The principles of fund accounting are unchanged - the Sorp will still require all charities to distinguish between types of fund. Most charities have restricted funds and general funds, so the Sofa is still shown in columns - even at the cost of comparability with previous years.
The proposals in the exposure draft suggest the Sorp committee is more relaxed about restricted funds in deficit. These might occur when expenditure is made on an appeal before income is received. They must be disclosed separately - but whatever the final Sorp says, they should be a concern, for they can hide hidden losses.
Endowment funds are still described as a subset of restricted funds, which is confusing because they might be held for general purposes. More helpfully, the exposure draft clarifies that when you enhance the value of an endowed asset, such as a building, you are adding to the endowment fund. This is the only circumstance in which most charities can create their own endowments.
