Purpose

To allocate part of
Children’s Capital of Culture grant funding to a
‘Micro-Grants’ programme, which will make up to 40
grants of £250 available to community, grassroots, and
voluntary sector organisations across the Rotherham borough; these
grants will enable them to run community activities celebrating the
Children’s Capital of Culture Festival Year. This decision is
to approve the use of an open, public and competitive selection
process to award these grants, and to confirm the groups and
organisations to be awarded micro-grants.

Decision

 

ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

RECORD OF OFFICER EXECUTIVE DECISION

 

Date of Decision:

19th March
2025
 

Title:

Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 – Community
Micro-Grants Programme

Decision Maker:
(Including Job
Title)

Andrew Bramidge, Strategic
Director, Regeneration & Environment
 

Details of Specific Cabinet
Delegation
or Delegation contained in the
relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.
 

Sub-scheme of Delegation

 
All financial
matters relating to the management and delivery of cultural,
leisure, green spaces, landscape design and sports services,
including:
 
·       
Awarding and distribution of grants
·       
Authorisation of grants up to a value of
£25,000 according to the Council’s criteria for
cultural, leisure and events grants
 
Working in
collaboration with Finance Officers.
 

Decision:

To
approve the proposed awards of Community Micro-Grants to community
organisers to deliver a public events programme across the
Rotherham borough between 1st March and 30th
June 2025, and to approve the decision that any grant money not
awarded during this funding round is utilised later in 2025 to
support targeted activity in wards where Community Micro-Grants
activity has not previously taken place.

Reasons for the
Decision:

The decision increases the
capacity of local groups and organisations to deliver free,
creative and participatory events and activities for local
children, young people, families and wider residents as part of the
Children’s Capital of Culture Festival Year.
 
The Community Micro-Grants
programme is funded through the Community Recovery Fund; the key
purpose of this grant is to support community cohesion activities,
including key focus areas of educational initiatives and youth
outreach with children, young people and skills and of supporting
and promoting intracommunity relations in priority areas. Awarding
Micro-Grants to the 28 proposed organisations, while also enabling
additional targeted community work later in the Festival Year,
delivers on the key aims of this grant.
 

Details of alternative
options considered and rejected:

Do nothing – failing to
allocate the Community Recovery Fund funding to community groups
and organisations using an open and accessible process would mean
Children’s Capital of Culture is unable to fulfil its
agreement with the funder around the purpose and timescales of
spending this funding. This would be a substantial reputational
risk to the Council and its partners and could mean that the grant
is withdrawn and that the Council is unable to access future rounds
of funding allocated through the MHCLG.
 
Failing to allocate the
Community Recovery Fund funding through the Community Micro-Grants
could also affect the reputation of Council with local residents,
community groups and grassroots organisations. Without support from
the Council through the Community Micro-Grants programme, these
organisations may not have the means to run a creative and active
events programme that supports youth engagement and community
cohesion.
 

Conflicts of interest
declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker
which relates to the decision:

None.

Dispensations
Granted:
(If any)

NA
 

Reports or parts of
reports considered

Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 – Community
Micro-Grants Programme

 
I certify that this
is a true record of the executive decision to
approve the proposed awards of Community
Micro-Grants to community organisers to deliver a public events
programme across the Rotherham borough as part of the
Children’s Capital of Culture Festival Year.
 
Signed by the
Decision Maker:
          
Dated:         
19th March, 2025
 
Name:         
Andrew Bramidge                       
Job
Title:    Strategic Director, Regeneration &
Environment