The Clothworkers' Foundation Annual Review 2013

ANNUAL REVIEW

2013

Trustees’ Report

T H E C L OT H WO R K E R S ’ F O U N DAT I O N Chairman Michael Jarvis

Deputy Chairman Andrewjohn Stephenson Clarke

Trustees John Stoddart-Scott DL Dr Carolyn Boulter JP DL Christopher McLean May Michael Howell Melville Haggard Tom Ingham Clark Richard Jonas Hugo Slim Joanna Dodd Nicholas Horne Staff

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Clerk to the Company and Chief Executive of the Foundation Andrew Blessley Grants Manager Philip Howard

Contents Review of Charitable Giving 2

Financial Information 2013 4

Main and Small Grants Programmes

• Alcohol and Substance Misuse • Disabled People • Disadvantaged Minority

5 6

Communities Disadvantaged Young People

8 9

•

• Domestic and Sexual Violence • Elderly people • Homelessness • Prisoners and Ex-Offenders • Visual Impairment

11 12 13 14 15

Proactive Grants Programme

• Autism • Better Futures • Conservation

17 19 20

Grants totalling £5.5m were made during the year: Grants 2009-2013 £000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

4,116 5,703 5,281 5,203 5,566

Financial report Income available for grant-making in 2013 totalled £6.0m, of which £3.7m was generated from the Foundation’s investment portfolio, and £2.3m was received as a donation from The Clothworkers’ Company. A further donation of £0.3m was received as an endowment.

Grant commitments during the year totalled £5.6m, an increase of £0.4m on 2012.

The investment portfolio of the Foundation increased in value by 14% to £132m.

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Grant-making activity We awarded 247 grants compared with 225 the previous year: small grants have continued to dominate, with approximately 60% of grants representing £10,000 or less, rising to approximately 80% for £25,000 or less. Grants between £25,001 and £50,000 accounted for just over 15%, and grants over £50,000 for 6% of funding.

Our policy remains for our grant to be meaningful to the overall project.

We funded 50% of applications received, compared with 58% the previous year. Despite this slight drop, we are pleased with the projects we have been able to fund.

Details of grants over £10,000 awarded during the year, and case studies on a selection of those grants can be found on pages 5 – 21.

Trustees’ Report

Grant programmes All grant programmes have a UK-wide remit.

The Main and Small Grants Programmes only fund capital projects which work in or across one or more of the programmes listed in the table below.

We also have Regular and Proactive Grants Programmes which are not open to applications and which are able to fund revenue and/or capital projects. The Regular Grants Programme funds around 20 organisations on an annual basis, with funding for each subsequent year dependent on review of the previous year’s activities. The range of organisations funded includes several charities making direct grants to disadvantaged people; three UK-based charities working internationally; two London-based university medical schools; as well as grants to students in textiles. We awarded grants totalling more than £560,000 under the Regular Grants Programme during the year.

Programme area

Number of grants

Amount (%)

Main and Small Grants Programmes Alcohol and substance misuse Disabled people Disadvantaged minority communities Disadvantaged young people Domestic and sexual violence Elderly people Homelessness Prisoners and Ex-Offenders Visual impairment

8 64 22 47 7 22 11 14 7

3 23 3 10 1 5 4 3 3

Proactive Grants Programme Autism Better Futures Conservation Textiles

1 2 5 20

1 11 3 25

Other

17

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Now in its seventh year, the Proactive Grants Programme continues to work in areas in which our research has identified a particular funding need, and where we believe our support has the potential to have a lasting impact. Grants tend to be for revenue projects over a 3-5 year period.

Application is by invitation only to organisations either individually or via a competitive tendering process, with applicants selected based on our research of the work they do in our areas of interest.

Further information on the Proactive Grants Programme can be found on page 17 – 21.

Changes for 2013 The Foundation’s three subsidiary trusts (in Education, Blind Welfare and Relief in Need) were merged with the Foundation through the payment of the Trusts’ assets to the Foundation and, as a consequence, the Common Investment Fund was wound up.

This move will simplify governance and administration, as well as reduce costs. As a result The Clothworkers’ Company’s charitable activity is now carried out solely in the name of the Foundation.

