WESTFIELD EAST BANK CREATIVE FUTURES FUND INFORMATION & GUIDANCE HOSTED BY LISA STEPANOVIC AGENDA During this session, you’ll: ¡ Learn more about the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund as we go through the application process and guidance for the Large funding scheme ¡ Find out about our ongoing Capacity Building programme We’ll then open up to a Q & A where Lisa will be on hand to answer any questions. ABOUT THE FUND In 2020, Foundation for Future London, through funding from Westfield Stratford City, created the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund – over 5 years, the fund aims to invest £10 million into local East London communities. The Fund aims to support exceptional individuals, local organisations and businesses in their drive to create jobs, learning, training, and educational programmes through entrepreneurship, enterprise, arts, culture, and innovation. In short, the Fund aims to put funding, resources and support straight into local people’s hands. Year 3 has been designed with evaluation and feedback obtained from Year 1 and 2 grantees to ensure that the process is as accessible, transparent, and allows applicants to make informed decisions, follow a simple applications process, and gain additional support when needed. This year, the Large Grant scheme has a pot of £300,000 and will award 5 – 6 grants. KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Medium Grants – up to £15,000 ¡ Online application process ¡ Applications open 11 th July ¡ Applications close 16 th September Large Grants - up to £50,000 ¡ Online application process – must speak with a member of staff first ¡ Applications open 11 th July ¡ Applications close 16 th September WHAT WILL WE FUND? You can apply for funding to cover: ¡ project activities and staffing, ¡ running costs related to the project ¡ the purchase of equipment you need to deliver your activities We can fund a mix of project activities, operating costs, and organisational development but all costs must directly relate to the delivery of proposed activities. WHAT WON’T WE FUND? The Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund will not fund: ¡ Expenditure or activities that have already taken place ¡ Religious or political activity (we will accept applications from religious organisations if they can clearly demonstrate wider community benefit) ¡ Services that are a statutory responsibility (i.e. are the responsibility of the Council, Government or Health Authorities) ¡ Projects or activities that have no community or charitable element ¡ Foreign travel ¡ Projects that do not have a strong arts/cultural component ¡ Activities that have no public benefit for residents of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest ¡ Activities placed in a formal education setting as part of the core curriculum ¡ Recurring or on - going projects costs such as regular workshops/existing provisions FUNDING THEMES For all three of the community grants schemes, at the heart of your project there must be a core commitment to one or more of the following: Employment opportunities ¡ Will your project provide employment opportunities for local people, including access to paid work experience / internships, access to apprenticeships or gaining access to jobs? Learning opportunities ¡ Will your project provide ladders of opportunity for local people? E.g including lifelong opportunities from early learning, schools through to late career and post retirement and/or will your project offer bespoke career and higher education support, training, and secondment? Young people ¡ Will your project have a young person led approach with particular provision for local young people to access broader skills development opportunities, careers workshops and related learning and/or one to one coaching and mentoring? Business and entrepreneur support ¡ Will your project provide local people with the opportunity to have business and/or entrepreneur support including freelance, business and entrepreneur set up, development and training? OUTCOMES Short Term Outcomes Medium / Long Term Outcomes Participants gain technical/sector - specific and/or creative skills Increased employability of participants Participants gain essential skills Increased capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship Participants grow their networks and awareness of local opportunities Increased diversity in the creative/entrepreneurial sector in the boroughs Participants gain confidence in their potential and self - initiative More diverse audiences engage with the cultural sector and benefit from community assets/available services Participants are better equipped to process difficult emotions Participants act as agents of change within the local community Participants are equipped to act as agent of change in their boroughs Organisations and schools integrate creative approaches within their projects Organisations and schools are exposed to creative approaches to wellbeing Number of outcomes expected will be based on which strand you are applying for. For the medium grants scheme, a minimum of 3 short, medium to long - term outcomes must be demonstrated For the large grants scheme, a mi nimum of 5 medium and long - term outcomes must be demonstrated PROJECT ACTIVITIES Our Fund is about creating inclusive and sustainable opportunity — we are keen to back a range of activities and innovative ideas that drive the proposed outcomes The Foundation for Future London is a strong advocate for the ability of creativity to enable levelling up opportunities and to be a strong contributor to the London economy Therefore, we are keen to fund