Agenda item

Philanthropy Strategy

Report of the CGO and Director of City Bridge Trust

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the CGO and Director of City Bridge Trust, providing the draft Philanthropy Strategy for the Committee’s consideration and approval, together with the underpinning rationale and details of proposed next steps. The strategy would speak to both the City of London Corporation as an organisation and the Corporation as trustee of Bridge House Estates, as whilst they would be appropriately divided with regards to governance the aim was for operational alignment.

 

To reinforce the alignment point, the Head of Philanthropy Strategy had worked with the Corporate Strategy team as part of the Bridge House Estates task and finish group, and had been involved in the work on other strategies. The Philanthropy Strategy would help guide volunteers and grantees as well as City Bridge Trust and the Corporation. City Bridge Trust had been a leader in the field and had done a lot of great work, and through the strategy could demonstrate its good practice and help to lead in driving up standards. One of the key messages from background scoping and consultation was that the Corporation and City Bridge Trust should make sure they were harnessing their unique position and roots in sectors to maximum effect.

 

The three key pillars of the strategy were role-modelling, collaboration and awareness-raising, with a philanthropic focus on reducing inequality and increasing social mobility. City Bridge Trust would also monitor what others were doing to facilitate collaboration and ensure they could drawdown on global good practice. An implementation plan for the strategy would be brought back to the Committee in the autumn.

 

Members agreed with the direction of travel and gave their feedback. Members suggested that the strategy do more to bring out the work that the Corporation did in the volunteering sector, and that the strategy could also make reference to The Honourable The Irish Society. The Committee was informed that there was work ongoing on a Volunteering Strategy and this would be brought into the implementation plan. The strategy would be updated and circulated before going on to Policy & Resources for approval, and the Court of Common Council.

 

RESOLVED – That the City Bridge Trust Committee:

 

a)    Approve the strategy set out in the ‘Proposals’ section of the report (with a summary set out in Appendix 4); and

 

b)    Review the proposed next steps set out in Paragraph 19 of the report, and provide feedback, as above, on the proposals outlined.

Supporting documents: