Review of the Fusion Challenge Grants programme

Fusion was designed to tackle poverty by encouraging participation in culture at a local community level, to empower those who have traditionally faced barriers.

Main findings

• Overall, stakeholders expressed largely positive attitudes towards the programme. The stakeholders interviewed were keen to continue participating. 
• This review highlighted the integral role of coordinators in facilitating partnerships. This was enabled by coordinators strategic oversight of their partnerships.
• Partners regularly referenced benefits of participating in Fusion. Benefits included the opportunities for partners to skill share and pool expertise and resources. 
• For coordinators, partners support had resulted in more opportunities for target groups and/or added value to existing projects or activities.
• The research also highlighted a number of challenges for coordinators and partners. Key issues were raised around communication, the limited financial resource allocated to partnerships, and the relatively short timescale for planning activities and delivering outcomes.