YMCA project

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Financial Summary 2013

Summary Financial Information 2013 Year Ended 31 December 2013 £000

2012 £000

2,556 3,716 6,272

2,483 3,482 5,965

INCOMING RESOURCES

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Donations and gifts Investment and rental income Total incoming resources

RESOURCES EXPENDED Costs of generating funds Charitable expenditure: Grants Support costs Governance costs Total resources expended

242

209

5,538 578 15 6,373

5,109 495 20 5,833

Net incoming resources Gains on investment assets

(101) 16,004

132 (6,886)

15,903 117,419

7,018 110,401

133,322

117,419

132,071

116,268

4,163 (2,640) 1,523

3,842 (2,456) 1,386

(272) 133,322

(235) 117,419

RESTRICTED FUNDS Permanent endowment Expendable endowment Members’ endowment Other restricted funds

37,543 4,576 67 32,008

60,984 4,020 46 –

UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Designated General and Livery

58,035 1,093

51,002 1,367

133,322

117,419

Net movement in funds Fund balances brought forward at 1 January Fund balances carried forward at 31 December FIXED ASSETS Investments at market value Current assets Creditors – due within one year NET CURRENT ASSETS Creditors - due after one year NET ASSETS

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During 2013 the resources of three subsidiary trusts were merged with the Foundation as restricted funds. The 2012 figures show combined figures for the four charities and were extracted from the audited accounts.

The full report and accounts of The Clothworkers' Foundation can be found on the Charity Commission website.

Alcohol and Substance Misuse

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Action on Addiction “I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I went through as it’s really not worth it. I lost years of my life to alcohol. Action on Addiction has the ability and passion to reach out and help many people just like me.”

Action on Addiction user Addiction is the biggest preventable killer in the UK. It destroys lives, breaks up families, harms communities and has a damaging impact on society as a whole.

Action on Addiction has been helping people with addiction problems for more than 30 years. The charity works across the addiction field in research, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, professional education and training, support for families and children, and campaigning.

a specialist treatment centre for women in London; and SHARP (Self-Help Addiction Recovery Programmes) day centres in Bournemouth and Liverpool which support individuals to remain at home while accessing treatment.

Courses on counselling skills, motivational interviewing and cognitive therapy are provided at the charity’s training centre in Warminster, Wilshire, which also offers a full-time Addictions Counselling Foundation Degree, accredited by the University of Bath.

Our £28,000 grant was for the refurbishment of a room at Clouds House to provide art therapy sessions which are recognised as an important part of addiction treatment.

The project was part of a bigger renovation project at Clouds House.

Treatment services help people suffering from a variety of addictions including alcohol and drug abuse. They involve an abstinence-based 12-Step residential and structured day treatment. Treatment is provided at one of five centres: Clouds House, a residential facility in Wiltshire; Hope House,

www.actiononaddiction.org.uk

ESCAPE Family Support Group Refurbishment of a building for a charity supporting people with drug and/or alcohol addiction in Northumberland £50,000

Brighton Oasis Project Renovation and equipping a new centre for children and young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse £22,000

Action on Addiction Art therapy room to support people affected by alcohol and drug addiction in Wiltshire £28,000

Matthew Project Outreach trailer to engage with young people on drug and alcohol issues in Norfolk and Suffolk £21,000

National Association for Children of Alcoholics Information and awareness-raising campaign in schools £23,300

(8 grants including 3 grants of £10,000 or less) Total

£166,200

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Disabled People Mildmay Mission Hospital “I was always so strong and fit. HIV literally knocked me off my feet and robbed me of my mental capacity. Mildmay has been my bridge to self managing, a path to getting back into my own life. Mildmay helped me to stand up again – I can’t thank them enough.” Dennis

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HIV is still one of the fastest growing serious health conditions in the UK with around 7,000 people newly diagnosed every year. Around 100,000 people are currently living with HIV in the UK, up to a quarter of them unaware of their condition.

Mildmay was originally founded in 1866 to tackle the cholera epidemic in London’s East End. In 1988, the charity responded quickly to the escalating HIV/AIDS crisis by opening Europe’s first dedicated AIDS hospice in London.

Princess Diana made several visits and famously shook hands with a patient at the height of the frenzy of fear around the illness, helping to break down some of the stigma which unfortunately still surrounds the condition today.

