Agenda item

Progress Report

Report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust (CGO)

Minutes:

The Committee considered the regular progress report of the Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust (CGO) and discussed the updates and recommendations provided.

 

Black Lives Matter

The CGO advised the Committee that, having funded projects that increase support for, engagement with and equality within BAME groups for some time, City Bridge Trust (CBT) aimed to use the current energy in supporting equality to create and develop an ambitious CBT action plan in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, whilst also connecting with other City of London Corporation work through the Tackling Racism Taskforce. The CGO introduced Dinah Cox, who had been engaged on a consultancy basis to support this work. Dinah Cox then introduced herself to the Committee and gave Members an overview of her background and strategy to support City Bridge Trust, before inviting Members and officers to get in touch with any thoughts about the initiative.

 

Members then proceeded to discuss the proposal, commenting on City Bridge Trust’s previous work, process, and interaction with the Black Lives Matter movement. In response to comments from Members, the CGO gave assurances that the Committee would be kept informed and involved on this work. Feedback from Members would be taken on board and any further views from Members were welcomed.

 

COVID-19

The CGO gave the Committee an update on work undertaken by CBT in response to the COVID-19 emergency and drew Members’ attention to recommendations for continuing this work. In response to a question from a Member, the CGO gave the Committee further detail on CBT resource and staff commitments since March, and following the pause on new grant applications. The Committee would be updated on the capacity level of CBT at each meeting going forward.

 

Developmental work of City Bridge Invest

In response to a question from a Member, the CGO explained that development of City Bridge Trust’s social investment capabilities was relevant to both the health and economic impact of COVID-19 now and in the future, and the structural inequality which the Black Lives Matter movement sought to address. Officers were working to align social investment activity with other activities such as the Funder+ offer, and looking at how to support the reconstruction of charitable organisations such as those with enterprise arms.

 

RESOLVED – That the City Bridge Trust Committee:

 

a)    Note the report;

 

b)    Agree to work with the CBT team, with appropriate support, to develop an action plan in response to Black Lives Matters, mindful of CBT’s values, responsibility as London’s largest independent funder and the work of BHE’s trustee, the City of London Corporation (CoLC);

 

c)    Agree the contribution of staff time to London’s Covid-19 Strategic Coordination Group, Transition and Recovery boards and related workstreams;

 

d)    Agree to extend the pause on new applications to Bridging Divides until the end of September 2020, with the recommendations of a review being considered at your September CBT Committee; and

 

e)    Recommend that the current level of delegations in relation to grant-making is extended for a further 3 months.

Supporting documents: