‘From funding the precursor of the Arts Council to commissioning a seminal study of the effects of unemployment during the Great Depression, the Pilgrim Trust has put its cash into unusual endeavours.

The trust has an extraordinary history to match. Founded in 1930 by the American philanthropist Edward Stephen Harkness, it has been chaired by a former prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, and the preamble to its trust deed was written by John Buchan, the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps.

The trust deed says its grants are to assist with Britain’s “more urgent needs” and “promoting her future wellbeing”. The trustees at the time interpreted this as preserving Britain’s heritage and dealing with poverty and unemployment. Today, the trust has narrowed its focus to projects on drug and alcohol or women prisoners, and the conservation of historic buildings, artefacts, books and recordings. It reassesses these priorities every three years: the next review will take place next year.

Georgina Nayler, director of the trust, says she does not know what the trustees will decide to focus on next – they might retain the same objectives – but she thinks the prevention of social problems in childhood is an area worthy of funds.

As well as fitting the subject areas currently funded by the trust, she says, applications need to identify a problem, articulate a solution and show the project is sustainable and the organisation well managed. In 2011, the trust made 81 grants totalling just under £2m from its fund, which is worth about £56m.

From funding the precursor of the Arts Council to commissioning a seminal study of the effects of unemployment during the Great Depression, the Pilgrim Trust has put its cash into unusual endeavours.

The trust has an extraordinary history to match. Founded in 1930 by the American philanthropist Edward Stephen Harkness, it has been chaired by a former prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, and the preamble to its trust deed was written by John Buchan, the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps.

The trust deed says its grants are to assist with Britain’s “more urgent needs” and “promoting her future wellbeing”. The trustees at the time interpreted this as preserving Britain’s heritage and dealing with poverty and unemployment.

Today, the trust has narrowed its focus to projects on drug and alcohol or women prisoners, and the conservation of historic buildings, artefacts, books and recordings. It reassesses these priorities every three years: the next review will take place next year.

Georgina Nayler, director of the trust, says she does not know what the trustees will decide to focus on next – they might retain the same objectives – but she thinks the prevention of social problems in childhood is an area worthy of funds.

As well as fitting the subject areas currently funded by the trust, she says, applications need to identify a problem, articulate a solution and show the project is sustainable and the organisation well managed. In 2011, the trust made 81 grants totalling just under £2m from its fund, which is worth about £56m.

Recent grants include £15,000 to the museum the Wallace Collection, to catalogue and research its oriental armour collection, and £30,000 to the Prisoners’ Advice Service, to employ a women’s case worker.

Nayler says the trust often tries to back hard-to-fund causes that are overlooked by other funders. “It can be difficult to fund cataloguing and research into collections,” she says. “In the past few years it has been all about developing new audiences, forgetting that you cannot do that unless you know what you have in your collection.”

Recent grants include £15,000 to the museum the Wallace Collection, to catalogue and research its oriental armour collection, and £30,000 to the Prisoners’ Advice Service, to employ a women’s case worker.

Nayler says the trust often tries to back hard-to-fund causes that are overlooked by other funders. “It can be difficult to fund cataloguing and research into collections,” she says. “In the past few years it has been all about developing new audiences, forgetting that you cannot do that unless you know what you have in your collection.”

Recent grants include £15,000 to the museum the Wallace Collection, to catalogue and research its oriental armour collection, and £30,000 to the Prisoners’ Advice Service, to employ a women’s case worker.

Nayler says the trust often tries to back hard-to-fund causes that are overlooked by other funders. “It can be difficult to fund cataloguing and research into collections,” she says. “In the past few years it has been all about developing new audiences, forgetting that you cannot do that unless you know what you have in your collection.”

www.ethex.org.uk

Back in February Georgina made a two day trip to Northern Ireland and managed to fit in visits to heritage projects such as Clonard Monastery, The Ulster Museum and a site visit to the MAC (a new theatre space in the Cathedral Quarter). She also had meetings with representatives of NIACRO and the Probation Service who have been involved with the Inspire Project for women offenders.  The visit culminated in the Review and launch of the 2012 Community Interventions With Women Offenders programme which took place in the Long Gallery at Stormont.

To read the Community Interventions Report go the link below

Community interventions

 www.buildingthemac.com

NOMS have announced £3.5m in funding to be shared across 30 centres. It is expected that more than 5,000 women will benefit from the services offered by the centres.  Work at the centres focus on addressing the root causes of offending, including substance abuse and issues around domestic and sexual violence. You can listen to Baroness Corston talk about the funding on Radio 4′s   Women’s Hour

Crispin Blunt MP announces baseline funding for women’s community services

Justice Minister Crispin Blunt used the occasion of the launch of the CIFC evaluation to announce that, as of financial year 2013-14, £3.5 million will be baselined into Probation Trusts budget to support women’s community services.  Mr Blunt confirmed that future funding would be for ‘services with a proven track record of tackling offending behaviour’.

The Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition (CIFC) has just published an external evaluation on the work it has undertaken since 2008. The report shows that its unique approach to funding advocacy has ensured the crucial issue of women in prison remains a priority for the government and UK public.

Click on the link to read the full document

Corston Evaluation

John appeared on Radio Four’s Start the week on Monday with Andrew Marr, Professor Mike Hough, playwright Simon Stephens, head of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti and on BBC Breakfast TV

To listen to the BBC podcast click on the link below

Start The Week

Podmore has spent much of his career in the Prison Service, as a governor and latterly as an inspector.He concludes that prison simply does not work. He argues that crime proliferates in prison, it is a poor deterrent

and for many it represents a place of safety and is preferable to life on the street.Podmore believes that prison is necessary to protect the public from some,but that it should provide an opportunity to change the lives of many.Progress is hampered by public prejudice, political dogma and media hype.The result is that there is no real debate and a worsening problem that most people would rather ignore.

An international conference on women who offend and their treatment in the criminal justice system took place  in Cambridge this week.  The conference was the result of collaboration between the University and  Women’s Breakout, formerly Women’s Centre Forum and brought together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from the UK and across the world. This conference follows on from two previous and very successful international conferences on ‘Women, Crime and Criminal Justice’ which took place in Prato, Italy, in 2004 and 2007. The main aim was  ‘to share learning and best practice in recognising the diverse needs of women, and the need to de-escalate both the pressures which lead towards crime and the steps towards custody; thus diversion from both crime and custody and desistance in terms of what might help women’s pathways away from crime. This involves considerations of dignity in attempting to meet women ‘where they are’ and to respond to women’s real needs.’

To read the Programme click below

Women,Crime and Criminal Justice Practice