Creative City Grants Legacy Development Evaluation Highlights the Value of Community Arts Development

As part of Culture Central’s Birmingham 2022 Festival Legacy activity, we are pleased to publish an evaluation of our Creative City Grants Legacy Development Programme.  The report offers compelling evidence for investing in grassroots community arts organisations in the region. 

Background 

The Birmingham 2022 Festival Creative City Grants was a programme supported by Birmingham City Council giving 108 community-based organisations a chance to partner with artists and bring fresh creative projects to the city as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. As part of the festival legacy, Culture Central was asked to look at ways we could continue to support the sector and those grassroots community organisations with the aim of building on the impact of the Creative City Programme. 

After consultation with the grantees, we identified three key areas of support needed for community arts organisations to thrive – Partnerships, Business Development and Fundraising. This led to the launch of the Creative City Grants Legacy Development Programme in April 2023, offering Creative City Grantees, partner organisations and freelance artists involved in the Birmingham 2022 Festival Creative City Projects, the opportunity to participate in developing the next phase of their organisational growth. Participants chose the development strand to focus on which best aligned with their needs and goals. We decided to use the dynamic and interactive process of Action Learning which involved, structured peer-to-peer support, action planning and 1-1 advice and guidance by expert facilitators.  

The ambition for the programme was to build capacity for these organisations, empowering them with the tools and strategies to achieve their medium to long-term goals and thrive in the cultural sector.  The general feedback from the participants throughout the programme was that they felt seen and validated in the work that they do and that the process of Action Learning was a useful tool that they will continue to use as part of their practice.  

“The process for me has been transformational…It’s really given me faith in my own abilities…I actually know all of the answers, but this has actually brought it out…”

Kinmos (Creative City Grants Reflections Event)  

The Evaluation 

The evaluation led by Dr. Claire French, Assistant Professor and Programme Lead MA Performance Practices at the University of Birmingham examined the impact of funding three structured Action Learning strands - partnerships, business development and fundraising - for 12 local arts groups. 

Action Learning is an approach that emphasises learning through doing, collective problem-solving, and implementation of solutions.  The findings are clear, this twin-track approach which provides both funding for grassroots community arts organisations and structured learning/capacity-building support can be transformative for the sector. Not only does it support skills development, but the evaluation also highlights the boost of confidence in unlocking strategies for growth. 

Crucially, the report underscores the catalytic effect of facilitated Action Learning by nurturing storytelling, reflection, and active listening. The programme fostered resilient communities of practice and primed the participants for sustainable growth in a financially and politically unstable climate in Birmingham. 

“As you fulfil your role, you become siloed within your organisation, but I think something fresh that has become apparent is that my work and the work of my organisation fits into a lattice of other cultural institutions across the region – and that burden and pressure that I might feel is also shouldered by others in quite a collegiate environment.

“It has given me space to look outwards a little bit more and that is not just around Birmingham but also nationally.”

Anonymous quote (Evaluation Report) 

For funders and stakeholders, these insights provide a robust case for holistic, people-centred models of development as we continue cultivating the region's cultural ecology post-Commonwealth Games.  Moving forward, Culture Central will use this as the basis model for further sector development programmes, that can be scaled for wider geographical reach and tailored to serve the needs of a wider range of arts-based organisations and freelancers.  

We would like to give a huge thanks to the Action Learning participants, the expert facilitators - Amy Dalton-Hardy, Helga Henry, Lucy Macnab and our evaluator, Dr. Claire French for this vital evidence base.  

As Birmingham 2022 Festival Legacy is happening, learnings like these will be invaluable moving forward. 

Access the full report here:

Header Image: Talking Birds. Come Bowl with Me. Birmingham 2022 Festival | Andrew Moore