How our work is funded

This means we can tell the truth about alcohol and alcohol harm; offering free, impartial advice and support to anyone wanting to make a change to their relationship with alcohol, and campaigning freely for the societal changes needed to end the harms caused by alcohol.

Our income currently comes from five main sources:

• Fundraising and donations from our supporters
• Fees from our consultancy and training services
• Support from Corporate Partners
• Our investment reserves
• Grants

Tens of thousands of people across the UK care about reducing alcohol harm. Many of them give regular or one-off donations; or raise funds for us from their friends and family for undertaking events and challenges such as the Dry January® 10K or one of many other runs and challenges across the UK. We’re also very grateful to receive donations in memory of loved ones, with many families having direct experience of alcohol harm. Thank you to our incredible supporters.

We run two distinct consultancy and training services, and we charge fees for them both. Each service delivers impact – reducing alcohol harm – as well as generating income. Firstly, we work with commissioners and providers of local alcohol treatment services to enhance the effectiveness of their support for the people with the most complex and entrenched alcohol problems – our ‘Blue Light’ programme. Secondly, we provide an outstanding ‘Alcohol in the Workplace’ service to employers of all types who want their workplace to be safer and healthier when it comes to alcohol. We charge fees for both services. In the latter case, we do not refuse to work with alcohol producers or sellers, and as such would accept payment from them for these specific employee training services.

A number of alcohol-free businesses such as drinks producers and lifestyle brands partner with us and contribute financially to maximise the impact of our work. With their generous support, we are able to ensure that our campaigns including Dry January®, Sober Spring and other offerings such as our Try Dry® app remain completely free for anyone who wants to take part, and that our messages reach more people. If you represent a business and want to support our work, please get in touch!

Our reserves are held in a pooled investment fund managed by CCLA, in line with our investment policy. In particular, this excludes “investment in companies that produce alcoholic beverages or tobacco as well as companies where more than 20% of sales are derived from their retail or distribution. This includes funds that permit investment in such companies. We encourage our investment managers to screen companies for ethical considerations and sustainability.”

We seek grants from trusts, foundations and government. We currently receive a grant from the Welsh Government to help us to specifically reduce alcohol harm in Wales.

We do not accept funding from the alcohol industry and our income is free from the influence of alcohol companies.

However, we are prepared to talk with people from the alcohol industry and the wider retailing environment, to hear their views and plans; and to communicate our evidence and positions. We believe that developing comprehensive solutions to address the wide range of harms caused by alcohol requires changes across politics, businesses and public services, and we’re committed to pushing for better practices in all these areas.

Alcohol companies and retailers possess key levers that can be used to increase or decrease alcohol consumption, and shift social and cultural norms around alcohol consumption, so cannot be ignored. But we will never stop holding individuals and businesses to account whilst their practices continue to harm millions of lives across the UK and beyond.

Our engagement with the industry, and other industries, is guided by a comprehensive policy, which is kept under review by our Executive Team and Trustees.