project activity that has origins in : Arts, Culture, Heritage Business & Start Up Community Creative Ideas Diversity & Inclusion Digital Collaboration Intergenerational Health, Wellbeing & Environment Education Covid - 19 recovery Creative, Inclusive Public Realm and/or Placemaking GRANT INFORMATION - MEDIUM Value: Up to £15,000 Project Duration: 12 - month projects Outcomes: Minimum of three short, medium, or long - term outcomes must be demonstrated Eligibility: Schools; not for profit organisations with less than £1.5 million turnover (schools and East Bank partners are exempt from turnover) Review Process: All applications will be carefully reviewed and evaluated against the four key core foundation themes as well as short, medium, and long - term goals, expected impact, user, and beneficiary groups and budgetary spend. Shortlisting will take place int ernally via our online system and by three team members. Final awarding will be decided by the Foundation Grant Assessment Panel, whi ch includes the Foundation’s CEO and one/two Foundation Trustees. Feedback will be given to all applicants; however, level of fe edb ack will vary dependent on the stage of the process and size of the grant applying for. Additional criteria: If you are a school applying you must evidence that the funding applied for will not be for core school day/ curriculum activ ity If you are applying for the maximum fund, you must evidence why the full amount is needed and where it will be used. If you have previously been awarded funding from the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund or any other Foundation grant programme, you are still welcome to apply for Year 3 funds. However, you must be clear if this application is for a new proje ct or an extension to the already funded project. Need for the new project or additional funding must be evidenced by provision of an imp act report from the previous project. The Medium Grant Scheme pot is £200k and will award 10 - 13 grants. GRANT INFORMATION - LARGE Value: up to £50,000 Project Duration: 12 - 18 month projects Outcomes: Minimum of five medium and large outcomes must be demonstrated Eligibility: Schools, not for profit organisations with less than £1.5 million turnover (Schools and East Bank Partners are exempt from turnover). A partnership and/or consortium approach to the project must be evidenced. Review Process: All applications will be carefully reviewed and evaluated against the four key core foundation themes; short, medium, and long - term goals; expected impact; user and beneficiary groups; and budgetary spend. Shortlisting will take place internally via our online system and by three team members. Final awarding will be decided by the Foundation Grant Assessment Panel. On occasion , w e may request further information to help us determine the outcome of any application. Feedback will be given to all applicants ; h owever, the level of feedback will vary depending on the stage of the process and the size of the grant applied for. Additional criteria: If you are a school applying, you must evidence that the funding applied for will not be for core school day/ curriculum acti vit y If you are applying for the maximum fund, you must evidence why the full amount is needed and where it will be used. If you have previously been awarded funding from the Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund or any other Foundation grant programme , you are still welcome to apply for Year 3 funds. However, you must be clear if this application is for a new project or an extension to the already funded project. Need for the new project or additional funding must be evidenced by provision of an im pact report from the previous project. The Large Grant Scheme has a pot of £300k and will award 5 - 6 grants. GOING THROUGH THE APPLICATION MEDIUM & LARGE SCHEME – FUNDING UP TO £50,000 SECTION 1 – ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST ¡ On the application form, you will have to complete the eligibility checklist. SECTION 2 – ABOUT YOU & YOUR ORGANISATION ¡ Name ¡ Email ¡ Phone number ¡ Organization role/position ¡ Borough ¡ Legal status of organization ¡ Organisation turnover ¡ FTE staff involved ¡ Year organization established SECTION 2 – DIVERSE - LED ORGANISATION ¡ Does your organisation or project team identify as 'diverse - led' based on key people involved in the development and delivery of the project? Note: The Foundation aims to prioritise support to organisations that are led by, and work that is developed and delivered with people and communities who are most affected in order to recognise the urgent need to address historical power imbalance between who leads, creates and makes work. ¡ If yes, in which category does your organisation or project team primarily identify as 'diverse - led'? Example - Senior management, board or individual project team identify is higher than 51% ¡ Disabled, Deaf or Neurodiverse ¡ Black, Asian or Ethnically Diverse ¡ Social Economic ¡ Female ¡ LGBTQ+ ¡ Young People ¡ Other: If you tick this box, you will be able to add details of any intersecting diverse backgrounds of your team members or anyone involved in the development & delivery of this project. SECTION 2 – ORGANISATION’S AIMS & VALUES – 250 WORDS As the lead applicant describe how this work fits with the aims and values of you and/or your organisation. We would also like to hear about your previous experience and commitment to diversity and inclusion. NOTE: The Foundations assessors will be particularly interested to hear how you involve, support and champions people with lived and learnt experience to inform the work that you do/want