Agenda item

To consider the Chief Grants Officer’s report on grant recommendations as follows -

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Grants Officer which recommended grants to various organisations.

Members considered each application and the following observations were noted:

Item 7a (National Army Museum) – a Member remarked that the City’s Livery companies should be made aware of the Trust’s funding, should it be awarded.

A Member noted that this was an important initiative to establish full disabled access within the redeveloped NAM, and reflected upon the City’s strong relationship with the military and moved to increase the grant agreed by the Committee to £150,000.

Members discussed whether a further report should come back outlining further details of the NAM’s capital programme funding. Officers noted that the project met the Trust’s grant giving criteria and Members did have the power to amend policy, which was articulated within the Trust’s grant giving policy. In this instance, the policy being the £50,000 limit to grants for accessible buildings under the ‘Working with Londoners – Accessible London’ grants programme.

In respect of the increase to the proposed grant, the Committee moved to a vote which was CARRIED. It was agreed therefore that the National Army Museum would be awarded £150,000.

Item 7c (Eaves Housing For Women) – a Member enquired as to whether grantees could be asked to request a larger grant if it was warranted.

Officers informed Members that the lease agreement on their office had been negotiated and a contract would be in effect from April this year for a three year term. The application had also been previously withdrawn and resubmitted from the stated application date of January 2013 (pg 69).

Following discussion, it was agreed that the grant be increased from £103,000 to £103,500, to be in line with the amount requested of £103,338.

Item 7d (Strategic Initiative: Greening the Economy Conference) – officers remarked that the recommendation sought to approve the budget up to a maximum amount required though venue hire costs could be less than estimated. Members were informed the date of the event was tentatively scheduled for the 19^th May 2014. The Deputy Chairman requested that a range of views be presented at the Conference.

Item 7h (Strategic Initiative: Islington Giving) – Members observed that it was not usually the Trust’s practice to fund other grant making charities, though this may be an effective way to distribute funds locally. Officers replied that the latest Quinquennial Review altered this policy and there were now programmes utilising the expertise of other grant-making bodies.

Item 7i (London’ Funders) – the Chairman noted that as CBT was London’s largest grant-making trust, and the most significant funder to this important organisation, it was appropriate that the revised sum be recommended.

Item 7j (Voluntary Action Westminster) – in response to a query from Members to provide further details on the organisation’s deficit, officers advised the organisation was now in a better position and had made budget reductions. It was agreed the grant would be subject to monitoring reports and would receive quarterly payments.