Guide on how to protect local grants in recession launched

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 2 Feb 2009

Charities fighting to hold on to local grants during the recession now have access to a guide outlining how to defend cuts to this funding stream.

The Local Grants Forum has released the ‘Defending Local Grants’ guide yesterday, January 26. The free guide produced by the Forum, a partnership of a number of national organisations, was released in response to the fact that grant funding from local authorities has fallen since 2001 and fears that the current recession is likely to make things worse.

Kevin Curley, chief executive of NAVCA and a member of the Local Grants Forum, said the situation is serious. “Research from the Finance Hub last year showed that local authority grant funding fell by 13 per cent in just three years,” he said.

“With an economic recession and tighter budgets we are worried that grant funding will suffer even more as local authorities make budget cuts, even though grant funding is vital to many of the groups that support communities who suffer most in a downturn. This includes groups providing debt advice, credit unions and organisations that help get people get back into employment.

“Local grants are vital for a healthy third sector and we must defend them.”

The guide offers advice to charities on how to persuade local councillors, procurement professionals and commissioning officers not to cut funding. A brief document, Defending Local Grants directs readers to a variety of sources with regards to European procurement rules, including how to use public law to challenge poor decisions.

Who's Who: Celina Ribeiro

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