A charity offering free therapy services for those affected by autism is worried Government's Budget mess-up will leave them broke.

Bermuda Autism Support and Education (BASE) president Jenny Purvey said the Department of Health budget for the next fiscal year promised $20,000 to support their work.

After making the announcement at a press conference last week, Permanent Health Secretary Warren Jones said on Monday that the money was actually allocated to a different charity.

Yesterday, Ms Purvey said this mistake could cost the charity people might be less willing to donate if they believe BASE has a generous Government grant.

She said: "It's our name in the official Budget. We offer free services to the community. We have a full-time paraprofessional and she goes into Government schools and private schools and people's homes.

"It's all offered free of charge. We just raise money on our own. We are all volunteers except for our therapist so we plough it all back into the community.

"[On hearing of the Government funding] we obviously thought 'oh this is great, someone is giving us money'. BASE is very disappointed to learn of the Ministry's unfortunate mistake.

"Given these tough economic times, any charity would be disappointed to learn of an error of this magnitude."

Ms Purvey said she learned Government had reduced the number of health grants through reading an article in this paper. However she was thrilled to read that despite those cutbacks, BASE would receive $20,000 in the upcoming year.

She said the organisation had worked with Mr. Jones to ensure BASE's correct details were given to Acting Health Minister Zane DeSilva. That information was then used as part of Mr. DeSilva's proclamation on World Autism Awareness Day last Thursday.

He announced the Government's $20,000 allocation to BASE at that time Ms Purvey was among those present.

She later called the Health Department to ensure her organisation's financial information was in place and was informed the grant was actually for another charity.

The Budget lists BASE as having received an annual $25,000 grant for the past two years. That sum was reduced to $20,000 in the 2010/11 Budget.

Ms Purvey said the organisation has never received a grant.

Yesterday, Mr. Jones said the confusion surrounding the grant stems from a parting of two organisations — BASE and Tomorrow's Voices. He said they separated in 2008 and the information had not been amended.

"The Budget Book does in fact state BASE," he said. "This is because in 2007 when the first grant application was made to Government, it was made in the name of the organisation BASE.

"The project they were looking for funding for was Tomorrow's Voices Early Intervention Centre. It is this project to which we have been granting funding since 2008."

"At some point BASE was no longer the umbrella organisation and Tomorrow's Voices became a separate entity.

"From Government's standpoint, the Budget Book continued to list BASE as the umbrella organisation although the actual grant was going to Tomorrow's Voices Early Intervention Centre."

Mr. Jones added that BASE had never applied for a grant and therefore the money was not being taken away from them.

Ms Purvey said the organisation would continue to fund the services they offered previously and encouraged the public to support the charity.

"BASE would like to reassure the public and more importantly, those families of autistic individuals who are struggling financially, that we will continue to strive to provide them with access to the free services they vitally need."

BASE will hold its annual denim day on April 23 and on April 30 at Mount St. Agnes Academy. It will also host a free panel discussion, Let's Talk About Autism.

Between May 17 and 23, the Bermuda National Gallery will host autistic artistic savant, Stephen Wiltshire. The gallery will hold a gala fundraising dinner while he is here, with part proceeds going to BASE.