World Vision UK income slashed by ‘brutal’ FCDO aid cuts

World Vision UK, a British NGO working with children, has seen its income fall sharply after what it described as “brutal” cuts to government funding. World Vision UK’s income fell from £69.6 million in 2020 to £52.8 million in the fiscal year ending September 2021 — a drop of 24%, according to its annual report and accounts. This also marked the NGO’s lowest income in over a decade. The accounts show the drop was caused mostly by a reduction in grants from the United Kingdom government and the European Union. World Vision UK’s grant funding from the U.K. government dropped by 49%, from £16.1 million to £8.2 million, after the U.K. slashed its aid budget. Meanwhile, in the wake of Brexit, total EU funding dropped by 61%, from £6.2 million to £2.4 million. The largest single impact was the end of a food insecurity response program in Zambia, which had previously received £5.5 million. Instead, in 2021, World Vision UK owed £2,000 to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for costs related to the program. World Vision UK said the cuts came at a time when its beneficiary group was particularly vulnerable due to COVID-19, conflict, and climate change. “In total, we directly supported over 4 million people, compared to 3.6 million the year before,” CEO Mark Sheard said in his introduction to the annual report. “More than a third of those we reached live in some of the most fragile and dangerous places on Earth. This was achieved in extremely challenging circumstances. Brutal cuts to the aid budget and changes following the establishment of the new Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) led to a big drop in institutional income. This was a major factor in our overall income dropping from £69.6m to £52.8m.”