Cancer Research UK to cut funding for research by £44m
I am describing the impact of the coronavirus on the VCS as the un-virtuous triangle with the interplay of: greater demand for services, reduced opportunities to provide services and a reduction in funding and dedicated long term volunteers all adding up to the sort of pressure which is hitting bodies like Cancer Research. This article tells us:
The UK’s biggest cancer charity is cutting research funding by £44m because of a sharp fall in income and has acknowledged that the move could set back the fight against the disease for many years.
Cancer Research UK (CRUK), which funds nearly half of the cancer research in the country, said it was the most difficult decision it had ever taken but explained that it believed limiting spending now would enable it to continue to support life-saving research in the long-run.
The charity pointed out that a great deal of research into cancer had been halted because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but flagged up that its scientists and laboratories were being repurposed to help tackle the virus.
It said its shops had closed, mass fundraising events had stopped and legacies had reduced, meaning it expected its fundraising income to fall by at least 20–25% in the next financial year as a direct result of the pandemic – a reduction of around £120m.