Creative, Confident Communities

We want to strengthen the bonds in communities, helping local people to build vibrant, confident places where they can fulfil their creative, human, and economic potential.

Our approach to working with communities and places is evolving, thanks to the exciting collaborations we have across this strategic aim.

As places tackle social, economic and environmental challenges, and continue their post pandemic recovery, the power of collaboration is becoming increasingly evident and important. We have seen this through our partnerships such as LocalMotion, a collaboration between six funders and six places. LocalMotion continues to test our understanding of how we view place and communities. Together, we are re-examining and redefining the relationships between funders and those who are already leading the hard and important change in their communities.

Change also requires creativity. Creative Civic Change, which ran from 2018 to 2022, demonstrated that when communities are empowered through trust-based funding and resourced with expertise, they are enabled to unleash creative imagination and create a legacy that will last beyond the initial investment.

During the year, we also continued to support creative institutions at the heart of communities that are responsible for being custodians of our collective past and future. The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund in partnership with the Museum Association is at the heart of this endeavour, supporting museums and galleries to better reflect the diverse communities that make up our places and communities. In 2022, we re-committed to the Fund, with a £2.7m grant to support inclusive collections and participation work across the museum sector.