Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR)

Day

Wednesday 15 June

Time slot

09:30-10:30

This event took place almost 3 years ago

Room

Boisdale 1
Wheelchair accessible

Contact

Paula Meise
01382 220446

Topic

Funding & fundraising

Who was the event aimed at?

Public

Who spoke at this event?

Staff from OSCR and Foundation Scotland.

Event summary and materials

What was covered in your sessions?

Delegates heard a presentation from OSCR and Foundation Scotland on their collaborative project to track down inactive charitable trusts and to work with their trustees on solutions that will enable the funds to be put back into effective use for public benefit. From the 60+ trusts contacted so far, nearly £3millon of charitable assets has been revitalised through improvement plans, reorganisations or transfers of funds to other charities where they can be used more effectively. 

Was there any useful feedback or reflection from the participants?

Re-establishing contact with lost trusts requires a patient, persevering and personal approach which is resource intensive. OSCR is conscious of the need to justify the cost to the public purse. But participants highlighted the greater value to the charitable sector as a whole of the public having confidence in an accurate Scottish Charity Register populated by charities that are active and effective. Others asked whether charitable trusts falling outside the project criteria could still be referred for support where needed… to which the answer is yes!

How people can find out more or get involved in your work?

There are dedicated pages on the websites of both OSCR and Foundation Scotland giving more information about the project. The web addresses are as follows:

For OSCR: https://www.oscr.org.uk/about-oscr/our-work/revitalising-trusts-project/

For Foundation Scotland: https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/set-up-fund/helping-charities-with-their-giving/revitalise-trust

To join Foundation Scotland’s mailing list for future funding news and project updates, register for their newsletter here https://bit.ly/FoundationScotlandSubscribe