Campaign Research Fund Expenses Rejected

Many charities which were hit when the government pulled funding for the Campaigning Research Programme last year, are now being left out of pocket because their expenses claims have been rejected, according to NCVO.

Campaigning charities had been told they could claim up to £1000 in expenses for time and resources spent resources spent planning, drafting and submitting their successfull bids for the project but NCVO understands that most of the claims have been turned down.

Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group, one of the groups affected, submitted a claim for just over £1,000 and had only £3.96 approved.

The Government is now paying for an independent consultant to work with the charities and to submit revised claims.

Stuart Etherington, NCVO’s chief executive said: “The Government continues to make an embarrassing botched job of ending this project.

“We understood they would be flexible in covering expenses for these grassroots organisations and appreciate that it would not always be possible to document legitimate time spent on this through official receipts or papers.

“But now we understand the majority of expenses have been rejected and the Government will be paying for an independent consultant to help charities revise their claims.

“We are extremely concerned that many of these small charities will be left out of pocket because they simply do not have the resources to pursue this through an ever increasing number of Government hoops.”

The £750,000 Campaigning Research Programme was pulled  last November, despite 32 charities having been promised money to help them campaign and advocate for change.

Afterwards Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, admitted the decision, which diverted the money to the Government’s Hardship Fund, breached the Compact.