Twenty five years on, Mildmay is still at the forefront of specialist HIV service provision. Their London hospital is Europe’s only centre dedicated to the rehabilitation of people living with HIV-related brain injury. Most Mildmay patients have complex and acute conditions associated with HIV, and many arrive at the hospital unable to walk, speak or feed themselves, and in need of round-the-clock care. Yet the skilled medical and nursing care, treatment and rehabilitation, and range of therapies offered to provide holistic support, all tailored to meet individual needs, mean that more than 55% Queen Alexandra College Building and equipping an accessible sports hall at a residential college in the West Midlands for people with visual impairment and/or physical disabilities, and/or learning difficulties £100,000 Canine Partners for Independence Building a training centre for a national charity that trains assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities £80,000

of patients are eventually able to return home to independent living and an improved quality of life.

To address the growing need for specialist HIV services in the UK, a new Mildmay Hospital is being constructed on the site of their old Victorian building in the East End. Our £50,000 grant was towards the new £5.6m hospital which will see the capacity of the inpatient unit increase from 16 to 26 beds, the expansion of day care services, and dedicated education and training facilities.

The new hospital will ensure Mildmay can continue to provide expert HIV care and support services well into the future. www.mildmay.org

Forth Sector Laundry equipment for an Edinburgh charity working with people with mental health conditions, learning or physical disabilities £50,000 Harpenden Mencap Purchase of land and construction of eleven flats and communal facilities for people with learning disabilities in Hertfordshire £50,000

Disability Challengers Rebuilding a play centre for children and young people with disabilities in Surrey £80,000

Mildmay Mission Hospital New hospital in East London providing rehabilitation for people with disabilities resulting from HIV associated neurocognitive disorders £50,000

Clydesdale Community Initiatives Refurbishment of a derelict farm to create a social enterprise centre to deliver employment and skills training to people with complex support needs £60,000

Headway Devon Purchase of a building to use as a day centre for people with acquired brain injuries and their families/carers £40,000

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Salter’s Hill Charity Conversion of a building for a charity working with adults with learning disabilities in Herefordshire £35,000

Shape London Equipment for use in an exhibition space used by artists with disabilities £23,000

Elfrida Rathbone Camden Office refurbishment for a charity providing services, education and training for people with disabilities in Camden £30,000

Camphill Community Mourne Grange Extension and refurbishment of a building for a charity working with adults with disabilities £22,000

Legacy Rainbow House Converting stables into a specialist centre for young people with disabilities in Lancashire £30,000 Scotts Project Trust Building extension including a specialist sluice and bathroom facilities for an organisation working with people with disabilities in Kent £30,000 Sheltered Work Opportunities Project Construction of sustainable buildings for a charity working with people with mental health issues in Dorset £30,000 Central Nottinghamshire Association for Mental Health Renovation and refurbishment of a centre to provide support services for people with mental health issues in Nottinghamshire £25,000

IMPACT Outreach Network Lighting, sound, media, IT, and sensory garden equipment for a disability charity in London £20,000 Reading Mencap Upgrade of toilet facilities and installation of specialist equipment for a learning disability charity £20,000 Wyvern Foundation Trust Installation of a play area at a school in Kent for children with multiple disabilities, sensory impairments and autism £20,000 Crossroads Care (Isle of Man) Renovation of premises for a charity supporting carers £19,500 Camphill Devon Community Solar powered vehicle for an organisation working with adults with learning disabilities in Devon £18,500

Friends of Hadrian School Playground area for a school working with children with disabilities in Newcastle £25,000

Drake Music Scotland Music and technology equipment to deliver music-making opportunities for people with disabilities £18,500

Friends of Sherwood Park School Creation of an outside play area for a school that works with children with multiple disabilities in Surrey £25,000

Community Options Vehicle and equipment to provide gardening training for people with mental health issues in London £15,000

Queen Alexandra Hospital Home Refurbishment of a kitchen for an organisation providing rehabilitation, recreation and care for veterans with disabilities £25,000

Serve Accessible minibus for a charity providing services for adults with physical or sensory disabilities in Northamptonshire £15,000

Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People Constructing a home in Surrey for young adults with disabilities £25,000

Heart n Soul Refurbishment of a recording studio for a charity working with artists with learning disabilities in London £12,000

South East and Central Essex Mind Refurbishment of premises for a mental health charity £25,000 United Response Support for the Small Sparks programme which provides small grants to support people with learning disabilities to engage with their community £25,000

Fifth Trust Refurbishment of a day centre canteen for a charity working with adults with learning disabilities in Kent £11,000

(63 grants including 31 grants of £10,000 or less) Total

£1,273,100

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Disadvantaged Minority Communities Pride in North Cumbria (PiNC) PiNC is a strong voice for Cumbria’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The charity aims to promote equality and diversity, to counter discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and to raise awareness on the issues and difficulties affecting the lives of people who are LGBT.

