Small- and medium-sized charities could be prevented from seeking money from the government's Youth Sector Development Fund because new income-based criteria require applicants to have a turnover between £1m and £5m.
Jay Kennedy, policy officer at the charity Directory of Social Change, said criteria vary slightly from fund to fund but that a trend was emerging in the way applicants for government grants were being treated by a range of departments.
He said the rationale appeared to be that the government did not want the grant awards to form a significant chunk of a charity's income.
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Children & Young People Now is the official publication for members of the National Children's Bureau and The National Youth Agency.