The Rivington Fund Review 2022.

STATES OF JERSEY

THE RIVINGTON FUND REVIEW 2022

Presented to the States on 10th August 2023

by the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture

STATES GREFFE

2023  R.124

THERIVINGTONFUNDREVIEW2022

YEARENDSUMMARY

In 2022 the Rivington Fund was relaunched with a redesigned application process and brand refresh raising the profile of the Fund and giving it increased reach and support to qualifying Jersey residents who could not otherwise afford to travel off-Island to cultivate their passion for arts, crafts or history. This has resulted in some significant improvements with better targeted outreach, promotion, guidance, applicant experience and community impact than in previous years. The redesign and launch costs were £5,000 and annual administrative expenditure is circa £10,000. This has led to an increase from ten beneficiaries over the preceding six years to 59 awardees alone in 2022.

Great care has been taken to provide suitable administrative support and this is believed to have directly contributed to substantial gains in application volumes. The application process seeks to permit a better experience for core target applicants (i.e. those who have never travelled off-Island), balanced with a robust yet non-invasive screening of eligibility criteria (e.g. affordability self-certification, clear trip purpose and recent travel history,rather than evidence of low-income status).

The dual approach of using community group referral alongside media promotion and an accessible, informative website allowed the Fund to attract many core target applicants, who in turn influence their social groups and inspire others through word-of-mouth. The charity presentation evening held in Q4 was another useful conduit with all seven charities attending expressing interest.

However,it is recognised there is more to do in terms of consistently attracting and motivating applications from those most in need. During 2023 continued efforts will be made in this regard with options being explored to enable the identification of key organisations and individuals to champion the Rivington Fund and mentor applicants.

DASHBOARDDATA

2022 applications volumes

For comparison, from 2015 to 2021, 15 awards were made to 10 individuals, totalling £11,642. In 2022 following a brand and process refresh, 18 awards were made to 59 individuals, totalling £65,940.

2022 impact &eligibility criteria

Of 26 applications received, 69% were deemed eligible for awards. Eligibilitycriteria includes the core tenants of the fund -an interest in arts, crafts or history,financial need and Jersey residency -plus applicants need a valid purpose, clear itinerary and detailed budget.

The largest type of applications (58%) were for those seeking improvements to quality of life through off-Island cultural experiences, such as Islanders with poor mental health.

2022 funds awarded

The trustees agreed the maximum award expenditure for 2022 would be the fund's income recorded in the latest (2020) accounts, less 10% administration and marketing costs. In 2022, this amounted to £89,000 and 74% of this was subsequently awarded. The average cost per person per awarded trip was £1,118.

2022 award locations

17 different destinations worldwide were awarded to Jersey residents. Of these 29% were for UKtrips, 47% to mainland Europe and 24% further afield.

2022 website traffic

2,600 visits were made to the new Rivington website last year;48% driven from social media (both Rivington and applicant accounts); 37% direct use; 13% online search engines and 2%referral (e.g. 42 viewers bounced from government websites).

2022 FUNDINGBREAKDOWN

Blue indicates trips which have taken place in 2022.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS ANDFEEDBACK

Below is a selection of testimonials from trips held during 2022.

Jax Quenault (pronoun: they/them) is a musical theatre performer. Acting and

singing are their passion. They spend a lot of time listening to and watching recordings of shows and participating in local theatre and applied for funding to take

a trip to London to experience the West Endand the VA. They also wanted to provide some respite and an exciting experience for their mother. Of the trip Jax said "This was my first ever non academic or medical trip off Island, to tick theatre related items off my bucket list. Thanks to the Rivington Fund, Ihave been able to see my favourite show of alltime, Newsies, upon its London premiere and it was everything Icould have hoped for,leaving me definitely wanting to go back when Ican afford it. The trip has inspired me even more to continue creating a local theatre group focused on putting musicals particularly,that put minority groups centre stage. As a theatre reviewer and content creator and aspiring performer and director,this trip really was invaluable to me, especially as due multiple cancellations when previously trying to go as Ihad insufficient funds. Iam forever grateful to Rivington for supporting me to see these shows. Ialso loved going on a theatre tour,eating at the theatre cafe and the theatre diner,which were both filled with memorabilia,a soundtrack of showtunes, and singing waiters."

