# £5 million government fund for charities and groups to counter extremist ideology

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/10/19/5m-government-fund-for-charities-and-groups-to-counter-extremist-ideology/
- Published: 2015-10-19T23:40:23+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Government has announced £5 million of funding this year for charities and
grassroots organisations to help build a national network to challenge all forms
of extremist ideology.**

The Prime Minister announced the funding yesterday ahead of today’s publication 
of the government’s new [Counter-Extremism Strategy](https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/469171/51774_Cm9145_Final.pdf).
He said of the strategy:

> “At the core is building a national coalition of all those individuals and groups
> who are united in their determination to defeat extremism and build a more cohesive
> society. We will do everything we can to support them – through my new Community
> Engagement Forum and with practical support and funding to tackle these deep-rooted
> issues. The scale of the task is immense and that is why we need everyone to play
> their part.
> 
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> “The new funding, initially for this financial year, will be dedicated to providing
> direct and in-kind practical support to groups to expand the reach and scale of
> their work to confront extremism, and develop credible alternative narratives 
> to the dangerous views propagated by extremists”.

There was little detail about the funding and how to apply for it, but it would 
take the form of both direct and in-kind support. It could be used, for example,
for:

• social media training

• technical assistance to enable a small charity to set up a website

• targeting funding for specific projects

The Muslim Council of Britain [criticised the strategy](http://www.mcb.org.uk/one-nation-counter-extremism-strategy-risks-fight-against-terrorism-191015/),
arguing that it was based on a “flawed analysis”.

The National Secular Society also advised the Government to be “[cautious about plans to hand-out £5 million](http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2015/10/government-unveils-counter-extremism-plans)
to “moderate Muslim groups” and to a newspaper run by “moderate imams”, warning 
that similar schemes in the past had seen funds get into the wrong hands”.

 * **[Innovation essential for social impact in faith-based charity sector says think tank](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/05/19/innovation-essential-social-impact-faith-based-charity-sector-says-think-tank/)**(
   19 May 2017)
 * **[British Muslims giving at a rate at least four times higher than the average, study suggests](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/03/19/british-muslims-giving-at-a-rate-at-least-four-times-higher-than-the-average-study-suggests/)**(
   19 March 2024)
 * **[Islamic Perspective on Charity: A Comprehensive Guide for Running a Muslim Nonprofit in the U.S.](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/11/19/amazon-268/)**(
   19 November 2008)