The Civil Society Covenant

The Covenant is a new agreement to improve and reset the relationship between civil society and government. It provides a vital foundation for a stronger relationship at all levels.

It includes:

• a principles-based agreement, including respect for our value and independence
• case studies and illustrative document to indicate what good looks like
• a new Joint Civil Society Covenant Council, bringing together civil society and senior officials to direct and review implementation, as well as oversee task and finish groups
• a Local Partnerships Programme, designed to support better working relationships between local authorities, public bodies and civil society
• a developing VCSE-HM Treasury forum, providing a regular space for engagement on economic and financial issues affecting the sector
• commitment to update guidance to ensure model grant and service contract templates are clear, and consistent with the principles of the Covenant.

Find out more about the Covenant and browse supporting materials.

Read our response to the Covenant.

While there have been some positive examples of collaboration, our relationship with the government has been transactional for too long.

The government is keen to work with us to develop a more collaborative approach, so we can tackle society’s challenges together.

The decisions made by local and national government have a huge impact on the operating environment for civil society organisations, as well as the people or causes they support.

Last year, we worked with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to engage over 1000 civil society organisations to understand their experiences and test draft principles.

In May 2025, we published a report with ACEVO to set out our findings and make recommendations.

Since January, we’ve taken a leading role in the Civil Society Advisory Group run by DCMS to offer feedback on the Covenant.

We’re committed to listening to your experiences and advocating to ensure the Covenant makes a difference to our members and wider civil society.

Alongside our partners NICVA, SCVO and WCVA, NCVO and ACEVO are coordinating voluntary sector responses.