how small charities are coping with a difficult financial environment. The 2025 survey found that many charities were struggling to cope with increasing demand and rising costs, so we now want to know what, if anything, has changed in the last 12 months.

Here, CFG's Policy Officer, Isaac Bristol, looks at some policy wins, important conversations between the sector and Government, and further ahead to the potentially paradigmatic May elections.

Following the new VAT rules which have recently come into effect regarding donated goods, another positive policy exemption for charities has now been introduced.

In this piece, the Charity Team at Sarasin & Partners, explain how recent events in the Middle East could impact charity investors.

The US-Iran War is about to enter its sixth week. Although a temporary ceasefire is in place at the time of writing, concerns as to how it will impact the lives of the people and communities we serve and love have not gone away. The only ‘known’ is that the global socioeconomic picture will remain uncertain for some time.

The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland has confirmed that Section 167 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 will be repealed following its 2025 consultation. The provision, which was never commenced, was intended to create a registration route for charities established outside Northern Ireland but operating there. 

The UK Supreme Court's April 2025 ruling in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers has prompted questions across the voluntary sector about what, if anything, organisations need to do in response. This short briefing helps charities to navigate the implications pf the ruling relating to premises and facilities.