John Tate asks whether the latest NCVO funding boost from the Big Lottery Fund will be spent wisely. 

Charity Finance reports today that the NCVO is to receive a £750,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund to help it demonstrate how it and other infrastructure bodies benefit the sector. Back in 2004 the government provided funding for a number of hubs, several of which were led by the NCVO. The objective was to provide a framework for collaboration. But it didn’t work well. An independent report by David Carrington commissioned by the ACU (a government body) on the ICT hub commented: 

"The Consortium’s ability to implement its strategy and to meet the ACU special condition about “constructive dialogue with relevant groups or organisations to ensure a broad-based approach” was undermined by ......the past ‘history’ of some other organisations involved in ICT development in the voluntary and community sector with one of the Consortium’s members, NCVO. The level of mistrust about and antagonism towards NCVO expressed by some of the people involved with CITRA and by some other organisations with which the Consortium tried to engage was so intense and pervasive that it prevented some of them from ever accepting the reality of the Consortium as a genuinely functioning and equal collaboration (whether or not such mistrust was well founded is immaterial – it was clearly deeply felt)." Full report here.

Move forward to 2006 and the Third Sector Leadership Centre opened with more funding for and backing for NCVO and Acevo. Guess what – in 2009 it was reported in the press that the project had proved a disaster and that further funding was being withdrawn. According to Capacitybuilders:  "The business plan did not focus on the Capacitybuilders priority of 'supporting the supporters'. Its market analysis was weak, its revenue proposals 'quite ambitious', its plans for sustainability were open to question and support from partners was not demonstrated."

Will the latest funding allocated to NCVO be better spent? The same people are at the helm of NCVO as in 2004 and 2006. Past evidence is not good.