New guidelines have been published to make the implications of Government accounting rules easier to understand for funders in the voluntary and community sector. ‘Guidance to Funders’ has been produced by the Treasury as a direct response to recommendations of the 2002 Cross Cutting Review of the Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery.The Treasury claims it will make a significant contribution to the Government’s commitment to creating a framework in which the voluntary and community sector can flourish, be strong andindependent. The review identified the need for clear and consistent guidance around funding relationships between the sector and the government. The new document clarifies what practices are and are not allowed under Government Accounting standards.Paul Boateng, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said that if the Government reaped the rewards of the sector’s role in service delivery, it must improve the funding relationship. “This guidance to funders is designed to make it clearer and therefore easier for funding bodies to distribute money to the voluntary and community sector.”The guidance is aimed at government departments, Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), and funding bodies themselves. “Guidance to Funders: improving funding relationships for voluntary and community organisations” is freely available on the Treasury and Home Office websites.