Funding is an important?and for 44% of groups a daunting ?aspect of running a patient participation group. Annual budgets seem to range between ?50 and ?150, though four groups spent well over this in 1981, oneover ?850. Large spending of this sort is usually accounted for by special projects, such as publishing booklets. With few exceptions groups attempt to raise as much as they can from the patients by arranging social functions, raffles, sponsored activities, and so on. One group does very well each year from a cake and biscuit stall at the local May Day fair. Roughly half the groups are helped out financially by their doctors, who donate between a quarter to a half of the budget. Sometimes this is only as a "starter"; more often it is a regular contribution. Financial help is frequently sought from outside organisations, either statutory or otherwise, usually for help with particular projects. Because this is an area of consider? able practical interest to many groups, it will be dealt with in some detail. Before their demise area health authorities made money available to three groups: ?10 for leaflets, Bcrinsfield; ?300 for making health education films, Aberdarc; ?700 to produce and publish a "centre users" guide, Kentish Town. One district management team allocated ? 10 to help a group to start operating, and a local social services department in London provided ?50 for the same purpose. Local charities, firms, and other organis ations have also helped : a total of ?250 was granted over two years by three local charities to enable the Bristol group to publish their booklets; ?270 was contributed by local charities to support the work of one community care group; ?25 and ?40 have been received by two other groups from local firms and organisations. ?300 was given by the King's Fund in London to finance the Bristol group's 1981 health education programme, their application to the local area health authority having been turned down. Several groups have received fees from press, radio, and television. Drug companies are understood to have made small contributions to some budgets.