Latest Partnership news & opinion

Our position Voluntary organisations are at the heart of Scotland’s response to the biggest challenges we face — tackling poverty, improving health and wellbeing, supporting children and families, strengthening local economies, advancing climate action, building skills for the... Read more

About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. Along with our community of around 4,000 members and supporters, we believe that a thriving voluntary sector should be at the heart of a successful... Read more

About SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector. Along with our community of around 4,000 members and supporters, we believe that a thriving voluntary sector should be at the heart of a successful... Read more

Monday 29th June 2026 Dear First Minister, We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to a Third SectorPartnership, and the impetus shown in progressing this agenda so soon after theScottish Parliament election. I welcome the urgency that has been shown by theCabinet... Read more

SCVO The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership organisation for the voluntary sector in Scotland. Our mission is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in building a flourishing society and support them to do work that has a... Read more

The Covenant which launched in July at Westminster is the starting point for an improved relationship between the UK government and the voluntary sector. As many others have noted, the publication of a document is only the beginning of the hard work needed to change relationships... Read more

Responding to the publication of the UK Government’s Civil Society Covenant, Anna Fowlie, SCVO Chief Executive, said: “SCVO welcomes the publication of the UK Government’s Civil Society Covenant, which recognises the independence of, and the vital role played by, voluntary... Read more

In January, I was at the Labour Party’s civil society summit in London. It was largely aimed at an England-based audience, and I was struck by the air of desperate hope in the room. Voluntary sector leaders in England had been subject to a toxic and hostile relationship with the... Read more

In 2020, as part of its response to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, Scottish Government sought to address the barriers facing the third sector by bringing together SCVO, the TSI Scotland Network, COSLA and the Scottish Government Third Sector Unit in the Strengthening... Read more

SCVO commissioned an independent consultant, Arrivo Consulting, to conduct depth interviews with several of our members. The aim of the project was twofold: To deepen our understanding of the key challenges faced by third sector organisations, specifically in relation to funding... Read more