Press release

£7 million boost for Big Society as 183 more charities get cash support

The government's Transition Fund, to help charities prepare for Big Society opportunities, will have an additional £7million from the Department of Health.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The government’s Transition Fund, to help charities prepare for Big Society opportunities and face current challenges, will have an additional £7million from the Department of Health, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow announced today.

This takes the total fund to £107million.

At the same time, Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude and Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd announced the next 183 charities to receive immediate payouts totalling nearly £15million.

Charities like the The Damilola Taylor Trust, which works to reduce knife and gun crime; the Sparkplug Motorcycle Project which tackles antisocial behaviour and helps young people into work; and Age Concern North East will all be helped to develop their services and restructure their organisations. 

Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said:

Big Society will open billions of pounds worth of new opportunities for charities but some need immediate support. We’ve set up the Transition Fund quickly so that the charities most vulnerable to public spending cuts won’t be left to sink or swim. The additional £7million from the Department of Health means that we can respond positively to all the strongest Transition Fund applications at this stage.

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, said:

All the grants awarded today go to charities with robust plans for making the most of future opportunities. The extra funding from the Department of Health will give many more charities the breathing space they need to move forward and shows that the importance of their work is recognised across government.

Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, said:

I am pleased that the Department of Health is giving an extra £7 million to help the Government’s Transition Fund help even more charities continue to provide vital services to their local communities.  Many of these will help to support the work of NHS and care services and this is the type of joined-up working that will make a real difference to people’s experiences of care.

“Central Government can’t do everything people want in their communities - local people are better placed than officials or Ministers in Whitehall to know what their communities need. This is about a new relationship between the state and citizens, where citizens hold more power than ever before.

Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of the BIG Lottery Fund, said:

Delivering the Transition Fund on behalf of OCS, BIG has worked hard to ensure that this hugely important funding reaches these organisations as quickly as possible. These grants will make a real difference as they enable them to prepare effectively for the future and respond to their new operating environment.

The Transition Fund was announced in the Spending Review, October 2010. The Fund closed to applications on 21 January 2011. To date nearly 17million funding has been committed. The remaining £90million will be awarded from the fund from April 2011 onwards.

Published 30 March 2011