BIG update Sarah Carroll 03/07/2012

Mission statement: ‘Bringing improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need’ Our values: Being supportive and helpful Making the best use of lottery money Using knowledge and evidence

Outcomes funder What we want to achieve with our funding Community learning and creating opportunity Promoting community safety and cohesion Promoting well being Outcome 1 People having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills Outcome 2 Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems Outcome 3 Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy Outcome 4 Healthier and more active people and communities

New policy directions and income The Cabinet Office is our new sponsor department ─ Continue to focus on themes and support those most in need ─ Continue to place emphasis on community involvement ─ New direction about using learning to help development of policy and practice beyond BIG ─ New direction to support the social investment market ─ Change in Lottery shares to 40% in April 2012 (from 46%) ─ Core grant making cost to be reduced to 5% by 2014

Fresh Thinking – The next chapter Strategic framework refresh. Our vision up to 2015 Our fundamental principles: ─ Continue to support those most in need ─ Committed outcomes funder ─ Continue to have a mixed funding portfolio ─ Continue to distribute majority of funds to the VCS ─ Continue to fund projects that are additional to Government expenditure ─ People experiencing difficult transitions or experiencing isolation remain a priority

Fresh Thinking – The next chapter Adapting to change. Our vision up to 2015 Our key priorities: ─ Focusing on those most in need ─ Building partnerships and facilitating collaboration ─ Involving people and communities ─ Building stronger organisations

Fresh Thinking – The next chapter Adapting to change. Our vision up to 2015 New and emerging: ─ Supporting development of social investment ─ Delivering outcomes with others ─ Increasing engagement with private sector

The story in England The ‘How’ of Fresh Thinking ─ We believe in people’s strengths and that they are the best solutions to the problems they face ─ We will make open programmes simpler and faster ─ We will compliment this funding with long term investments in a small number of social problems ─ We will make better use of our ability to bring groups together, to learn, influence and showcase success

Open demand led programmes: ─ Success rate in April was 62% ─ 2012/13 budget of £57m ─ Currently piloting webinars ─ Most common reject reasons: insufficient evidence of need, project not meeting a programme outcome, poor planning and management ─ no more than £10,000 in any one year period ─ Slight amendments to guidance to clarify certain policies

Open demand led programmes: Reaching Communities ─ Current success rate 21% at OPF and 45% at full application ─ Tips from grants officers on outcomes: ─ Don’t just repeat Big Lottery Fund programme outcomes, we want to see specific outcomes for the group’s project ─ Do make sure the outcomes link logically to the need that has been identified and evidenced. ─ Do make sure the outcomes are achievable through the activities described in the application. ─ Has the applicant considered how they will measure progress towards achieving their outcomes?

What the England committee like to see “Projects that tell me in clear and practical terms what they actually intend to do” “Evidence of learning from past; how helps us and others learn in future” “Evidence of partnerships and attempts to find other sources of funding” “Singularity of focus – doing 1 or 2 things that really make a difference rather than solving world poverty and hunger”

The “wow” factor “Singularity of focus – doing 1 or 2 things that really make a difference rather than solving world poverty and hunger” “Clear understanding of impact and extent to which it is lasting” “Bringing unlikely groups together” “Connections made with other grant holders and successful programmes” “A new approach and innovation – happy to take risk if planned benefit is clear”

What the England committee don’t like “Singularity of focus – doing 1 or 2 things that really make a difference rather than solving world poverty and hunger” “Applications that aren’t specific, don’t spell out clearly what the project intends to do” “Making grandiose claims” “Reinventing the wheel” “Playing back too many buzzwords and concepts they think we want to hear”

Replaces ‘Explaining the difference...’

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