Submission to the Big Lottery Fund
Consultation Questionnaire - Sep 04
Introduction
The Small International NGOs Group is a working group with 51 active members
who have come together to facilitate the involvement of small international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in policy deliberations and to achieve greater
recognition for the distinctive contribution of small NGOs. The Group provides a
means for small civil society organisations that frequently lack the organisational
capacity to engage in consultation processes and policy discussions to make their
collective, diverse voices heard.
The Group has structured its response to the Big Lottery Fund's consultation by
following the questions laid out in the consultation questionnaire.
Question 1A
What have been the best things about the work of the Community Fund and the New
Opportunities Fund?
The Community Fund has long shown itself to be aware of the voluntary sector and
its needs, providing innovative and flexible funding and demonstrating efficiency and
transparency in its dealings with NGOs. There is an amenable, human side to their
engagement with NGOs and they take a genuine interest in the projects they fund,
from the application stage to reporting.
Question 1B
What did you think was less successful about the work of the Community Fund and
the New Opportunities Fund?
The Community Fund's core costs policy is often too strict and its application form
too cumbersome for smaller civil society organisations. It is also too restrictive.
Question 2A
How should we prioritise funding for the voluntary and community sector?
Choose from the following:
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By prioritising certain groups or communities (for example, older people,
minority ethnic communities)
By prioritising geographical areas (for example, areas that are particularly
economically deprived, rural communities)
By theme/issue (for example, mental health, community learning) - which is
reviewed.
Combining the above
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Other (please say what)
Question 2B
What size of grants do you think we should award?
Please number your priorities 1-5, where 1 is your first choice: 1 Grants less than
£5,000
2 Grants between £5,000 - £25,000
3 Grants between £25,000 - £100,000
4 Grants between £100,000 - £500,000
5 Grants over £500,000
Question 2C
Do you have any other suggestions about the Big Lottery Fund's grant-making for
voluntary and community groups?
The priorities for funding could be in line with public support for different areas of
voluntary activity. Many small international NGOs represent specific constituencies
in the UK and are aware of the groundswell of public support for international issues.
After all, small international NGOs are one of the channels by which the ideas and
diversity offered by global society stimulate creativity in communities in the UK.
Taking charitable giving by the public as a more objective barometer of public
opinion, international aid is the UK's most popular charitable cause and currently
accounts for 14 per cent of charitable giving. This reflects the importance of global
issues to all our lives and the Big Lottery Fund cannot neglect this vital area of
charitable work.
Question 3A
How might we focus funding in health to have the most impact?
Focusing on local community involvement is vital to impact.
Question 3B
How might we focus funding in education to have the most impact?
If education is to equip people for a changing, globalised, interdependent world, it
needs to make connections between the lives of people in the UK and those overseas.
Linking domestic and international educational projects offers a way to develop this
kind of intercultural understanding.
However, projects need to demonstrate that education is relevant and appropriate to
the beneficiaries. In order to benefit communities, education needs to be accessible to
all, not just to children. Funding needs to recognise the value of adult education, nonformal education and community education. Each of these can develop positive
change for the whole community and impact positively on children's attendance and
access to education, as well as improve community health and livelihoods.
Question 3D
Do you have any other suggestions about the Big Lottery Fund's grant-making for
health, education and environment?
There should be a chance to link all three in a single project.
Question 5B
How could we prioritise our international funding in future?
The proportion of voluntary donated income from the public going to overseas causes
amongst the top 500 charities is 14 per cent, but the Community Fund has never
matched public priorities in this area, allocating just 6 per cent to international grants
at present. If the Big Lottery Fund seriously wishes to reflect the views of the public
in their distribution of funding, they should match public giving levels.
In the context of decreasing institutional funding sources to support the bottom-up
agendas developed by civil society organisations, with funders moving towards
supporting fewer NGOs with larger grants, and the diversity and innovative potential
of the sector under threat, the loss of Lottery funding for small international NGOs in
the UK would be devastating.
