Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming Members and officers, as well as any members of the public or stakeholders observing the meeting via YouTube.

The Committee welcomed Aanchal Women’s Aid, a Redbridge-based organisation that provide support, assistance and advice to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women experiencing abuse, and current grantee, to the meeting to present and discuss their work.

Aanchal Women’s Aid then gave the Committee an introduction to their organisation as well as their background and history, before outlining their various programmes of work. The Committee heard that with one in five people experiencing domestic abuse during their lifetime, Bridge House Estates funding had enabled Aanchal Women’s Aid to go the extra mile in providing additional support and assurance to their referrals, which were mostly from Redbridge, but also came in from Havering, Barking & Dagenham, and Newham. Aanchal Women’s Aid further focussed on providing aftercare, post-trauma support and ongoing safety, with a view to increasing healthy coping mechanisms, communication, and strengthening bonds with friends and family.

Aanchal Women’s Aid then highlighted their appreciation for the support provided by City Bridge Trust officers during the course of their grant so far, having facilitated a very positive and supportive relationship with the organisation.

In response to questions from Members, the Committee and Aanchal Women’s Aid then discussed how their funding had enabled additional support, the organisation’s approach to recruiting and deploying volunteers, and its geographic scope and potential to expand the organisation’s services.

The Committee then thanked Aanchal Women’s Aid for their excellent presentation and for joining the meeting.

There were no apologies.

John Griffiths declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item 10 by virtue of his employment with Rocket Science, which had previously worked with London Funders on Place-Based Giving Schemes.

David Farnsworth declared an interest in Items 10 and 12 by virtue of his being Chair of London Funders and advised that he would not participate on these items.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 12 June 2023.

With regards to the minute at Item 10, a Member commented that the wording should be clearer on the need for wider conversation on the funding of the social care market and the increased support needed for caregivers in the sector. The Chief Funding Director advised that it was intended to bring further reporting on this matter to a future meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED – That, pending the above amendment, the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 12 June 2023 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the BHE Governance Officer

The Committee received a list of outstanding actions and noted the updates provided in respect of the items listed.

RESOLVED – That the outstanding actions list be noted.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director providing an

update on key areas of activity and outlining upcoming activities. The Chief

Funding Director introduced the report and drew Members’ attention to the key

Points.

Suicide Prevention

The Chief Funding Director advised that officers would ensure that the charity was able to contribute to and complement work in this area, with a Suicide Prevention Plan and nationwide fund anticipated. The Chief Funding Director added that she would be hosting two roundtables for key stakeholders around the City Corporation’s suicide prevention conference in October.

LocalMotion

The Chief Funding Director gave the Committee an update on the LocalMotion programme and advised that the Enfield place visit originally scheduled for July, had now been rescheduled and would be combined with the Learning summit planned for 14 November 2023, with all Members invited and encouraged to attend.

City Giving Day

The Committee noted that there had been a positive response to the City Giving Day programme scheduled for 26 September, with over 70 delegates signed up, many from Livery Companies and other funders. The Chief Funding Director advised that the Deputy Chair and Members of the Board would be presenting and encouraged other Members to attend.

The Chair then commented that he had recently attended a learning visit, which he had enjoyed, and encouraged other Members to contact the charity’s Impact and Learning team to organise a visit.

RESOLVED – That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests, note the contents of the report.

Report of the BHE Chief Funding Director and the BHE & Charities Finance Director

The Committee received a report of the Chief Funding Director and the BHE & Charities Finance Director providing a financial update on BHE Funding activities to 31 July 2023 and an updated forecast for the financial year ending 31 March 2024. The Chair introduced the item and encouraged officers to progress work with City Corporation officers to develop an appropriate level of understanding and established processes around depreciation and recharges as relevant to the charity. The Managing Director of BHE responded that this was important pan-charity work as was being progressed by members of the Executive Leadership team.

The Chair further commented that a comparison of cashflow exiting arising from grant-making would be useful for future reports. The BHE & Charities Finance Director advised that cashflow information for the whole charity was provided for the Investment Committee, and that the charity’s funding and finance teams worked closely to ensure the information was up-to-date and factored in items such as long-term grants. The Committee was further assured that aspects such as long-term staff planning, were taken into account in considering cashflow implications, and vice versa.