to do through the planning, delivery and evaluation of your work. Example Answer: The Chefs in Schools project, in partnership with George Green in Sir Jon Cass schools, aligns with our organisation’s aims and values around changing the food culture within the wider community. Both schools are in high deprivation areas, with low engagement rates in hospitality and catering careers. At Chefs in Schools, we want food culture to be at the heart of our work within the education system, providing skills - based learning that leads to training and employment pathways for young people. Led, steered, and delivered by lived - experienced local community experts, notable chefs and qualified training providers, our vision involves striving for equal access to meaningful careers within the hospitality & catering sectors for working - class communities. Chefs in Schools is a values driven, inclusive charity that does not discriminate, or recruit, based on protected characteristics. Through recognition and celebration of one another’s differences, we make it as easy as possible for all children and young people to take part in our programmes . When recruiting, our aim is to be as inclusive as possible and work with beneficiaries representative of our entire community. We know that East London communities are made up of many different races and cultures as well as the disabled, traveller , LGBTQI+, and carers groups. Diversity and inclusion is embedded in our work, showing cultural awareness and sensitivity throughout. SECTION 2 - ADDITIONAL SUPPORT ¡ Tell us about any help, support or adjustments that you would like to make us aware of as part of your application? Are there any areas of your project or your own development where you feel you would benefit from additional support, including access support? ¡ Medium - 150 words, Large - 250 words ¡ Is your first language not English? ¡ Yes/No If you need additional support to complete your application, please get in touch at grants@future.london SECTION 3 – YOUR PROJECT ¡ What is the title of your project? ¡ Where will it take place? ¡ Note: We encourage the development of activities and connections across more than 1 of the 4 boroughs. Select all the boroughs your activities are taking place across. ¡ Hackney / Tower Hamlets / Newham / Waltham Forest ¡ Please provide a short summary of your project (30 words) ¡ Please see next slide. ¡ Proposed project start & end date ¡ How much are you applying for? ¡ Medium – up to £15,000 ¡ Large – up to £50,000 SECTION 3 – YOUR PROJECT SUMMARY The 30 word summary provides a grant assessor with their first impression of your project. To remind themselves of your proposal, they may glance at your summary when making their final recommendations, so it may also be their last impression of your project. If your application is successful, it may even be used by the funder for advertising and/or publicity purposes. The summary should explain the key elements of your project. Most summaries state: 1. The general purpose: 50 elders 2. Specific goals: will take part in weekly photography workshops 3. To achieve what?: creating the ’last forever’ exhibition, 4. Methods: showcasing the everchanging East End through their eyes and experiences, 5. Significance (contribution/outcome): leaving a legacy for future generations. 50 elders will take part in weekly photography workshops, creating the ’last forever’ exhibition, showcasing the everchanging East End through their eyes and experiences, leaving a legacy for future generations. (30 words) SECTION 3 – ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED ¡ Project start/end date ¡ How much would you be applying for? (You can apply for up to £50,000) ¡ Issue being addressed (250 words max) ¡ What is the issue your project is addressing and why is change needed? ¡ This is a chance for you to tell us about the issue you are (or want to) address, why the project is needed, why is it important to you, what makes you well placed to address it and how has your community been involved in developing it. Example: The issue we are addressing is Elder isolation across our working class East End communities, and the lack of creative intergenerational opportunities for this marginalised group. We are also addressing Covid - 19 recovery, our beneficiaries are from majority Black, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, the groups most disproportionally impacted by Covid, which has affected their health and wellbeing, including mental health and emotional wellbeing. Many of our beneficiaries are without family support, this intergenerational creative digital photography project will see 10 elders and 10 young people come together, using digital cameras and software to reflect on their long, full, lives, and their learned an d lived life experiences, enabling them to leave a photographic legacy for younger generations. Young people have told us that they want to learn more about their forefathers’ cultures and identities; when planning this project, they said it was important for them to use their digital skills to bring to celebrate local community working class history. The elders involv ed in this project will be leading on cultural storytelling, the young people will peer - coach the elders with digital skills. This project is important because we recognise the need to preserve the culture across our communities. Our organisation is best placed to run this project, we are known and trusted in the community, with a diverse group of volunteers from all ages and backgrounds who will be on hand to support and champion this one - of - a - kind intergenerational project.