Voluntary Arts has been shortlisted for the UK-wide Charity Governance Awards 2017 it was announced today. It is in the running for the Board Diversity & Inclusion award and the prize of a £5,000 unrestricted grant. Voluntary Arts is one of 21 charities from across the UK that complete the full shortlist.

Voluntary Arts joins a shortlist of charities representing a diverse range of subject areas including LGBTQ, prisoners, homelessness, medical care and support, disability services, the arts, and more. A 20-strong judging panel shortlisted the entries and will select a winner in each of the seven categories. The winners will be announced at the official awards reception in London on 24 May 2017, with former cabinet minister Sir Vince Cable delivering a keynote speech.

In 2012, Voluntary Arts won the Winifred Tumim Memorial Prize for Best Practice in Charity Governance. The recent work undertaken by Voluntary Arts to make significant strides in improving its diversity and representation was detailed in the ‘Open Conversations’ report. Voluntary Arts are particularly grateful to former Chair, Peter Stark OBE, for his drive and determination which directly led to this nomination.

Michael Howell, Chair of the Trusteeship Committee at the award organisers The Clothworkers’ Company, said:

Congratulations to all of the shortlisted candidates – they provide the third sector with sterling examples of what can be achieved with excellent governance. The recent report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Charities recommended that charities focus on trustee skills, board diversity and the use of digital technology on their trustee boards; so we are delighted to select and showcase some brilliant examples of charities tackling these very issues. Entries to our brand new category ‘Embracing Digital’ have been particularly forward-thinking and we hope they will provide inspiration for organisations now seeking ‘digital trustees’, as recommended in the Select Committee’s report.

The Charity Governance Awards are organised by The Clothworkers’ Company – a City Livery company that supports trusteeship initiatives – in partnership with not-for-profit consultancy NPC (New Philanthropy Capital), volunteer matching charity Reach, and recruitment specialists Prospectus.

The 20-strong judging panel boasts a wealth of experience in charity governance and the voluntary sector. The judges include Michele Acton (CEO, Fight for Sight), Dawn Austwick (Chief Executive, Big Lottery Fund), Tony Cohen (Chair, Barnardo’s), Vicki Hearn (Director, Nominet Trust), Vinay Nair (Co-founder, Lightful), Dan Corry (Chief Executive, New Philanthropy Capital), Janet Thorne (CEO, Reach volunteering) and David Gold (CEO, Prospectus) among many other notable names. (See www.charitygovernanceawards.co.uk/judges for a full list of judges).

For more details visit www.charitygovernanceawards.co.uk. You can follow the awards on Twitter using hashtag #charitygov17. Entry for the 2018 Charity Governance Awards will open in October 2017.