Building on the success of last year’s first ever Impact Review, we are delighted to share our second Impact Review for 2022. In this review, we showcase the work across all our grant programmes and the issues we’re helping to tackle in the heritage and young women’s mental health sectors. Below are five highlights to give you a taster of the impact we are having.
1. Our year in numbers
We gave a total of £2,932,509 across 69 grants in 2022! The majority of these were smaller Preservation & Conservation grants – with 53 grants averaging £15,000. We were pleased to see across both grant programmes that new applicants made up around 70% of our applications. Below you can see the spread of our grants across the UK:
2. We renewed multiple strategic partnerships in heritage
In 2022, we investigated how successful and impactful our heritage partnerships are. Our findings confirmed these partnerships are a cost-effective way of extending the reach of our funds and helping small heritage organisations receive smaller grants. In 2022, 280 grants of mostly less than £5,000 were distributed by our partners.
We were delighted to go on to renew our partnerships with the Theatres Trust, National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, Church Buildings Council (part of the Church of England) and Association of Independent Museums for another three years.
AIM and Pilgrim’s collections care grants allow small museums like the Trimontium Museum to radically step up their conservation care skills and processes. (Credit Trimontium Trust)
3. We’re helping research, advocacy and development in our focus areas
Our research, advocacy and development fund focuses on projects and ideas that make strategic interventions in young women’s mental health, preservation and conservation of historic buildings and collections, and increasing access to the countryside.
In 2022, we gave five grants coming to £155,000 for projects that are helping to bring systemic and policy changes within our focus areas.
One of our grants was to the YHA’s Outdoor Citizens group – a membership community of charities and organisations working within the outdoor sector. Our grant will help support more people from underrepresented groups to access the health and wellbeing benefits of spending more time outdoors. (Credit: YHA)
4. Young women’s mental health continues to be a pressing issue
The mental health of young women continued to be a pressing issue, as we entered the second year of the Young Women’s Mental Health programme amidst the cost-of-living crisis and ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
We welcomed a wide range of organisations from the North West and North East of England into our second cohort – all which demonstrated how their mental health activities supported the needs and interests of young women.
Our programme aims to increase young women’s access to high quality, age and gender specific mental health services. Grantees receive £30,000 per year for three years and join part of a community of practice to support their work.
Refugee Women Connect join the programme from Liverpool, where they support asylum seekers, refugees and survivors of modern-day trafficking. Their programme for young women – the Sisterhood Project – will provide young women with a range of therapeutic interventions and activities.
5. Long term, sustainable solutions for historic buildings continue to be a priority
Majority of our Preservation & Conservation grants continue to go towards finding new uses, and building sustainable futures, for historic buildings. Our support tends to come in early-stage development grants that helps smaller heritage organisations take the first steps into restoring historic buildings within their local community.
As our Chair of Trustees, Sir Mark Jones, notes in his opening remarks, ‘abandoned town centres undermine communities and leave those without private transport increasingly isolated and lonely. […] Helping a community to come together to restore and find new uses for historic buildings, as exemplified by the work of The Ridge in Dunbar, can help to reverse the trend, create new social bonds and give the cheering impression that things are on the up’
The Ridge in Scotland restores derelict historic town centres and provides training opportunities for young people struggling in traditional educational environments. Above three out of nine young local stonemason apprentices were employed by The Ridge to restore a set of ‘Close’ buildings off Dunbar’s main high street.
We hope these five highlights have intrigued you to click and read our entire Impact Review 2022 – easily accessible below:
