The Welsh Language Board is a statutory organisation, funded by public money. It was established in December 1993 under the terms of the Welsh Language Act.Its main function is to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.

At the end of 2002, the Board had 11 members, appointed by the National Assembly for Wales, and a staff of 42. Under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Board became answerable to the National Assembly, having previously been accountable to, and funded by The Welsh Office.

Put simply, the Board’s main aim is to make it easier for everyone to use Welsh in all walks of life, to increase people’s confidence in their ability to use the language, to encourage more people to speak, read or write it in new situations, and to pass on the language to their children.

The Board seeks to work in partnership with public sector bodies, private businesses and voluntary organisations, offering advice and resources to help service providers in Wales to give a natural choice of language to their customers.

The Welsh Language Board is funded by grant in aid from the National Assembly for Wales. In 2002/03 it received £7 million, of which £4.9 million was distributed by the Board to other organisations in the form of grants to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh and to support Welsh language education.

Later in the financial year the Board received an additional £450,000 from the Assembly, as part of a comprehensive funding package over the next three years. In November 2002, the Assembly announced that the Board will receive £16 million in grant aid over the next three years.