The Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) have announced that they will formally wind up the charity in Spring 2023.
A press release from the trustees was published saying, ‘Since inception, the challenge of sustainability, while retaining accessibility for members, has hampered the work of the FSI, despite the rising demand from our services. This challenge has finally become too significant to continue.’
Read the full press release here.
The news of The FSI closure comes days after a sector infrastructure funding report was published by 360Giving which highlighted a number of challenges around funding of these organisations, and stressed the vital roles that sector infrastructure bodies play in enabling and supporting voluntary and community organisations both locally and at national level. Access the full report here.
Following the closure of the Small Charities Coalition last year, and with data from the 360Giving report showing a continual decline in both national and local infrastructure organisations, at a time when VCSE organisations are needed more than ever, it understandably raises concerns about what this means for the wider sector and the impact these closures will have on small charities.
FSI said they aim to close the charity responsibly and will look to secure ongoing support for small charities through other means. Following this, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) released a statement in which they said, ‘We are committed to ensuring the specialist support The FSI provides is not lost and will work with The FSI trustees, partner organisations and funders over the coming weeks to find the best solutions going forward. We were already working to deliver the Small Charity Week campaign with the The FSI this year and are actively talking to our civil society group partners about this.
Infrastructure is a vital part of the voluntary sector ecosystem, providing support, connection and voice to government, so charities can focus on delivering their mission.’
You can read the full NCVO statement here.
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