New conflicts of interest guidelines for arts charities

Immediate Release - 8 April 2008

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) have jointly prepared new conflicts of interest guidance for arts charities.

The new guidance is intended particularly for trustees of charitable museums, galleries and libraries, including those sponsored by DCMS. It sets out how trustees of such charities should identify and manage conflicts of interest and examines the different issues that might arise, including conflicts of loyalty and direct or indirect financial gain or benefit to a trustee.

The guidance explains how to deal with any transactions that involve a trustee benefit or are conducted between a trustee and the charity. It also identifies instances where charities might need to contact the Charity Commission for advice or authorisation.

David Locke, Director of Charity Services for the Charity Commission, said:

“It is highly likely that many arts charities will face conflicts of interest at some point. When even the appearance of a conflict may damage a charity’s reputation, it’s important that such instances are properly handled. This new joint guidance outlines the general principles of handling conflicts of interest and also sets out points to look out for in the specific context of arts charities.”

The guidance is called Charitable Museums and Galleries: A guide to conflicts of interest policies, trustee benefits and transactions between trustees and charities. It is available from the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Publications/archive_2008/charitable_mus_gal.htm

Notes to editors:

1.The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity in England and Wales. For more information see our website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk
2.The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for Government policy on museums and galleries. It currently sponsors 20 museums and galleries, most of which are charities. More information can be found on its website at http://www.culture.gov.uk
3.The joint guidance has been endorsed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and approved by the Attorney General’s Office.  

For more information please call Chris Kiggell at the Charity Commission press office on 020 7673 2332.

PR15/08