WCF has had to make the difficult decision to reduce our general grants budget significantly this year in order to ensure we can continue to grant in subsequent years. In line with our strategic ambitions we’ve looked at how we can continue to support those in our community who experience the most inequity and exclusion; and, therefore, will be prioritising organisations who have less access to resources and funding streams. The following changes have been implemented:

What

• We are no longer accepting applications for General Grants from organisations whose operating income is $2million or over
• We are removing ‘Youth & Children’ as a single priority category. Our focus is on our priority population groups which include youth & children within our region
• We are not offering LIFT grants or funding any capability-building/professional development work this financial year

Why

We have less money at the moment. The money we use for grants comes from investments – and the amount of money generated from these investments varies depending on financial markets.

Key details about the new exclusion – Organisations with an operating income $2m+:

• We will determine an organisation’s operating income based on its most recent audited financial accounts
• In the case where a fund holder is being used, we will look at the operating income of the grant recipient (not the fund holder)
• In the case where a national organisation is applying for funding for a regional programme/project, the operating income of the national org (whose CC number is registered) will be used as a basis for whether the org is eligible to apply