DSC pamphlet argues for continued government grant funding
Howard Lake | 9 September 2007 | News
The Directory of Social Change has published a pamphlet that urges statutory funders to protect the grant funding of the voluntary and community sector.
‘Sustaining Grants’ includes 11 case studies that highlight the essential role of grants in sustaining the work of the smaller voluntary and community organisations. It is designed as a tool to help charities persuade local authorities of the urgent need to keep funding in the form of grants, rather than contracts.
Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, who attended the launch of the pamphlet, expressed his support for its message. “I agree 100%”, he said, “that the role of grants made it all possible, allowing groups to take risks, innovate and act, offering organisations independence.”
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Commenting on the launch, Debra Allcock Tyler, DSC Chief Executive, acknowledged the government’s official line in supporting grants, as well as their actions in releasing grant funding. However, she said that the Office of the Third Sector were not the biggest players: “the reality on the ground is that local authorities are taking a drastic and dangerous shift away from grants towards contract funding”, she added.
She called on the Office of the Third Sector to act as “a sector champion” to protect the grant portion of local authority budgets.
‘Sustaining Grants’ can be downloaded from DSC’s website.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.