Faith Network 4 Manchester have released the following letter:
We are writing to you as someone who supports the Faith Network for Manchester (FN4M). As you are on our data base you will have recently received a copy of our Annual Report for 2014.15 outlining the incredibly important work that the FN4M has undertaken with the help of an Equalities Fund grant from Manchester City Council and smaller sums from other grant making bodies such as Awards for All.
We would like to make you aware that the present funding for FN4M comes to an end in March 2016. This means that the jobs of our half time Community Development Worker, Andy Williams, and part time Administrator, Kadija Ollow, are vulnerable and we have been obliged to send them redundancy letters. The work that our part time Women of Faith workers, Aisha Mirza and Ann Algar, have undertaken will also have to cease if more funding cannot be found.
At this stage it is not clear whether the Equalities Funding might continue for a further year. The Trustees have several funding bids in place but the outcome of these will not be known by 31st March. Our overall annual budget at present is approx. £30,000 per year and yet we hope that bids will allow us to extend our valuable work, especially in schools through the ‘In Your Faith’ project.
The purpose of this letter is to ask for donations that will keep our workers in post while the results of funding bids are awaited. Any donations made, hopefully ‘Gift Aided’, will be treated as unrestricted funds that will be used solely for the purpose of first sustaining and then developing FN4M as an organisation that serves the city and Greater Manchester in numerous ways. It is possible to donate via our website www.fn4m.org or by sending a cheque to the office (Manchester Multifaith Centre, 77 Thompson Street, Manchester M4 5FY). It may also be that you might know of businesses or companies that would like to support our work.
May we take this opportunity of thanking you for your support in the past and in anticipation of your generosity at this difficult time in the life of the Faith Network.
Sincerely
Bob Day, Chair FN4M
Qaisra Shahraz, Vice Chair FN4M
Warren Elf, Treasurer FN4M