Northern Rock Foundation’s Third Sector Trends Study is a ground-breaking research programme on the scale, dynamics and needs of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in North East England and Cumbria.
The Study will for the first time provide robust, comprehensive and freely available local and regional evidence to describe the sector. The Study will help sector organisations, infrastructure agencies, funders and government bodies who all need better information about the characteristics and activities of the third sector groups. Better data will help to improve funding negotiations, policy development and service planning. The Study will also assist the development of better methods for voluntary sector research nationally.
Using a broad definition of the sector, including charities, social enterprises and smaller community groups not on official registers The Study comprises:
Phase one of the Study, worth £500,000 over three years, commenced in spring 2008.
The Foundation has brought together an expert research team for the Study. Professor John Mohan of the University of Southampton leads the quantitative work, alongside NCVO, Guidestar UK and Cumbria and Newcastle CVS. Professor Tony Chapman of the University of Teesside and Professor Fred Robinson of Durham University are running the qualitative strand. The Foundation’s chief advisor for the programme is Cathy Pharoah, who leads an advisory group of key agencies including the Office of the Third Sector, ESRC, Carnegie UK Trust, and local and regional public and voluntary sector bodies.
The Foundation manages the research, and will contribute to the improvement of third sector research nationally by making both the findings and the methodological tools widely available. A second research phase, developing longitudinal elements of the programme, will be subject to future funding decisions at the Foundation and the potential involvement of other commissioning partners.
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