Voluntary and community

We keep informed about policy developments affecting the voluntary and community sector (the Sector) and are committed to working with other departments and with the sector on issues such as alternative financing models, contracting and procurement, support for social economy enterprises, asset transfer and support for philanthropy.

The Department is responsible for the policy and legal framework for charity regulation in Northern Ireland. The Department is also responsible for overseeing the work of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (the Commission) which is one of the Department’s Non-Departmental Public Bodies.

The department has policy responsibility for the management of relationships between Government and the voluntary and community sector (the Sector). The main relationship between the sector and central government has been developed to include councils, health and education sectors.

Funding to the voluntary and community sector falls into two main areas. One is to support the voluntary and community sector regionally and helping it to grow. The second is to help the sector to be self sustaining through the development of the social economy and building assets for longer term sustainability.