January Policy Update
Here's some news from around the charity sector.
2025 is well underway and we’re through the January slog! If social media has just been a bit too much for you this month, or there’s just been too much on your plate, don’t worry, we’re here to fill you in on any policy events that affect charities. This month, there’s an opportunity to guide the government’s spending priorities, important information about AI and grantmaking, and some new changes in social media.
Help guide the Government’s spending priorities
The government is in the process of a spending review which will set government departments spending for years to come. To determine the allocation of funds to each department, they are seeking submissions from interest groups, individuals, and representative bodies to inform decisions about departmental budgets and resource allocation. Essentially, they are requesting feedback on government spending priorities and any policy ideas that should be prioritised, which means now is the time to highlight if a particular department or Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) is important for your cause.
You have until Sunday 9 February, click here to submit your feedback.
Click here for more information on the Spending Review 2025.
Using AI for grant applications
The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) has released a new statement saying that it will not reject applications from charities that have used AI tools. Recognising the value in tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude to save time and improve accessibility, NLCF have reassuringly said “you can use AI tools to help write your funding application. We will not reject an application just because AI was used.” Although AI applications will be considered, they have recommended to charities to make sure they personalise their applications and avoid using AI-suggested budgets without reviewing them.
NLCF has produced some excellent guidance on using AI to apply for grants and has included 10 principles on how they will use it to enhance their operations. Take a look here.
There are many benefits to using AI to generate grant applications, but there are also potential pitfalls. In our latest article, Ben Wittenberg, Director of Development and Delivery, shares guidance on using AI for fundraising bids. Take a look here.
Additionally, we’ve put together an AI resource hub to help you use new technology safely. See here.
Social Media Updates
There have been numerous changes to social media platforms this past month, making it almost impossible to keep up. Here are a few updates you should be aware of:
Meta
Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook and Instagram will stop using third-party fact-checkers, which could make it harder for charities to campaign effectively. This change means disinformation will spread more easily across these platforms, making it harder for users to distinguish fact from fiction. Now, users will play a role in correcting hate speech and misinformation, and charity community managers, as Charity Comms points out, “will need to step in to protect the people our organisations serve.”
Charity Comms has produced guidance on this change, which you can read here.
Meta has also updated its advertising policy, which will affect how charities use its business tools. Instagram and Facebook will now exclude data from websites in certain special categories, including health and wellness, politics, gender identity, and personal hardship (there are 11 categories in total – view the full list here). This could mean that health charities, for example, no longer receive critical data about who their campaign is reaching if they fall under these exclusion categories. For more information, check out this resource from Charity Comms here.
X/Bluesky
Due to rising concerns with the social media platform X and its owner, Elon Musk, many charities (and individuals, businesses, media outlets etc) have been part of a collective movement to leave.
From his comments on the Southport riots to his recent participation in the witch hunt against the Welsh Refugee Council, Musk has been in the driving seat for spreading misinformation since taking ownership of the platform.
The “X-odus” started back in November and has continued into January, seeing hundreds of charities make the move away from the platform, with some starting fresh on Bluesky.
Bluesky, created by Twitter’s former CEO Jack Dorsey, shares many similarities with Twitter in its layout. However, this fairly new platform, launched in February 2023, places a stronger emphasis on moderation, allowing users greater control over the posts they see and the users they can block. Unlike X, the algorithm is designed to curate a feed that users actually want to engage with.
If you’re considering joining Bluesky or have already done so, there are several starter packs available to help you navigate the platform. For instance, check out the ‘UK charity sector organisations starter pack’ created by Madeline Sudgen.
You can follow us on Bluesky here!
Changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions still set to cost charities
The Government’s decision in last year’s Budget to change the rates and thresholds for Employer National Insurance Contributions (ENICs) has been estimated by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) to cost the charity sector £1.4bn. This is roughly the equivalent to what is claimed in Gift Aid every year! Especially at this time, with organisational reserves depleted following the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, these changes are already resulting in significant negative impacts, and risk damaging the government’s ‘reset’ with civil society.
So far, HM Treasury has seemed unwilling to consider changing its policy to mitigate the impact, despiteMPs from across the House of Commons criticisingthe changes in a debate.
2025 – what’s to come in the charity policy world
There’s lots to look out for this year in terms of policy updates. Keep an eye out on updates from us about the Spending Review, Civil Society Covenant, English Devolution White Paper and Community Wealth Fund.
For more information on what’s to come, Jay Kennedy, DSC’s Director of Policy and Research, has put together an article summarising some of the policy trends and initiatives for the year ahead, give it a read here.
