HM Revenue and Customs has launched a consultation on ideas to simplify the VAT partial exemption rules and is inviting comments on three partial exemption areas. HMRC Brief at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/vat/brief3008.htm, The Charity Finance Directors' Group is encouraging responses and has a briefing note via http://www.cfdg.org.uk/cfdg/inf_con_partialexemptioncaptialgoods.asp. Respond by 30th September.

A Funding Commission that will look at future financial provision across the whole range of civil society after 2010 is being established by NCVO. Due to start work early in 2009, its job will be "to come up with practical and public policy proposals that ensure secure funding for the voluntary sector, for the longer term." Announcement at http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/press/releases/?id=9290.

The income generation workstream is one of the new National Support Services which superseded the national Hubs in April. It aims to stimulate a culture change in the support offered to the sector, so that frontline organisations understand the full range of ways of generating income and can make the best use of them in order to have a diverse spectrum of funding. Visit the site at http://www.improvingsupport.org.uk/income/index.html

Improving Support is a joint initiative to strengthen the support services available to third sector organisations. It is co-ordinated by Capacitybuilders and funded through its National Support Services programme.

At the end of its three year programme, the Finance Hub can point to a “substantial body of high quality information which has benefit to the VCS at every level”, according to, Anderson & Gollan, the evaluators of the Finance Hub Programme...

“Finance Hub has achieved what it set out to do and improved resources for the voluntary sector” concludes independent evaluation...

Community accountancy is one of the most important parts of voluntary infrastructure. Community accountants provide a wide range of services for small voluntary and community organisations.

Acevo has published four online briefings covering all aspects of ‘Successful Procurement and Negotiation’ after a six month research project funded by the Finance Hub.

SCEDU and Pelican celebrated the end of the Finance Hub project focused on third sector organisations getting ready for public sector contracts.

There has been a growing perception that funding for the third sector has not only changed in recent years – in terms of where it comes from, how it is accessed, and what it can be used for – but that it has significantly reduced...