Threat to Big Lottery Funding
The Big Lottery is consulting about whether it should continue its commitment to the Voluntary and Community Sector.The following is a message from Kevin Curley, Chief Executive of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action:
“In most parts of England the Big Lottery Fund is a major funder of the sector. It has fulfilled - indeed surpassed - its commitment made several years ago that 60% to 70% of its total funding will go to the voluntary and community sector each year.
BIG is now consulting about its future funding programmes and about its commitment to our sector. The consultation runs until the end of February 2009.
Question 4 of the consultation, in the 'UK Questions' section, asks as follows:
'After 2012, when our 60-70 per cent undertaking ends, should we continue to guarantee a percentage of our funding goes to the voluntary and community sector'? The questionnaire only allows the respondent to select one of the following three answers:
1 Funding should go to the organisation in the best position to deliver the project outcomes, whichever sector they are from
2 BIG should extend its undertaking to the voluntary and community sector beyond 2012
3 No opinion
My personal view is that BIG is hoping that most respondents will select answer number 1. This will then give BIG's Board a mandate to drop the 60-70% undertaking and to increase the percentage of funding which goes to schools, hospitals, statutory projects, parish councils and the like. Indeed, for most people who have little knowledge of sector funding and the pressures we face, answer number 1 looks logical and in tune with the current emphasis on 'outcomes'.
We need a big majority of respondents to select answer number 2 ('BIG should extend its undertaking to the voluntary and community sector beyond 2012'). Please mention this threat in your newsletters and email bulletins.
To respond to the consultation go to www.big-thinking.org.uk and select 'consultation survey'. It takes no more than 15 minutes to register and to answer the 10 questions.”
Enable feels it is important for as many VCS organisations as possible to respond to the consultation. Please give this your urgent consideration.
Consultation event
The Big Lottery Fund are holding a ‘Big Thinking’ Consultation event on
4 February 2009 at Leicester (approximate timings 10am - 3.30pm).
This is an opportunity to Big Lottery what you think and help them decide where Lottery money can make the biggest difference in the region.
Places to this free event are limited, so if you would like to attend please email enquiries.em@biglotteryfund.org.uk by 21 January to request your place.
Some Enable members have suggested it would be a good idea to have a group of VCS organisations attend and present a united voice. If you are going and would like to be put in touch with other Enable members who are attending please contact us.