Insights from place-led funding

In a new report, we share learning from the place-led funding we’ve done over the past five years, which has informed and shaped our strategy in Creative, Confident Communities.

Please note that the map at the end is interactive, but you will need to download it first. You can do this by clicking on the download button in the bottom right-hand corner.

The aim of this report is to help bring our new strategy for Creative, Confident, Communities to life, and to share insights from what we have learned from our three ‘place pilots’, and what we want to do next. In a map at the end of the report, we also hightlight some of the projects that have helped to inform our strategy for Creative, Confident Communities.

We hope it will be useful for current and future partners, as well as for other funders in considering their role in place-led funding.

Let us know what you think

We'd love to hear from you! Share your feedback, insights and questions by emailing: communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk.

Learn more

Latest

You might be interested in

  • Citizens for Culture - Photo credit Ciara Hillyer

    Citizens for Culture: the making of a citizen-led Cultural Plan

    A new 16-minute documentary tells the story of the West of England’s Citizens’ Assembly for Culture through the people who took part – and invites more people to be part of what happens next.

    Read more
  • White wall with lots of colourful post-it notes

    What do people think about Esmée Fairbairn Foundation 2026

    Read the key findings from a 2026 survey of successful and unsuccessful applicants on their experiences of working with Esmée, alongside what we plan to do in response.

    Read more
  • Gina Crane standing in the woods

    People can’t build for the future while they're fighting fires

    In Gina Crane’s final project for Esmée, she has been working with Oliver French to pull together six years of learning about Esmée’s strategy for Trustees. In this blog, Gina shares the challenges organisations we fund are facing and shares three things she'd like funders to do.

    Read more