| Your concerns are shared by myself (and many others). The CWGC is naturally scared of anything which might cut its (almost) sole source of funding.
Unlike many (similar?) organisations - and here, I will use English Heritage as an example - the CWGC can't raise revenue. Although there is nothing in the charter which precludes raising much needed funds, you are (I believe) correct in assuming that, if the CWGC was to raise funds by its own initiative, the UK government (and those of other countries) would find a way of cutting money.
That is why the FoCWGC charity needs to be formed. It would have the financial capability, and independence, of raising funds, without affecting the government income so vital to the CWGC. The FoCWGC would, in effect, be the entrepeneurial arm of the CWGC.
In no way should the charity, if it is ever formed, EVER be put into some sort of competition with the CWGC to maintain the graves and memorials of the two world wars. It would simply try to alleviate the burden on the CWGC (in terms of the huge amount of queries received), highlight the CWGC's work, and be a way of raising ADDITIONAL revenue for the Commission.
In a nutshell, the CWGC can receive gifts and donations - but it can't earn. A trust that works in conjunction with the CWGC could overcome (or work within) this restrictive agreement that is, as you have noted, gradually pushing the CWGC towards bankruptcy. |