Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer regarding the review of eligibility criteria for the Combined Education Charity and the City Educational Trust Fund and the possibility for alignment with the City of London Corporation’s Education Strategy 2016-2019.

At the July 2016 Education Board meeting Members agreed that the existing eligibility criteria for the Combined Education Charity and City Educational Trust Fund would remain in place until March 2017. Members noted that these criteria were no longer considered to provide the most effective framework to guide the application of each charity’s limited funds and needed to be refined so they support the efficient and effective operation of the charities to achieve the charities’ objects.

The City’s Education Strategy objectives were noted and it was considered that alignment of the criteria with the City’s Education Strategy could allow the charities’ limited funds to have a greater impact

Members discussed the report in detail and considered various options for shaping the eligibility criteria, including the following points:

-       The eligibility criteria should focus on the impact of any grants and the level of need of the beneficiary.

-       The same eligibility criteria should be used for both charities.

-       The cost of administration was proportionately higher for individual grants, but nevertheless there was still value in them and they should not be excluded. As such, priority should be given to groups but exceptional applications from individuals should also be considered.

-       Flexibility was needed; instead of limiting the types of applicants who can apply, focus should be on the outcome and need.

-       The eligibility criteria should have enduring relevance but not become outdated; criteria and priorities should therefore be reviewed on a regular basis.

-       The criteria should not prioritise the City or the City Schools and the