An update on our funding

One of Elrha’s donors, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has reduced its UK Aid budget for 2021/22. This follows its decision to reduce the foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of total national income.

As a direct result, its contribution to our Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) has been reduced by approximately 65%, and the funding for our Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) programme has also been reduced for this period.

We have been working closely with our Board of Trustees to map out how we can continue to support our existing work and commitments as much as possible, while also aligning with our donor priorities. We believe it is highly likely we can continue to fund existing contracted grants without any cuts, but we are awaiting full agreement of this from our donors.

Unfortunately, the significant level of cuts means it will not be possible for us to fund some of the innovation projects recently selected for funding through the HIF but not yet contracted. We know this outcome will have major implications for projects, the teams involved and, of course, the communities they focus on and support.

Due to the funding reduction for our R2HC programme, a special funding call planned for research with the potential to create transformative change to health response within the humanitarian sector, will no longer go ahead.

However, we anticipate we will be able to proceed with our annual funding call later this year, and importantly,  continue to fund our existing portfolio of research grants.

We have shared this update with all those who are affected by our response to the funding cuts we face and are doing all we can to minimise the impact.

Alongside many of our colleagues across the sector,  we remain deeply concerned about the long-term implications of these cuts on the lives of the world’s most vulnerable. Through Bond, the international development network, we continue to advocate for full transparency from the government about what has been cut and why, and call for a roadmap for the UK’s return to its commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas aid.

If you have any queries related to your grant funding, please direct them to your usual point of contact within Elrha. If you have more general questions or are not sure who to speak to, contact us here.

Banner image: Shelters on the hillsides in Carrefour, taken from a project supporting people making decisions about shelter after disasters. Credit: UCL / CARE International UK