Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has commissioned Place Matters to research three key areas of our place-led funding since 2016: Every One, Every Day in Barking and Dagenham (Participatory City Foundation), Plymouth Octopus Project in Plymouth, and Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations in Sandwell.
Two and a half years since we published a report summarising our insights and learning from the large-scale place-led funding we had done over the past five years, we are revising them to:
- Update and widen our learning about community-led change
- Get a wider picture of the impact of the projects, beyond our own viewpoint as a funder
- Understand and share how our approach to supporting Creative, Confident Communities has evolved
The three 'place pilots' informed and shaped our strategy in Creative, Confident Communities, and the report is still regularly referred to by staff and is our most read insights report on our website (1,142 reads in the past year, 179 downloads).
Who is the research for?
Esmée wants to use what we learn from this research to inform our work in Creative, Confident Communities particularly our Communities working together for change priority, so the main audience for the report is our staff and Trustees.
We also want to share the key findings with organisations working in the field of community-led change in a summary update to the Insights Report, so they are an important secondary audience.
Who will be carrying out the research
We have commissioned Place Matters for this project. Place Matters is an infrastructure organisation aiming to accelerate the impact of community-centred place-based change in the UK. They enable communities to change what is important to them, convene places to learn from each other and build knowledge that develops the practice of place-based working.
Approach
In addition to desk research, Place Matters will contact the projects to identify and then interview:
- Local community groups and community members who have worked with, or engaged with, the funded work
- Contacts from the funded organisation
- Funders and community organisations who are or were active in the local area
- Contacts from the local authority
- Esmée staff and Trustees
When will the work take place
Place Matters are beginning research in September 2024 and aim to finish work by Spring 2025.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk.
