The DPO Centre announces first beneficiaries of its Charity and Community Fund

In July 2022, to mark its fifth anniversary, The DPO Centre announced the launch of its £100,000 Charity and Community Fund.  

The DPO Centre has announced the first four charities to be awarded funding. The four charities will have access to their team of data protection professionals, who will provide straightforward, practical advice, backed by the experience gained from working with hundreds of charitable and commercial organisations around the globe.  

The successful applicants are: 

Fight for Sight – the leading UK charity 100% dedicated to funding pioneering sight loss research. 

P3 (People, Potential, Possibilities) – a charity and social enterprise, bringing communities together. 

Survivors in Transition – a support centre for men and women who have experienced sexual abuse in their childhood.  

The Winch – a charity working with young people in North London, helping them succeed, regardless of their circumstances. 

With the funding awarded, these charities will see the burden of data protection regulation eased, allowing them to focus their precious time and resources on their core purposes. 

Rob Masson, CEO, The DPO Centre said:

“We know that charities and NFPs have to strike a delicate balance between complying with data protection regulations and the need to focus their financial resources on their cause. I am therefore delighted that we will be easing the burden for these four charities, giving them access to high-quality support and all-important peace of mind.  

“The first four winners of our Charity and Community Fund stood out for a number of reasons. They are all well-established and dedicated to delivering their services on a local or national level, they understand the importance of good data protection practices and are committed to their continuous improvement. In addition, we felt all awardees have admirable causes that align with our core values and ethos at The DPO Centre.”  

The successful applicants will receive support across the following areas: 

• Compliance reviews and gap analysis reports
• Policy drafting and reviews  
• Conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)  
• Creating and reviewing data sharing and data processing agreements  

The DPO Centre Charity and Community Fund is a £100,000 fund, providing charities and not-for-profits (NFPs) with access to the DPO Centre’s industry-leading data protection consultancy services at a rate reduced by 80 per cent. Eligible organisations apply for up to £10,000 of funding each towards consultancy services.  

Applications for the next round of funding will open on 9 January 2023, for more information, please visit www.dpocentre.com/cc-fund. All applications will be carefully considered by The DPO Centre’s dedicated and diverse funding panel, and applicants will be notified of the outcome at the end of the funding round.    

To be eligible, organisations must satisfy the following criteria:  

• Be based in the United Kingdom  
• Have a management committee of at least three unrelated people in place   
• Have a bank account in the charity/NFP name  
• Be willing to carry out a case study once the project has been completed  

If unsuccessful, further applications can be made but only one application in each 12-month period will be considered.