Not So Lucky: Letters Continued p6
Albany Trust,
32 Shaftesbury Avenue,
London W1V 8EP.
Dear GN,

Your editorial spiel on money and the gay movement was dead on - except for you belief that "the Albany Trust is lucky enough to have a chariable trust supporting it just now."  I wish this was true, but it's not. Last year we did recieve just under £3,000 from the Gulbenkian Foundation. But that was a once-only, emergency grant aimed at helping us keep our heads above water to the end of 1972 so that we could continue with the vital job of co-ordinating counselling and befriending activities for the homophile movement. The money has all been spent now, and the grant was necessitated because our 1072 income had dropped to half of what it used to be.

Now, at the beginning of 1973, that Albany Trust is once again faced with the prospect of being out of business within a few months unless adequate support is forthcoming. Our autumn appeal - designed to put us "in the black" for this year as a first step - was a failure. Yet we are not only "carrying" all NFHO's administrative expenses but also contributing to those of CHE and other homophile groups. This can't go on unless the gay world shows positive signs of  wanting it to.

To expect more work to be done by gay organisations when they haven't enough cash in hand to keep going at present levels is futile. There's no question of "chicken or egg?" here. Given the cash, we will do the job. But time is short - for the Albany Trust and for NFHO, as well as for Gay News.

Anthony Grey, Managing Trustee