Cardiff Policy Café: engaging with research, policy and practice
Cardiff Policy Café: engaging with research, policy and practice
What and who needs funding in Wales?
Planning the funding priorities for Wales beyond 2015
Rob Roffe: Senior Policy & Learning Manager, Big Lottery Fund Wales
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) currently distributes between £40-£50 million each year in Wales and its programmes reflect Welsh strategic priorities. It is keen to draw upon a greater pool of knowledge and expertise to inform its own programmes and priorities, as well as improve its ability to distribute the learning that it acquires through its funding programmes. With its current planning period coming to an end, BIG has one eye on its funding priorities beyond 2015 and is beginning to shape its vision for the future.
So, the key discussion points are: What, How, Where, Who and Why should they fund?
What are the social issues in Wales in need of funding? Should BIG fund a ‘cause’, fund research, fund infrastructure? Should they fund for the majority or the minority? Should programme design be based on evidence? If so, what evidence? Whose evidence? What outcomes do people want for Wales? What are ‘outcomes’ anyway? Should BIG contribute to collaborative working or to ‘healthy’ competition? What should they do with all their data?
…that’s a lot of questions that need answering.