A Member commented that they would raise a point later in the agenda regarding the implications of recent developments in the sector.

RESOLVED – That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests, note the contents of the report.

To note a summary of the Bridging Divides programme.

The Committee noted a summary of the Bridging Divides programme.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director presenting and summarising the Anchor Programme, its background, aims and objectives, and activity to date. The report also proposed an additional allocation of £5m to the programme, bringing the total allocation to £25m, and presented 15 Round One applications totalling £15,948,630 for decision. The Chair introduced the item, commending the substantial work undertake non the programme so far, before the Chief Funding Director introduced the report and presented the proposals to the Committee. The Committee noted that seven applications, if endorsed, would be referred to the BHE Board on 26 September 2023.

The Committee then proceeded to discuss the proposals, noting that there had been 173 applications to the programme. The Chief Funding Director advised that all expressions of interests had been analysed, with the most common reasons for declination listed on the website. Officers had also held pre-application webinars for the programme and were planning a drop-in session for organisations to receive and discuss feedback.

In response to a question from a Member regarding systems change, the Chief Funding Director advised that having recognised the complexity of systems change, officers developed this criteria based on the work of the Propel programme and other funders, and had tried to maintain a broad definition so as not to discourage applications. A reflection period ahead of Round Two would be used to ensure organisations understood what was meant by systems change.

The Chief Funding Director further advised that a ‘buddy’ system had been piloted as part of the programme to ensure that officers understood the programme’s intentions with regards to systems change, with specific training also provided for staff. The Chair responded that training around systems change would also be beneficial for Members and asked that this be taken away for consideration,

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director proposing an approach to strengthen the lending capacity of three Community Development Finance Institutions and build a more robust evidence base for future support from Government through a strategic initiative with Responsible Finance. The Chief Funding Director introduced the report and presented the proposal to the Committee.

In response to questions from Members, the Chief Funding Director advised that the majority of the funding was frontloaded to assist the receiving organisations in leveraging further funding, and that whilst the overhead costs percentage was relatively high, this reflected the specialist nature of the work and felt to be justified, also noting that engagement with HM Treasury was felt to be the biggest source of potential change.

The Chair then drew the Committee’s attention to the recommendations, which were agreed.

RESOLVED - That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests:

i)                Award £788,000 over two years to Responsible Finance to provide a first loss allocation to three Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) to leverage additional investment to focus on lending to London residents facing financial insecurity and build the policy case for Government support to the community lending sector.

Report of the Chief Funding Officer

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director seeking approval of a grant of £615,000 to London Funders to build on its existing London’s Giving work by establishing a Resource Hub to support the development and capacity of place-based giving schemes (PBGS) in London. The Chief Funding Director introduced the report, reminding Members of the history of the scheme before presenting the proposals to the Committee.

Members commented that the Resource Hub should help with addressing funding cold spots, but noted that Place-Based Giving Schemes were not suited to every area of London and other forms of infrastructure may need to be explored.

RESOLVED - That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests:

i)                Approve a grant of £615,000 over three years to London Funders (charity no: 1116201) to develop a Resource Hub to support the development of place-based giving schemes in the capital.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director providing details of funds approved and rejected under delegated authority since the last meeting of the Funding Committee in June 2023; the remaining 2023/2024 grants budget; grants spend to date and for this meeting by London Borough compared with the Multiple Index of Deprivation; any grant variations that have been approved under delegated authority; and seeking approval for one grant between £500,000 and £1,000,001.

The Chair introduced the item and drew Members’ attention to the funding application in respect of Money4You, which was approved. In response to a question from the Chair, the Chief Funding Director advised that officers were comfortable with the current volume, rate and reasons for rejections agreed, adding that officers would assess whether the new website had affected these figures.

The Chief Funding Director confirmed that IVAR Flexible Funding Commitments guidelines had been implemented through various areas of current policy and practice, plus across the application process.

RESOLVED - That the Funding Committee of the Bridge House Estates Board, in the discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests:

i)                Receive this report and note its contents; and

ii)               Approve a grant of £552,700 over five years (£100,000; £105,000; £110,300; £115,800; £121,600) towards Money4You’s (no. 1157549) AVOCODO programme for BAMER organisations in London.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee received a report of the Chief Funding Director providing an update on the Propel Programme, a ten-year funder collaboration co-ordinated by London Funders (the charity supporting the only cross-sector membership network of funders and investors in London’s civil society) to which CBT has allocated £30m, including confirmation of the final Round One spend, plans for future rounds, and information regarding the distribution of spend for the remaining funds (£22.9m of £30m). The Chief Funding Director introduced the report and drew Members’ attention to the key points.

