# Is your government grant at risk? If so, it’s time to lobby hard!

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/08/03/your-government-grant-risk-if-so-its-time-lobby-hard/
- Published: 2010-08-03T15:37:34+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Big Society idea sounds attractive for the voluntary sector, offering a bigger
role in addressing social issues and maybe access to new funding. How then do we
square this vision with the reality of funding cuts to the very organisations the
government is seeking to work with and what can charities do about this threat?

I recently I visited a small charity, which gets a block grant from the Dept of 
Justice. It has just been told it will probably lose all of this funding after March
next year, which may mean the end of the charity and its unique work. So how does
this fit with the government’s Big Society idea and what can you do if you are in
this position?

The charity in question has had state funding for nine years, in which time they
have done little to diversify their funding, so they must take some of the blame
for their predicament. That said, it is clearly a huge contradiction to talk about
a greater role for the sector, only then to cut funding not just by the 25 – 40%
suggested, but by 100%.

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My advice to this charity was to lobby hard now to change this decision before it
is written in stone. They have some influential friends and we worked out a short
and punchy case for keeping their grant. They will enlist the support of various
MP’s and government advisors to lobby on their behalf. If this does not work, they
are planning to harness the power of their supporters to lobby for them. They may
also target a national newspaper, likely to be sympathetic to their plight.

If your charity is in this position you now have a very short window to save your
funding, as plans for cuts will soon be firmed up, making it harder to force a revision.

It may well be that, when the economy picks up and our national debt is dealt with,
the Big Society will be good news for charities, opening up new opportunities for
contracting and service delivery. In the mean time though, many charities (both 
local and national) will face cuts. My message to them is don’t just take it lying
down. Fight your corner and lobby hard, as your work and your beneficiaries depend
on it.

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