Amber Hahn is an artist in Jersey with an interdisciplinary practice that spans choreography,sound and sculpture. Amber applied to Rivington to take a trip to Marfa, a small desert city in west Texas, which is known as a contemporary arts hub. She visited the The Chinati Foundation, founded by artist Donald Judd, which displays huge indoor and outdoor installations on an old army base. It is the site of the artist's first large-scale architectural projects. Of the trip Amber said "The Rivington Fund has allowed me to strengthen my artistic foundation and pursue new material directions and spend time thoroughly developing multiple media and aspects of my work as they manifest in different forms; allthe elements being of equal measure with respect to care. Ianticipate that this experience willinform the production of new exhibitions, as well as the design and delivery of community projects and workshops that I'm developing as an Artist-educator."

In the summer of 2022 Jersey Action Against Rape used Rivington funding to take a group of their clients off-Island for a two-day pottery workshop at Penrhiw Pottery in Wales. The studio is run by a talented potter with over 25 years of experience and another who has more than ten years experience of working with adults teaching social and emotional skills through the medium of art and drama. One female survivor said of the trip "Idon'tknow where to start to say thank you. Iwouldn'thave gone away this year if it wasn'tfor this trip and nearly didn'tanyway through anxiety. This has been life changing for me, and to be away with such amazing people has helped. We allagreed it was such a support to meet others going through the same as we felt normal and could open up without any expectations. We alllove those who support us, but there is a difference between those who truly understand and Ican't thank you enough for giving that to us."

Jersey resident Vicky Hinaultattended the Austin film festival's Screenwriters conference in Texas, USA. During the conference she attended a number of panels held by working screenwriters and filmmakers to learn and further develop her craft. This was the first opportunity since the pandemic she's had to progress her writing projects. Of being successful in her application she said, "I'm so unbelievably grateful to The Rivington Fund for this opportunity. Being able to learn, meet with and talk to professional screenwriters about my projects and how Ican further develop them is a sure-fire way for me to move forward on a career path that Ilove."

Clare applied to Rivington to take a family tripwith her son to Barcelona exploring arts and architecture. She said "Myson and Ihad such a wonderful week in Barcelona made possible by The Rivington Fund. We stayed on the edge of the OldTown and spent a lot of time exploring as we walked through some of the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and around La Rambla, some of which dates back to mediaeval times. We sampled some of the fabulous food in a market called La Boqueria, very colourful and lively. We visited the museum of contemporary art (MACBA),the Picasso museum where the collection was housed in 5 adjoining mediaeval palaces and included his early work from the age of 11, along with later prints and pottery. Of course Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, started in 1882 and still unfinished. To say it is an unconventional church would be an understatement! Amongst the bustling crowds we came across 3 talented street musicians. Two highlights for us were Gaudi's Casa Batllo, a very eccentric curved house on 6 floors with a loft and roof terrace. Beautiful

craftsmanship including wooden panels and tiling. The other highlight being the Joan Miro Foundation with a panoramic view of the city in the relaxing sculpture garden. Most of the collection has been donated from Miro's private collection."

Mother and son Joanne &Joseph Fry are both passionate about history. They

applied for funding to take a tripto Liverpool to visit the Liverpool Tate, the Maritime Museum, World Museum and the Museum of Liverpool which houses the history of Islam, a particular area of interest for them both. Joanne said of the trip. "When Ifirst heard about Rivington Ididn'tthink it would apply to me. My son and Iadore history, but due to finances we were never able to do any of the things we wanted and they got put off year after year. But the application for Rivington was simple and Ihad lots of

advice and guidance. Iwas so happy to be accepted and started planning straight away. Ican'tthank Rivington Fund enough for giving me this opportunity to expand my knowledge and spend quality time with my son doing something we both love. Honestly if you love art / history,apply to the fund. It's a great resource open to everyone and operated by beautiful people."

The Rivington awarded funding to Youthful Minds,a group of young people aged between 11-25 who are working on a campaign to tackle and reduce the stigma associated with mental health for young people in Jersey. They applied for funding to take a group of 13 people on an arts tour of Edinburgh. Choosing the Scott ish

capital for its cultural breadth and density,the group explored a mixture of painting, sculpture, music, theatre, literature, architecture. Youthful Minds said, "We are so

grateful for the opportunity. Using art can support good mental health in many ways, particularly for young people. Some of the potential mental health benefits of creativity and art are increased self-confidence, self-esteem, finding a sense of purpose and meaning and a way of coping with difficult and distressing emotions. It's our hope this trip willhelp young people reach their potential and empower them to move towards their goals and aspirations for the future."