Watch our workshop where the Esmée Team share more information about the impact goals and priorities in A Fairer Future. You can also see the accompanying slides and answers to questions we weren't able to cover during the session.
UPDATES TO OUR STRATEGY: Please note that we updated our strategy for Creative, Confident Communities in November 2021, and our strategy for A Fairer Future in July 2022. Watch our Q&A webinars about our strategy for A Fairer Future in October 2022.
- The panel includes:
Hannah Lim, Funding Manager and Social Change Lead
Laura Lines, Funding Manager
Sharon Shea, Director of Portfolio
More Q&A
Below, you can find Q&As we didn't manage to get to during our webinar. Do also see our FAQs.
Acting early on root causes
If early years is 0-5 is there still space for working with primary age children?
For the specific early years outcome within the 'Acting early on root causes' priority this would be focussed on under 5s. There are no age ranges on our priorities however so if work with primary age children fits other priorities and impact goals then you should apply under that priority.
Tackling injustice
Under Tackling Injustice, we work in areas that still have a lot of young people facing disadvantage, but don't have high numbers of BAME or migrant/refugee communities. Will these young people still be eligible for this funding priority?
Our funding under our Tackling Injustice priority focuses on four issues - race, gender, disability and immigration status - and work must be primarily addressing one or more of these injustice issues. For priorities focussing on young people, please take a look at the priorities 'Children and young people's rights', 'Empowering young leaders' and 'Addressing the root causes of problems' to see whether your work is a fit.
If you work with small numbers who experience injustice & have limited opportunities due to a health condition - would the lower numbers matter
No, small numbers being worked with directly would not be an issue. However, many of our priorities do require there to be evidence of a wider impact, beyond the immediate beneficiaries, so do bear this in mind. By wider impact, we mean using evidence from service delivery to change in the policies, practices, behaviours and cultures of others, so that more people benefit in the future.
You mentioned funding partnerships - are there any others that Esmée are part of? In particular, ones looking at breaking down systemic racism?
The most recent is our contribution of £900,000 to the Global Majority Fund (total pot of around £3.5m), partnering with Comic Relief and other funders. It will fund around a dozen black/racialised community led intermediaries to distribute funds to grassroots organisations working to address the racial disparities exposed by the pandemic. We have also supported/contributed to funder collaborations that back legal work addressing injustice issues including racial and other discrimination.
Children & Young People
Will you fund projects that help enhance young people's involvement in the way an organisation operates?
We are partners in The Listening Fund, a joint funder initiative to support organisations to better listen to young people and respond to what they hear. Please see the website for more information.
Applications to Esmée Fairbairn directly need to show how they contribute to our impact goals and priorities. It is unlikely therefore we would fund a project solely to enhance young people's involvement in the way an organisation is run, but may contribute to the development of this in the funding of an organisation's ability to achieve wider outcomes.
Will you support work that comes out of supporting vulnerable young people out of the impact of COVID and lockdown / isolation?
Yes, provided there is a connection to our impact goals and priorities.
Empowering young leaders
For the Empowering young leaders programme, we’re looking at a partnership between an arts charity that works with 4-11 year olds and another arts charity that works with 12-18; would the 4-11 year olds be considered ‘too young’ for the Empowering Young Leaders strand?
We do not have a set age range from which we accept applications in this priority. In reality, due to the need to demonstrate young people themselves leading change, most work we fund tends to be with 14-25 year olds. However, we are willing to consider any work that shows it can meet the specified outcomes for the priority.
You said you're less likely to fund short term work around young leaders or organisations without a track record, so are you open to funding work that's already established but needs funding to enable it to continue and develop?
Yes, we are open to funding established work, provided it meets our priorities and impact goals.
What is the appetite for interventions that would take place in schools? We believe in formative experiences in schools where every young person can be reached.
The majority of work that we fund under ‘empowering young leaders’ takes place out of school settings. We do not fund work that is part of the curriculum and as we are interested in raising the voices of young people least likely to be heard, only fund work that it is accessible to all, including those who might not be having a positive experience at school.
Do you also consider supporting the development of young leadership in broader environmental / social justice movements?
Yes, we are keen to develop opportunities for young people to lead change in whatever areas are important to them.
Removing barriers to creative careers
What is your definition of a creative career?
We do not have a specific definition but we are interested in supporting all careers linked to the creative/cultural sector. This means creative artists, technical staff, administrative staff are all included.
Are there any parameters to 'creative careers'? Can the focus be on any area of the creative industries? Does it need a specific focus? Are there any creative specialisms that wouldn't be supported? I'm particularly interested in access to creative careers in the film and TV industry.
All our grants have to support charitable or not-for-profit organisations. If an organisation is charitable but is seeking to create access to careers in a mostly commercial sector, we may consider it, but the charitable benefits must be very clear. Generally, the focus of this funding priority will be on those parts of the cultural sector which are predominantly subsidised or charitable.
Cultural Education
Are you still holding consultation sessions? If so how can we connect with you on this?
We are still in the process of developing the priority and having a range of conversations with other funders and organisations in the cultural education sector. Thank you for the offer of connecting with us. See also our FAQs.