In response to a question from a Member, the Chief Funding Director advised that collaborative funding was likely to be aligned rather than pooled throughout the programme, with the funding alignment process having worked well to this point. The Chief Funding Director further advised that whilst CBT had contributed the most so far as a result of leading the Explore stage, other funders remained fully committed, having also made significant contributions so far, and officers remained confident that the overall funding target of £100m would be met.

RESOLVED – That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates (charity reg. no. 1035628) and solely in the charity’s best interests:

i)                Note the report.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee received a report of the Chief Funding Director providing an update on the End-to-End Review of City Bridge Trust’s main grant-making programme. The Chief Funding Director introduced the report and drew Members’ attention to the key points, advising that the findings of the review would be circulated to equity partners before any recommendations were brought to the Committee.

In response to a question from a Member, the Chief Funding Director advised that in addition to consultation, evidence would be gathered directly from other funders, through internal data analysis, desk review and through surveys of and writing on current practice, with a clear aim to ensure the review reflected the most up-to-date thinking on elements such as equity. The Chief Funding Director also confirmed that the review would include the application assessment process, and that the charity’s funding practices would be benchmarked according to IVAR Flexible Funding Commitments and Foundation Practice Rating.

RESOLVED – That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates (charity reg. no. 1035628) and solely in the charity’s best interests:

      i)          Note the contents of the report.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director setting out information related to a recent review with the purpose of considering the feasibility of revising the age criteria that CBT considers older people. The Chair introduced the item, noting that Members had requested this review arising from discussion at the previous meeting. The Chief Funding Director then introduced the report and drew Members’ attention to the key points, also outlining the reasons for the recommendation, which was then agreed.

RESOLVED – That the Funding Committee, in discharge of functions for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates and solely in the charity’s best interests:

i)                Approve Option 2 - to empower self-definition and remove age restrictions from CBT’s current funding criteria relating to older people.

The Chair offered a vote of thanks on behalf of the Committee and of Bridge House Estates to William Hoyle on his last meeting as a Committee Member. The Chair reported that William had been a Co-opted Member with the charity since May 2019, having joined the former City Bridge Trust Committee, and his digital and technology background, and experience with youth and social enterprise charities, had been a fantastic addition to the Committee. Furthermore, his contributions and help to the charity in navigating the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the BHE Governance Review were hugely valued and appreciated.

The Chair added that William had also been a very engaged and committed Lead Member for the Committee on the LocalMotion programme, helping to steer the ongoing development of some excellent and groundbreaking work, which it was hoped he could continue to do, and would be warmly welcomed to future meetings to discuss.

The Committee therefore placed on record sincere thanks and appreciation to William for all he has done for City Bridge Trust and Bridge House Estates, and best wishes for all his future endeavours.

MOTION – With the Court of Common Council for the City Corporation as Trustee

of Bridge House Estates (Charity No. 1035628) having decided to treat these

meetings as though Part VA and Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

applied to them, it now be moved that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that their consideration will in each case disclose exempt information of the description in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A, being information relating to the financial and business affairs of any person (including the City Corporation as Trustee of the charity) which it would not be in the charity’s best interests to disclose.

MOTION – With the Court of Common Council for the City Corporation as Trustee of Bridge House Estates (Charity No. 1035628) having decided to treat these meetings as though Part VA and Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 applied to them, it now be moved that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that their consideration will in each case disclose exempt information of the description in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A, being information relating to the financial and business affairs of any person (including the City Corporation as Trustee of the charity) which it would not be in the charity’s best interests to disclose.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 12 June 2023.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting on 12 June 2023 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the BHE Governance Officer

The Committee received a report of the BHE Governance Officer.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee received a report of the Chief Funding Director.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee received a report of the Chief Funding Director.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director.

Report of the Chief Funding Director

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Funding Director.

There was no other business.

The Chair then thanked Members and officers in attendance for their contributions before closing the meeting.