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and training, health workshops and other services are delivered.

We awarded £10,000 towards the renovation and redecoration costs of the centre.

They operate from a centre shared with other organisations which work with the local LGBT community. The centre, managed by PiNC, has a cafe, meeting rooms, offices and a health centre from which information and advice, education

St John’s Church Southall Green Purchase of a portable football cage, trailer and van for a charity working with young people from disadvantaged minority communities in London £23,000

www.facebook.com/PrideInNorthCumbriaPinc

Pride in North Cumbria Renovation of premises for a charity providing services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people £10,000 (22 grants including 21 grants of £10,000 or less) Total

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£176,500

Disadvantaged Young People

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Caius House “At this place I’ve spread my wings. The facilities here were what I needed to make progress” Caius House user.

Based in Battersea in South London, Caius House has been supporting young people in the area since it was set up in 1887. Today, the wide range of activities offered includes performing and creative arts, music technology, S.R.E (sex, relationships and enlightenment) and sports (including basketball, football, boxing and karate).

In 2008, they sold their property to a developer and moved to temporary accommodation which, although it has allowed them to continue to deliver vital services, was not suited to fulfilling their longer-term needs and developing their work.

The premises were cramped and dark and the reduced space had resulted in waiting lists for young service users.

The building has been designed with the needs of young people in the local community in mind, consulting with them in the process. With an opening scheduled for summer 2014, Caius’ House new home will be modern and spacious, and will offer a much wider range of supervised activities for young people than was previously possible. It will house a multi-purpose indoor sports hall, meeting rooms, recording and dance studios, and an IT suite.

Our £80,000 grant was towards the fit out of the new centre which will enable Caius House to build and expand on existing activities for more young people from the local community and housing estates, from an inviting, comfortable, and safe state-of-the art youth centre.

www.caiushouse.org Since the sale of property included an agreement from the developer to a 999 year peppercorn lease for the ground and first floors of the new development on the site, Caius House is moving back to the original location and into a brand new youth centre.

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Disadvantaged Young People

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Artist’s impression of Caius House

Caius House Renovation of premises for a charity working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in London £80,000 Nelson’s Journey Purchase of a building for a charity supporting bereaved children and young people in Norfolk £50,000 Lawrence Weston Community Farm Construction of a community cafe and training facility for a charity working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Bristol £45,000

County of North Tyneside Guides Construction of an outside activity centre

£25,000

Greysteel Community Enterprises £15,000 Installation of a fence and goalposts for a charity working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Northern Ireland Paddington Arts £13,000 Repair works to premises, furniture and equipment for a charity working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in London (47 grants including 39 grants of £10,000 or less)

Fuse Youth Cafe Renovation of youth cafe in Glasgow

£40,000

Buttle UK Towards a child support programme which provides essential items to families with children from disadvantaged backgrounds £25,000

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Total

£531,600

Domestic and Sexual Violence Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid “Being with you has been the best support I have ever had.

You understood me and enabled me to let go of the abuse I have been living with for so many years. Thank you.”

BSWA user “He was so shocked I’d taken him to court, I’ve never stood up to him before.You have kept me motivated and strong with positive thinking.”

BSWA user Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid (BSWA) has been supporting women and children affected by domestic violence, rape and sexual assault for more than 35 years. It grew out of the 1970s women’s movement at a time when there was no provision in the area for women and children escaping domestic violence.

To meet the acute need for refuge accommodation, BSWA purchased two adjoining properties to create a new refuge; our £45,000 grant was towards refurbishing and equipping it.

Without a safe place to go, many women and their children stay in violent and abusive relationships; the new BSWA refuge will allow them to offer vital accommodation to more women and children.

“I have a new home, new job and a new life which I am loving. My son is safe and happy. Thank you for always being there.” BSWA user.

www.bswaid.org The range of services offered by BSWA includes a helpline, counselling, legal support and advice, family support (including a project which works in schools and colleges, and a crèche service), drop-in services and an outreach project which provides support in community venues. The charity also has four refuges offering safe emergency accommodation.

