Coventry City of Culture Trust has been awarded £200,000 of grant funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to support the commissioning of cultural activity that encourages behaviour change related to the climate crisis.
Building on the successful partnership with the Foundation during the Coventry UK City of Culture year, this funding will support the Trust to build new local partnerships and invest in organisations to deliver fun, interactive, and engaging projects.
The funding will also enable new and emerging organisations to develop their capacity so that they can co-create work and be ready for commissions over the next 18 months.
The Trust recently announced its plans for the first commissions that build on the successful programmes delivered during the year of celebrations. They included a new programme that responds to the cost-of-living crisis that will bring together more than 650 people in warm spaces to engage in creative activities from sewing to visual art, a new commission with young people in the city and a programme that brings creative activity to Coventry’s parks and green spaces. The Trust also announced the second exhibition at The Reel Store, the multi-award-winning Life and Work of Frida Kahlo that looks beyond her iconic masterpieces and popular perceptions and takes visitors on an unforgettable journey of resilience, hope and bravery.
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK and aims to improve the natural world and strengthen community bonds. The partnership with the Trust will enable them to inspire community action and demonstrate the role of arts and culture in finding solutions, including in tackling the climate crisis.
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of City of Culture Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to have secured another grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to support our legacy plans. This generous grant will enable us to support projects that demonstrate the role of arts and culture in finding solutions to building a better, greener, fairer future for Coventry”.
Alison Holdom, Funding Manager at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said: “We’re excited that this new work builds on a successful City of Culture programme, and will have a lasting impact on both the cultural sector and community in Coventry and Warwickshire.”