The National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has announced that its funding information service, Funding Central, which is free to many charities and not-for-profit organisations and an important source of information on grant programmes, will close on Wednesday 31 March 2021.
NCVO has issued the following statement on its decision to stop providing the service:
“A year ago, we set out to devise a new strategic direction for NCVO, the organisation behind Funding Central, with clear priorities and refreshed values and approach. Helped by people from over a thousand organisations who shared their views on the future for charities and volunteering. Little did we know when we started that Covid-19 would so fundamentally impact the world around us – a decade’s worth of change has been collapsed into a matter of months.
“Our challenge now at NCVO is to do everything we can to support, shout about, and stand alongside those who make a difference. We must ensure we are focussed on making the biggest impact by working collaboratively across the sector and recognising where services can be provided by other organisations better placed to do so. You can read more about our new direction HERE.
“We know securing funding for your organisation is essential. Through work with partner organisations across the sector we are confident that alternative resources will be available for you. These are listed below. This will allow us to continue to provide and grow our online practical tips and step-by-step guides on how to find the money you need for your community group, organisation or charity.
“Alternative resources for grant funding and social investment searches:
“We are really pleased that our technical partners, Idox, are investing in one of their existing platforms to offer an alternative solution to smaller organisations with an annual income below £1 million.
“My Funding Central will be a new database of grant funding and social investment sources. This service will be available to organisations with an annual income below £1m and will be free for organisations under £30k.”
At present, Funding Central is free to organisations with an annual income of under £100,000 each year, so the new £30k tariff for free subscription may represent an additional financial burden at a difficult time for smaller not-for-profit organisations.
At this point Idox has not indicated what charges it will levy to organisations with an annual income of over £30,000. Funding Central charged £20+VAT per annum for agencies with an annual turnover of over £100,000 and £10+VAT for individuals.