Around 3,000 helpline calls are made a year, and over 6,000 women receive direct support from BSWA. Demand for BSWA services was up a staggering 30% on the previous year.

Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid Purchase of furniture and electrical equipment for a charity working with women and children affected by domestic violence £45,000 (7 grants including 6 grants of £10,000 or less) Total

£73,500

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Elderly People Southwark Pensioners Centre The London Borough of Southwark has a long history of campaigning for pensioners’ rights since the national campaign to establish a state pension was started in Camberwell by Harold Moody in the late nineteenth century, resulting in the State Pension being introduced by David Lloyd George in 1908.

However, the events that led to the establishment of the Southwark Pensioners Centre started in 1973, when Southwark Council funded a bureau to support retired people to find employment. It was set up following research by the Council which found that the loss of employment was one of the most serious concerns for older people in the borough.

supporting them to maintain their physical, mental and social health into old age by providing a range of services developed in partnership with older people that empower, rejuvenate, and create social networking opportunities.

Services include: advice on issues such as benefits, welfare reform, managing money; employment and volunteering support; and a range of health and well-being activities such as art, exercise and IT classes, a knitting circle and a group specifically for older people who are visually impaired.

Our £15,000 grant was for the refurbishment of the Centre to make it more welcoming and comfortable, especially for older people with disabilities.

In 1987, the bureau merged with local campaigning groups to form the Southwark Pensioners Centre. It promotes independence and well-being amongst older people, Age Concern Wirral Purchase and renovation of building

£40,000

Abbeyfield Ballachulish Society Conversion of apartments into dementia bedrooms for a charity working with elderly people in the Scottish Highlands £30,000 Supporting Friends Support for disadvantaged elderly people

www.southwarkpensioners.org.uk

Age Concern Cheshire Creation of a meeting room

£15,000

Denby Dale Centre Minibus for a charity working with elderly people in Huddersfield £15,000 Southwark Pensioners Centre Refurbishment of premises

£15,000

£25,000 (22 grants including 14 of £10,000 or less)

Age UK Herne Bay Refurbishment and expansion of kitchens

£20,000

Burma Star Association Support for disadvantaged elderly UK veterans and their dependants £20,000

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Total

£305,700

Homelessness Bedfordshire Housing Link “When I arrived at Bedfordshire Housing Link I had very low esteem and felt depressed. The staff made me feel wanted and have been amazing with all the advice and support they have given me. The Stepping Stones Project has given me confidence and has opened my eyes to what I can achieve in the future.” BHL user Bedfordshire Housing Link (BHL) started life in 1974 as a soup kitchen. Since then the charity has evolved to become a major provider of supported accommodation for single homeless people in the area via four supported housing projects.

All BHL residents are required to develop individual personal development plans with set goals and objectives, and to attend a session a week with their allocated project worker.

Once they are assessed as being ready to move on, they formulate a resettlement plan with their project worker to secure their own accommodation with the ultimate aim of living independently.

BHL also runs the Stepping Stone education and employment project which sees them working in partnership with similar local organisations to offer support and guidance on education and employment issues. The project provides access training courses in basic skills such as literacy and numeracy, writing CVs, IT and other skills to enhance employability.

Having identified a need for a mobile service to address the growing problem of rough sleeping in Bedfordshire, BHL purchased a double-decker bus which they wanted to customise to provide support services and, crucially, equip with seven emergency beds.

We awarded £50,000 towards the cost of buying and customising the bus to enable BHL to run this innovative mobile outreach support service which offers a proactive solution to identifying and helping rough sleepers in the Bedfordshire area.

www.bhlonline.co.uk

Forest YMCA of East London Refurbishment of hostel bedrooms

£75,000

Bedfordshire Housing Link Purchase and conversion of a double-decker bus to provide emergency beds £50,000 Reigate and Redhill YMCA Purchase of a property to provide accommodation for up to six young homeless people who will be supported towards independent living £30,000

Redbridge Foodbank Vehicle for a charity working with homeless and other vulnerable people in London £18,000 Coventry Cyrenians Equipping a wellbeing centre for homeless ex-service personnel £14,000 (11 grants including 5 of £10,000 or less) Total

£239,900

Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust Towards resettlement grants for homeless women £23,300

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Prisoners and Ex-Offenders

Prisoners and Ex-Offenders Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) “The people we serve live on the edge. They are people who have gone to prison for committing crimes. They are prisoners’ mums and dads, partners, children. They feel hopeless - messed up. We serve them because in spite of everything, we believe they are worth our best efforts. We believe that we can make a real, lasting difference and enable them to change their lives for the better.”

