Funds and Finances
The Secretariat and its work are financed by three separate budgets or funds. The budget of the Secretariat itself is based on assessed contributions. Governments contribute on an agreed scale based on GNI and population. The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)and Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) are financed by voluntary contributions. For 2009/10, the Secretariat's budget is UK£15 million, the CFTC's UK£29.1 million and the CYP's UK£2.8 million.
Funding the CFTC
All contributions to the CFTC are voluntary. Over the past few years, the largest contributors have been Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. Some member countries' overseas territories and associated states also contribute. For various special CFTC projects, contributions have been received from non-Commonwealth governments and voluntary organisations.