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‘Hoovering up the Money’? Delivering Government-Funded Capacity-Building Programmes to Voluntary and Community Organisations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

Margaret Harris  and
Hans Schlappa
Margaret Harris
Affiliation:
Aston Centre for Voluntary Action Research, Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET E-mail: m.e.harris@aston.ac.uk
Hans Schlappa
Affiliation:
Aston Centre for Voluntary Action Research, Aston Business School
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Abstract

The ‘ChangeUp’ and ‘FutureBuilders initiatives have provided substantial funding to support and facilitate ‘capacity building’ in voluntary and community organisations and so enable them to contribute to the achievement of public and social policy goals. This paper builds on findings from a study of an early ‘capacity-building’ programme delivered between 1998 and 2005. We explore the challenges of implementing such initiatives for voluntary sector intermediary bodies involved in delivering them and for the voluntary and community organisations intended as the main beneficiaries. We conclude with a discussion about the implications for policy implementation.

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Type
Articles
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Social Policy and Society , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 135 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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