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Established in 2001, and currently working in 35 prisons in England and Wales, Pact supports prisoners and their families to make a fresh start, and to minimise the harm that can be caused by imprisonment to offenders, families and communities.

Pact runs a range of programmes including: Integrated Family Support, which helps families to maintain contact; Time to

Connect, which offers parenting classes to short sentence prisoners; Pact Lunch, an innovative social enterprise (often run by prisoners) which runs catering services within the confines of prison visit halls; supervised children’s play schemes, also in visit halls; and Just People, which trains and vets volunteers for the criminal justice system.

There is significant evidence that suggests that prisoners and their children often have lower levels of literacy than the general population. Most prison visits for children offer little in the way of child-centric activity or family interaction and activities such as reading with your child are rarely encouraged. To address this issue, Pact developed a new booking-sharing literacy project for prisoners and their families which will create a ‘library’ of children’s books at several prisons. Our £10,000 grant was towards the Inside Stories project which will improve reading skills amongst prisoners and their families, whilst also strengthening family bonds by encouraging participants to read together.

www.prisonadvice.org.uk

Shannon Trust Development of a reading manual to teach prisoners to read in prisons across the country £50,000 Prison Advice and Care Trust Capital costs of setting up a book sharing and reading project in prisons throughout the UK £10,000 (14 grants including 13 grants of £10,000 or less) Total

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£141,900

Visual Impairment

Visual Impairment Macular Society Macular disease is the most common cause of sight loss in industrialised countries, affecting over 500,000 people in the UK alone. There is currently no cure for the disease which can lead to blindness.

The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions for 25 years. They offer information and support (via information leaflets and factsheets, a helpline,

counselling and a befriending service), campaign for better care for people with the condition, and fund research into finding a cure for the disease. There are more than 250 Macular Society support groups across the UK. The groups are run by volunteers, most of whom have macular disease themselves.

The charity undertook a rebranding exercise based on consultation with service users which included a recommendation to remove the word disease from the charity’s former name, the Macular Disease Society. As a result, they needed to produce new patient information and health professional publications to reflect this and other changes. We awarded £30,000 towards the cost of producing redesigned, rewritten and reprinted literature.

www.macularsociety.org

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Sector Research – New Philanthropy Capital

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We have been funding charities working in visual impairment for a number of years and were interested in understanding more not just about visual impairment but about the key issues faced by people affected and the organisations helping them. Since there appeared to be few, if any, recent reports or information available, we commissioned a piece of research by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), the charity think tank and consultancy.

Amongst the findings of the In Sight: a Review of the Visual Impairment Sector report were that: visual impairment is a growing problem with the number of people with sight loss in the UK expected to double from two to four million by 2050 as the population ages and underlying causes increase; older people wait too long to engage with eye care; the support needed to adjust to visual impairment is insufficient; and eye research is underfunded. Key recommendations included investing in early intervention services, and

developing joined-up working across the charity sector and public services.

The report was well received by charities working in visual impairment. Dr Philippa Simkiss, Head of Evidence and Service Impact at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said: ‘In the light of this report RNIB is committed to working even more creatively and collaboratively with our partners so that everyone affected by sight loss gets the support they need to live independently and that, when possible, sight loss is prevented altogether.’

In Sight is the fourth piece of research NPC have undertaken for the Foundation. Previous reports, all of them guides for charities and funders, were: Trial and Error in 2007 which explored youth offending and highlighted some of the innovative ways that charities help young people to stay out of trouble; Count me In, which looked at approaches to dealing with poor numeracy among children and adults in England; and Changing Lives, a report on the autism voluntary sector. Count me In and Changing Lives were commissioned as part of the proactive grants programmes running at that time in Mathematics Education and Autism respectively.

www.thinknpc.org/publications

Blind Aid Grants of disadvantaged visually impaired people £40,000

St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Grant for general funds

£30,000

New Philanthropy Capital Research into blindness and visual impairment £37,670

Grampian Society for the Blind Vehicle

£15,000

Macular Society Patient information resources

(8 grants including 3 grants of £10,000 or less) £30,000 Total

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£177,470

Proactive Grants Programme Autism The aims of the autism programme which started in 2007 were broadly to: improve the lives of people with autism and their families/carers; improve awareness, knowledge and understanding of the condition; and contribute to raising the profile of the sector at a local and national level.