Question 5C
Do you have any other suggestions about the Big Lottery Fund's specialist
programmes?
The delivery of an international programme should not be contracted out. Such an
approach usually hampers and reduces communication between grant-makers and
civil society organisations and is particularly detrimental to smaller organisations.
The current level of support and service provided by the International Programme of
the Community Fund is good. It would also be useful to have a three-stage application
process for smaller organisations, with a telephone call, summary application, and
then full application.
It would be good to see fewer large grants to generic NGOs that then sub-contract to
smaller organisations. This potentially wastes funds on management.
Finally, one of the most significant elements of the Community Fund guidelines was
its commitment to reach the 'most disadvantaged' - to make money available for the
hardest people and places to fund. This would be a good focus for the new Lottery
distributor.
Question 7A
List of methods for involving the public in the work of the Big Lottery Fund
From the list below number (where 1 is your first choice), the methods you think
would be most effective:
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Road shows
Interactive TV or radio
Electronic consultation (web, e-mail)
Questionnaires at Lotto ticket outlets
Citizens' forums or juries (where a group of people come together to discuss
an issue in detail over one or more days)
Panels of local people to advise the Fund
Local stakeholder groups and panels (made up of Lottery players and other
interested individuals)
Question 7B
Do you have any other ideas about how we might involve the public?
Small international NGOs support the active and informed engagement of the public
with the National Lottery. As some of our organisations have specific UK
constituencies we could work more systematically with the press office of the Big
Lottery Fund to help positively influence public opinion by publicising good news
stories about Lottery funded projects.
Question 7C
How could we ensure that our grant-making committees have credibility in the
communities they serve?
From the list below number (where 1 is your first choice), the approaches you think
would be most effective:
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Random selection of some committee members from the general public
Making sure we recruit a wide range of people (including non-experts)
Panels of local people to advise the Fund
Other (please specify)
Question 8A
List of approaches for helping to reach the hard to reach
From the list below number (where 1 is your first choice), the approaches you think
are most effective:
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Working locally with disadvantaged groups or individuals
Funding external support agencies who can help organisations with the
application process
Give priority to under-represented groups for funding
Other (please specify)
Question 8B
Do you have any other suggestions about how we could promote equality of
opportunity and equalities in grant-making?
For small civil society organisations it is vital that there is full funding for institutional
overhead costs.
A small grants facility would allow small organisations to engage in situation analysis
and pilot projects.
A two or three stage application process would help to avoid the wasted time, cost and
effort needed to complete a full application that is then rejected at an early stage. If
the application process were a two-way thing, with opportunities to discuss and
modify proposals that would also help.
Question 9A
What length of funding do you believe would be most likely to lead to long-term
change?
The facility for 5-year funding that supports the International Programme's focus on
long term change is a good length.
Question 9B
What other approaches could help to promote long-term change?
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From the list below number (where 1 is your first choice), the options you
think would be most effective:
Funding groups to innovate or experiment
Funding loans as well as grant
Funding that supports partnerships that bring different types of organisation
together
Providing support for organisations to develop other sources of income, such
as through trading
Question 9C
Do you have any other suggestions about how we can promote long-term change?
Enable and encourage organisations funded by the Big Lottery Fund to collaborate.
Some members of our working group have come across situations where the
Community Fund was funding two very similar projects in the same geographical area
but had not put the two projects in touch with each other. Collaboration could assist
both organisations and promote long-term change for both projects.
Question 10A
What approaches would be effective in helping organisations to develop?
From the list below number (where 1 is your first choice), the options you think
would be most effective:
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Setting aside money to fund development of organisations (meaning fewer
projects will be funded)
Funding organisations who can provide support, training and advice to smaller
groups
Other (please specify) Funding for overheads and UK staff training.
Question 11A
Do you have any other comments about our mission and values described on page 6
of Part One?
The Small International NGOs Group agrees in general with these values, but note
that the important work of UK-based international organisations in making "real
improvements to the lives of disadvantaged people and the well being of
communities" goes unrecognised.