Now in its eighth edition, this funding guide is a key reference book for British advice and social workers. However, its direct style and clear presentation means that it is equally accessible to anybody seeking funding, or information about charitable trusts. The emphasis is on the practical: the A4 size of the work, its clear typeface and bold subject headings all make for quick and easy reference. The opening chapters are particularly helpful, setting out the scope of the work and explaining how its contents are ordered and presented. There is also an outline of who is eligible for help and the types of help that can be given, together with some discussion of statutory funding and options other than the charitable trusts which are the focus of this work. A “How to use this guide” flow chart and sample entry clearly explain how to locate sources of help, and how information about those sources is presented in each entry. There is also a section on how to make an application for financial assistance, together with an example of a model application form.
The main concern of the book is to list all sources of non‐statutory help for people in financial need. To that end it includes all publicly registered charities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which give grants totalling at least £500 per annum to individuals in need. The grants given can be anything from a £10 food voucher to more substantial sums to cover the purchase of domestic appliances, or to fund adaptations to homes. Over 2,400 sources of financial help are listed; 226 are new to this edition. Contact details for organizations offering advice and support for people in need are also given. Not included are: organizations which give grants solely for educational purposes (these are covered in the sister volume, The Educational Grants Directory, (French et al. 2002)); organizations which give grants to members but not their dependents; those which provide assistance from employer or company welfare funds; friendly societies; local branches of national societies; organizations providing free services as opposed to cash grants.
The charitable organizations covered are divided into five categories, each given a different section. Entries in all sections include information about who is eligible for help, types of grant given, annual grant expenditure, how to make an application and contact details. The first section covers 333 occupational charities: those providing help where a person, their spouse, or a parent on whom they are dependent had a particular trade or long‐term occupation. The charities are grouped under alphabetically‐listed occupational headings; for example, “Clothing” covers charities relating to the hatting, footwear and tailoring industries. There is an eclectic mix of occupations covered: the Magic Circle Benevolent Fund gives one‐off grants, according to need, to members, former members and their dependents; the Worshipful Company of Launderers Benevolent Trust helps the old and infirm who are connected with the laundry business; and in 2000 the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals gave £26,000 in one‐off grants and interest‐free loans to members, former members and their dependents.
The second section covers 48 service and ex‐service charities from large organizations, such as the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, and the British Legion, which annually give grants of several million pounds, to smaller ones such as the Nash Charity and the Commando’s Benevolent Fund. Covering anybody who has done at least one day’s paid service in any of the armed forces, together with spouses, children, widows, widowers and other dependents, it is estimated that the organizations in this section could potentially help a quarter of the UK’ s population. The third section covers 82 charities which help people in financial need as a result of illness (physical or mental) or disability. Listed under alphabetically arranged groupings, AIDS/HIV, Alzheimer’s, cancer and stroke are just a few of the illnesses/disabilities covered. The fourth section covers about 140 UK‐wide charities which are not tied to a particular occupation or illness. Many have a wide remit to reach “people in need”, while others, such as the Vegetarian Charity, the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund, and the Jewish Aged Needy Pension Society, have a narrower focus.
The fifth section, covering local charities giving grants to individuals for welfare purposes, takes up the bulk of the book. These charities give help to people living in or having a connection with a particular town or area. This is the one part where the organization of entries is somewhat convoluted (though explained in detail): the UK is split into nine geographical areas and the placing of entries depends on whether the charity covers the whole or part of each area; the whole or part of a county within that area and, finally, by parish. Nevertheless, this detracts only a little from the overall usability of the book. Any potential for confusion is reduced by the detailed indexing, bold subject headings within the index allowing for referencing across the sections of the book and within towns and counties.
This is a compendious and serviceable guide to a disparate area and is likely to be a well‐thumbed addition to general reference stock.