With the £1.5m allocation fully committed by the end of 2012, we commissioned the Office for Public Management (OPM) to undertake an external evaluation of the programme following a competitive tendering process.

The evaluation considered the impacts of the six projects funded by the programme, as well as covering the proactive approach to grant-making. It included online surveys, interviews with grant recipients, project beneficiaries and stakeholders in the wider autism sector.

Key evaluation findings The evaluation found that, although the projects were very different in their focus and activities, they all contributed to the same overarching aims.

Improving the lives of people with autism People with autism at different stages of life (from childhood, through transition, to older age), and their families/carers, were impacted in a number of positive ways. For example, young people benefited directly from: attending Ambitious about Autism’s New Pathways College (£200,000 grant); accessing short breaks with carers trained in autism through the Short Breaks Network (formerly Shared Care) Reaching Out project (£145,000 grant); and involvement with the Centre for Research in Autism Education (CRAE), (£700,000 grant) at the Institute of Education and Research Autism (£168,000 grant) research-based projects.

Improving research and practice in autism The programme contributed significantly to autism research, most notably CRAE’s wide range of activities and exemplary practice of involving people with autism in research. It would not have been possible to establish CRAE without the Foundation’s grant which was critical to leveraging additional major funding. The programme also enabled the New Philanthropy Capital (£35,000 grant) work on mapping the autism voluntary sector.

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Having invested six years in the programme, we were pleased that the evaluation concluded that the programme had been a success and that our contribution to the autism sector was considered by all stakeholders to have made a significant impact.

Proactive grant-making Since the Proactive Grants Programme features prominently in our grants portfolio, we also wanted the evaluation to look at our proactive approach, in particular given the introduction of the new proactive Better Futures programme (opposite) during the year and a proactive programme on the dramatic arts which is being developed.

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The main strengths of a proactive approach were found to be that: it gives organisations the freedom to innovate (especially in the current economic climate, in which innovation may be stifled as funders ‘play it safe’); donors tend to be more involved with grant recipients, giving more direction and having an interest in ensuring the work continues after the grant; and that by funding several projects concurrently in the same sector, the overall impact is amplified (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts).

Improvements in practice Improvements in practice were evident in a variety of ways including: ● Increased skills and confidence of carers who attended a Short Breaks Network training course ● Increased capacity of college staff to work with young people with autism ● Development of transition pathways, due to Ambitious about Autism’s New Pathways College ● Development of diagnosis tools for emotional and social problems associated with autism by Research Autism ● Provision of resources and training for those working with older people with autism Greater awareness The programme has been effective in improving awareness and raising the profile of autism at different levels. For example, autism and ageing, a previously under-acknowledged area, saw an increased profile through the National Autistic Society’s (£217,000 grant) influencing and campaigning at local and national level. CRAE’s contribution to this aspect of the programme was also notable with its national reach and excellent engagement strategy.

Key learning points and recommendations for proactive grant-making included: ● Target a sector strategically ● Develop an understanding of the sector ● Facilitate collaboration between grant recipients ● Ensure clear governance and oversight ● Build in evaluation from the start ● Build in attribution of impacts to funding ● Continue a supportive and flexible approach We intend to use the findings of the autism evaluation to ensure the success of further proactive grant programmes, not just from our perspective as a funder but, crucially, in making a significant and positive difference to whichever sector we choose to work in proactively.

http://foundation.clothworkers.co.uk/ Who-we-are/Publications.aspx Although the autism programme has ended, we are still able to fund autism charities via our reactive capital grants programmes (under the Disabled People category).

Office for Public Management External evaluation of the autism programme Total

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£38,900

£38,900 (1 grant)

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Better Futures This new initiative was introduced to our proactive grants programme in 2013 with an allocation of £1.25m. It aims to support organisations and projects which could deliver significant benefits to vulnerable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, in particular in light of the recession which has had a disproportionate effect on them, and the 2011 riots which highlighted the need for more services for the young people most affected by the downturn.

