Agenda item

To receive the report of the Interim Managing Director of the City Bridge Foundation

Sheena Etches/Jack Joslin

Jack Joslin will provide a brief introduction to the Inspiring London through Culture paper and be present at the meeting to take any questions.

The Committee received the report of the Interim Managing Director of the City Bridge Foundation that provided an overview of projects funded through the Inspiring London Through Culture funding programme (ILTC) in the 2024/25 financial year alongside a comprehensive analysis of the grants awarded by the ILTC over the last five years, illustrating the contribution of the ILTC to delivering both Destination City and City of London’s Corporate Plan strategic outcomes.

Members noted the following in particular:

1.     The criteria for the Inspiring London Through Culture Fund set out in appendix 1;

2.     The recent grants awarded from the Inspiring London Through Culture Fund 2024/25 set out in appendix 2; and

3.     The analysis of the Inspiring London Through Culture Fund over the last five years, 2020/21 to 2024/25 inclusive, and its impact, set out in appendix 3.

Referencing the core criteria set out in section 3 of the main report, a Member sought clarification on whether the reference to the enhancement of “London’s future” referred to the City or to Greater London. The meeting noted that the reference was primarily to the City of London but that contributions were also made to the creativity of the Greater London area.

Referencing the focus on value for money set out in section 7, Members asked for more information on how value for money is or has been assessed. The meeting noted that the central funding team assesses value for money at the assessment and approval stages to encompass scrutiny of budgets, salary benchmarking and ongoing monitoring, noting that in some cases the organisations are small-scale and are applying for small amounts of money - and that ongoing value assessments for small allocations would not necessarily be proportionate. A member asked for feedback on the ongoing monitoring process generally, and the Committee noted that such feedback will be included in future reports on the grants to include, for example, further information on the outcome of any grant, which would be added to the kind of information set out in appendix 2 on p.23 of the agenda. Members noted that due diligence on all organisations is undertaken on an ongoing basis.

Referencing section 26 of appendix 2, a Member asked why more money is not being spent on some projects. The Committee noted that less has been spent compared to other cultural funding schemes, and that further research suggests that applications are not being received from the heritage and visual arts sectors in particular - and that all relevant sectors will be encouraged to apply to the fund. 

A Member asked for more information on the alignment of the new culture strategy with any grant-making strategy. The meeting heard that all grants will be captured within the new strategy.