Heritage Lottery Fund Evaluation of the Sharing Heritage programme Simon Jaquet and Jennifer Waterton Final report December 2015 Simon Jaquet Consultancy Services Ltd 69 Restalrig Rd Leith Edinburgh EH6 8BG www.simonjaquet.com Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Executive summary ................................................................................................................................. 4 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 10 2 Background ................................................................................................................................... 11 Overview of the ‘Sharing Heritage’ grants programme ............................................................ 11 Heritage Lottery Fund Outcomes Framework .......................................................................... 11 Purpose of the evaluation ........................................................................................................ 12 Aims and objectives of the evaluation ...................................................................................... 12 Structure of the report .............................................................................................................. 13 3 Research approach ....................................................................................................................... 14 Overview .................................................................................................................................. 14 Limitations of the research approach ....................................................................................... 14 4 Findings: profile of applications ..................................................................................................... 16 First time applicant status ........................................................................................................ 16 Type of organisation ................................................................................................................. 16 Heritage type ............................................................................................................................ 17 Amount of grant requested ...................................................................................................... 17 Region ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Priority Development Area Status ............................................................................................ 19 Applications from a wider range of communities ..................................................................... 19 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 19 5 Findings: review of 100 selected projects ..................................................................................... 21 Information provided on 100 selected projects ........................................................................ 21 Do projects achieve their 'approved purposes' / intended outcomes? .................................... 22 Are project assessments undertaken by HLF robust? ............................................................. 25 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 28 6 Findings: interviews with 35 successful applicants ....................................................................... 30 Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 30 The application process ........................................................................................................... 38 Sustainability ............................................................................................................................ 40 Lessons learnt .......................................................................................................................... 41 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 41 7 Findings: interviews with 15 unsuccessful applicants ................................................................... 43 Awareness and understanding of the Sharing Heritage programme ....................................... 43 Experience of the application process ..................................................................................... 44 Subsequent development of the project .................................................................................. 46 Other Comments ...................................................................................................................... 46 Case Papers ............................................................................................................................ 47 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 47 8 Findings: 10 case studies .............................................................................................................. 49 Selection of case studies ......................................................................................................... 49 Who we spoke to ...................................................................................................................... 49 The 10 case studies ................................................................................................................. 50 Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 50 Partnerships ............................................................................................................................. 52 Capacity building ...................................................................................................................... 53 Sustainability and legacy.......................................................................................................... 53 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 54 9 Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Evaluation Aim 1 ...................................................................................................................... 55 Evaluation of the Sharing Heritage programme - final report (December 2015) 2 Evaluation Aim 2 ...................................................................................................................... 56 Evaluation Aim 3 ...................................................................................................................... 57 Evaluation Aim 4 ...................................................................................................................... 58 Other issues ............................................................................................................................. 59 10 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 61 Achievement of HLF outcomes ................................................................................................ 61 Impact of the Outcomes Framework on project design, planning and delivery ....................... 62 Grant making process .............................................................................................................. 62 New and diverse applicants ..................................................................................................... 62 Measurement, recording and definitional issues ..................................................................... 63 HLF decision making process .................................................................................................. 63 Benchmarking quality ............................................................................................................... 63 11 Issues for further consideration ................................................................................................. 64 Scenario 1 – Building on the status quo .................................................................................. 64 Scenario 2 – Developing a stronger focus on community / voluntary organisations ............... 65 Scenario 3 – Revisiting the relationship between the Outcomes Framework and the Sharing Heritage Programme ................................................................................................................ 67 Scenario 4 – Developing a strategic partnership with UK Arts Councils ................................. 69 Appendix 1: Profile of 100 Selected Applications ................................................................................. 70 Appendix 2: 10 case studies 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