Community groups can apply for grants from a new £16.7m fund to help them take over the management of land and buildings of importance to the community.

With competition for funding at its fiercest for years, it is important that charities make their applications stand out - and not for the wrong reasons.

Nearly a third of grant-making trusts and foundations give less than 10 per cent of their awards to new applicants, a survey has found.

The Directory of Social Change (DSC) publishes a number of useful fundraising guides and resources.

The Cabinet Office has launched a £10m fund aimed at growing the social investment market.

With the start of the Olympic Games under away, some £19.4 million of Olympic legacy programme funding has been awarded to 377 community sports groups across England through the Inspired Facilities Fund.

The social investment wholesaler Big Society Capital will launch a £15m "results fund" to invest in third sector organisations competing for  payment-by-results contracts, according to Nick O’Donohoe, its chief executive.

Asset transfer involves the transfer of the ownership of land or buildings from government organisations such as local authorities to community groups such as local sports clubs and trusts, often at a discounted price provided there is a benefit to the local community.

A new programme, supported by nearly a million pounds of Big Lottery Fund money, will provide young people in England and Wales with the opportunity to learn skills and gain qualifications.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is expected to launch a new £14 million Innovation Fund to finance interventions to help parents in England, Scotland and Wales work together in the best interest of their children.