Agenda item

Members considered the recommendations of the Chief Grants Officer regarding applications for grants from the Combined Education Charity and the following points were made.

·         The Chief Grants Officer noted that the eligibility criteria governing the Combined Education Charity adopted by the Education Board in early 2017 meant that no current applications could be recommended for approval. Whilst the four applications by individuals before Members could be considered eligible under the objects of the charity, they were ineligible under the current eligibility criteria.

·         Members noted that the intention of the current eligibility criteria had been to encourage applications from organisational applicants, with individual applications only being considered in exceptional circumstances.

·         The Deputy Chairman expressed caution in recommending the four applications for approval to the Education Board as exceptional cases to which the existing eligibility criteria should not be applied. Instead, the existing eligibility criteria should be revised to ensure that individual applications that were in line with the charity’s objects, and which could be considered exceptional, were also in line with the eligibility criteria.

·         The Deputy Chairman commented that, in her view, only individuals who otherwise would not qualify for mainstream funding should be eligible for consideration for funding from the charity. An example would be a working parent who wished to continue their education having already completed a part-time course.

·         Following further discussion, Members requested that the Chief Grants Officer redraft the existing eligibility criteria in line with comments made by Members, namely reducing the overall grant range from £25,000 to between £2,500-£10,000, continuing to make clear that individuals would only be considered for grants in exceptional circumstances, and that grants would only be provided to organisations or individuals operating in secondary, further or higher educational settings.

·         In response to a question, the Chief Grants Officer replied that the available grants were advertised through the City of London Corporation Education Unit networks, and websites utilised by the City of London Corporation’s Central Grants Team. Prospective applicants were encouraged to contact the Central Grant Team prior to making an application, which ensured only potentially viable applications were submitted.

RESOLVED, that Members

·         Note that no applications are recommended for funding from the City of London Corporation Combined Education Charity;

·         Request that the existing Grants Policy and Funding Eligibility Criteria governing the City of London Corporation Combined Education Charity (312826) be amended in line with comments made by Members, and submitted to the Community and Children’s Services Committee for consultation, and the Education Board for approval.