The YMCA England project is a national street work programme involving three YMCAs working in some of the most deprived estates in the North East, Midlands and South East London. By the end of the three year project, at least 300 young people at risk of gang involvement and/or knife and/or gun crime will have been supported via a range of activities aimed at increasing access to employment, education or training.

Better Futures will award grants to organisations which aim to address some of the underlying causes of the riots, and which offer effective, long-term solutions.

www.ymca.org.uk

The first Better Futures grants were awarded to Catch22 (£300,000) and YMCA England (£290,000) following a competitive tender process. Catch22 and YMCA England are two leading youth charities known for their excellent work with disadvantaged young people.

The Catch22 project, Engage in Education, is an intensive programme of support for secondary school pupils identified as at significant risk of exclusion from mainstream education.

It will involve at least 200 young people aged 11-14 from Greater Manchester over three years, and will work with pupils with low attainment and/or poor attendance or those who have previously been excluded, and those with complex needs including social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Catch 22 For Engage in Education, an intensive programme of support for secondary pupils at high risk of exclusion from mainstream education in Manchester £300,000 YMCA England For a national street work project supporting disadvantaged young people in three locations in the North East, the Midlands and South East London £290,000

www.catch-22.org.uk Total

£590,000

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Conservation

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The conservation programme has been running since 2008 with an allocation of £2m. It concentrates on ‘moveable heritage’ and does not include the natural environment. The cornerstone of the programme is our 2008 £180,000 grant to the Institute of Conservation (ICON), the lead voice for the conservation of cultural heritage in the UK, to support them in growing the influence of the sector by funding the CEO’s salary for three years. A membership organisation, ICON aims to advance knowledge and education in conservation and achieve the long term preservation and conservation of cultural heritage by providing guidance, advocacy, training and education opportunities and by uniting the conservation profession and the wider heritage community.

Also integral to the programme is our support for internships in a range of conservation skills identified by the sector (including, most recently, ICON’s 2012 National Conservation Education and Skills Strategy) as being in danger of dying out. The 19 internships funded to date include three awarded in 2013 at: the British Museum – £30,000 for a one year internship in conservation science; Tate – £46,700 for an eighteen month ‘advanced’ crossspecialism internship focusing on modern materials; and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – £44,000 for an eighteen month internship in botanic conservation focusing on Kew’s Exsiccata collection.

The British Museum internship will not begin until April 2014 to coincide with the opening of the new World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre which includes the Clothworkers’ Organics Conservation Studio (£750,000 awarded in 2011 under the Textiles programme).

We advertise externally each year for an annual conservation fellowship, a competition enabling UK public institutions to apply for up to £80,000 over two years for a senior conservator at that institution to work on a research project, with our support for a junior conservator to cover their post.

Disappointed not to receive any applications in 2013, we may consider awarding two fellowships next year, depending on the number and quality of applications.

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Conservation fellowships in previous years have gone to Glasgow Museums, British Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Courtauld Institute of Art and Tate.

Our support for university conservation departments and public institutions via grants for specialist equipment saw us award £29,200 to the conservation department at the University of Cardiff for a portable laser system which will enable the department to offer training in the use of lasers to remove dirt and applied coatings for the first time.

Demand for our continuing professional development bursaries continues to be good, with 45 qualified conservators receiving awards ranging from £85 to the maximum £1,000 to attend courses, conferences and other events relevant to their career progression in the UK and internationally.

We expect to commission an external evaluation of the programme in 2014, and to have committed remaining funds from the conservation programme by early 2015.

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Conservation

Other

Tate Gallery Cross-specialism conservation internship focusing on modern materials £46,700 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Internship in botanic conservation

£44,000

British Museum Internship in conservation science

£30,000

University of Cardiff Portable laser system

RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief) Towards a natural disaster risk reduction training project in southern Pakistan £30,000 King’s College London Intercalated BSc bursaries to medical students

£30,000

UCL Medical School Intercalated BSc bursaries to medical students

£30,000

£29,200

Conservation bursaries Bursaries for conservators to develop their careers by attending specialist courses and conferences. £19,945 Total

Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN) Rapid response assistance in international emergency crisis situations £50,000

£169,845

Royal Institution of Great Britain Grants to state schools in disadvantaged areas to access enrichment and enhancement opportunities in maths £25,000 Wherever the Need Sanitation and hygiene project in India Total

£23,300 £188,300

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