FSFW Transparency
The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World has released its full financials for last year, demonstrating it operates openly and transparently
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by Dave Cross
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The FSFW is frequently accused by tobacco controllers of being a front for Big Tobacco and secretly running a PR campaign to promote smoking products. As it has frequently pointed out, its terms of operation prohibits Philip Morris International, its sole contributor, from having any say in what it does – and the aims of the charity are clear, to reduce tobacco-related harm.
The reports show that from the single donation of $80 million, the charity has increased grant expenditures by 500% over the previous year, now totalling $41 million, bringing grant spending to a heady $160 million.
Maturing as a body, it has reduced its operational expenses (communications, legal, and travel costs) during the second year of operation.
Resources have been targeted at the Foundation’s strategic pillars:
- Health, Science, and Technology
- Agriculture and Livelihoods
- Industry Transformation
FSFW speaks proudly of how it has awarded grants “to a number of world-renowned researchers who are spearheading innovative smoking cessation and harm reduction projects. Many have also published research reports and contributed to peer-reviewed articles.”
“In 2019, we also expanded our efforts to prepare farmers for an era of reduced tobacco demand by supporting a number of agricultural transformation programs. In Malawi, for example, we supported the Second Annual Agricultural Transformation Summit, as well as additional crop diversification initiatives that may serve as models for other tobacco-dependent economies. Finally, our grants facilitated research in several critical areas, including the identification of biomarkers of tobacco use and the development of mobile cessation services for rural communities.”
“Through these and other initiatives, the Foundation is working hard toward its core mission of ending smoking in this generation.”
The accounts show where money has been spent, including:
- ACK Consultants in Faversham received £100000 to look into alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers in developing countries
- Cambridge Design Partnership Ltd received £514,433 to investigate the impediments to adoption of RRP for cessation and Tobacco Harm Reduction in low and middle-income countries
- Centre for Health Research and Education Limited in Eastleigh received £450,115 to conduct a smoke-free UK landscaping project - reaching the 'hardcore' of smokers and supporting quitting, and to achieve and sustain smokefree at UK's Priory Group Mental Health Hospitals
- Euromonitor International Inc, London, was granted £2,005,158 to manage work streams associated with the Tobacco Transformation Index, including stakeholder consultation, index research and scoring, reporting, and evaluation
- Knowledge Action Change Limited, London, received £1,378,366 to extend the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship programme for students and mentors in low- and middle-income countries, and to consolidate Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction's position as a trusted source of robust, objective, and independent information on Tobacco Harm Reduction.
- And, the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organizations (INNCO) received £159,900 to develop a business plan for INNCO, which aims to "represent consumers of low-risk, alternative nicotine products and to promote tobacco harm reduction on the global stage”
Other organisations not based in the UK or not working on behalf of consumers have not been listed here but can be viewed in the Annual Tax Return.
Related:
- FSFW-funded Research Reports and Journal Articles – [link]
- Audited Financial Statements – [link]
- Annual Tax Return 2019 – [link]
- Operations Update – [link]
Photo Credit:
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous vape companies to develop content for their websites.
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