Agenda item

To receive a progress report of the Chief Grants Officer.

The Committee received the regular progress report and events update of the Chief Grants Officer. Members discussed a recent visit to Fareshare, and the Chief Grants Officer undertook to liaise with the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection regarding similar food sharing opportunities at Spitalfields Market.

With regard to the Stepping Stones Fund, officers advised that, as applications were due on 31^st January 2015, the Committee was being asked to delegate authority to the Chief Grants Officer, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, to inform unsuccessful stage one applicants that they had been rejected. Members discussed the Fund and Social Investment in general, noting the work being done by the Social Investment Board.

Members discussed the suggested themes for future meetings, and asked for information regarding programmes with lower application numbers than expected to be prioritised for comment, alongside the larger programmes. The Chief Grants Officer advised he could address this through his regular Progress Report. Members also requested that the subject of Social Investment be added to the list.

Members discussed the 2014-2015 grants budget and the carry forward from the previous two years annual grants budgets of £3,539,000. In the discussion, Members considered the external funding environment;  plans for strategic grant-making to mark the CBT 20^th Anniversary;  and the amount of funds under consideration for grant allocation at this meeting and the March 2015 CBT committee meeting.

It was noted that, if the Committee approved all of the applications under consideration at this meeting and the anticipated applications at the March meeting, it was likely that all of the 2014-2015 annual grants budget and carry forward would have been committed in this financial year. 

It was also noted that there had been an intention to mark the CBT 20^th Anniversary with some strategic grant-making.  The Committee still wished this to be the case.

It was, therefore, agreed that the remainder of the 2014-2015 grants budget, and the carry forward, would be used to support the grant applications under consideration by this committee meeting and the next. It was also agreed that up to £1.75M of the CBT 2015-2016 annual grants budget would be ring-fenced to ensure that there were funds available for some distinctive CBT 20^th Anniversary grant making.  It was agreed that this would be in addition to the indicative 10% of the 2015/2016 CBT annual grants budget which was, in any event, earmarked for strategic grant making.

Members noted that the current rate of grant approvals could not be sustained in 2015/16 and that applications would need to be further prioritised.

RESOLVED – That:

(a)  Authority be delegated to the Chief Grants Officer, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, to inform unsuccessful stage one applicants for the Stepping Stones Fund that they had been rejected;

(b)  Information regarding programmes with lower applications numbers than expected be addressed through the Chief Grants Officer’s regular Progress Report; and

(c)  The following themes be adopted for scheduled Committee meetings:

                  · March 2015 – Strengthening London’s voluntary sector

            · May 2015 – Making London more inclusive

            · July 2015 – Improving Londoners’ mental health

            · September 2015 – Older Londoners

· November 2015 – Reducing Poverty

Plus a theme on Social Investment at a date to be confirmed

(d)  The 2013-14 carry forward be used for applications to the Investing in Londoners programmes in this financial year (including those considered at this meeting and March 2015), and that £1.75M of the CBT 2015-2016 grant making budget be ring-fenced for strategic initiatives relating to the 20th anniversary. (This would be in addition to the indicative 10% of the 2015-2016 CBT annual grants budget which was, in any event, earmarked for strategic grant-making).