HMRC awards Good Things another 3 year grant

HMRC (the Government department responsible for tax and related services) has awarded Good Things Foundation a 3-year grant. We’re one of 12 voluntary sector organisations – including Tax Aid, Money Advice Trust, and the Royal National Institute for Blind People – to get a share of £5.5 million in funding from HMRC. 

The grant means we can continue to convene and partner community organisations across the country to help a specific group: people facing digital and wider barriers to using HMRC services. This is our third HMRC grant, so it is a real endorsement of our nationally networked, community-based approach. 

The National Digital Inclusion Network run by Good Things Foundation is free to join (check out this map to see if your organisation is a member, or if there is a hub near you). The network comprises charities, libraries, social enterprises, adult skills providers, local branches of national organisations like Citizens Advice and Age UK. What they share is a desire to reduce digital barriers faced by people living locally or using their services. 

The partners we work with to deliver HMRC-related support are organisations which can support people with both HMRC affairs and digital inclusion, and more besides. English language and literacy barriers, lack of familiarity with HMRC services, disability-related access barriers, living on low incomes, and experiencing stress and anxiety are common experiences among people who have benefited from support. This reflects HMRC research (HMRC 2020), as well as what we learned through our Digital Support Service Implementation Pilot for HMCTS (Good Things Foundation 2020).   

It is a great feeling to secure funding when you know that what you do, the partners you work with, and the impact in people’s lives, is so positive, empowering and important. What makes this award especially valuable is the partnership with HMRC – and the genuine interest of HMRC civil servants to listen to feedback from communities and learn how they can live up to HMRC service principles for people who need extra help including with digital.