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2022-03-31-accounts

Curious Minds’ Registered Office:

Curious Minds is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a Registered Charity

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements

Company Information ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Chair’s Statement ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Trustees’ Annual Report ............................................................................................................................... 6 Review of our achievements and performance in 2021/22 ............................................................... 9 Our commitment to Equality, Inclusion and Diversity ....................................................................... 21 Our commitment to Quality ........................................................................................................................ 21 Our commitment to Climate Change ...................................................................................................... 21 Our Values - The 7 Cs .................................................................................................................................. 22 Our Plans for the future ............................................................................................................................... 23 Financial Review ............................................................................................................................................ 26 Structure, governance & management ................................................................................................... 29 Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities .................................................................................................. 31 Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of Curious Minds .................................................. 33 Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31[st] March 2022 (including income & expenditure account) .................................................................................................................................... 38 Balance Sheet as at 31[st] March 2022 ..................................................................................................... 39 Statement of Cash Flow for the year ending 31[st] March 2022 ...................................................... 40 Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2022 ............................. 41-53

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Company Information

Incorporation

The charitable company was incorporated on 17[th] December 2008 and commenced trading on 1[st] April 2009. Curious Minds became a registered Charity on 6[th] August 2009.

Trustees

Mrs. Karen Crowshaw – Chair Mrs. Ruth Raban (Retired 31/1/21) Mr. Jaffer Hussain - Vice-Chair Mr. Jonathan Robinson Ms. Samira Al’Obaidi Ms. Alicia Smith (Appointed 26/1/22) Ms. Eleanor Chapman (Appointed 26/1/22) Mr. Ivan Wadeson (Retired 31/12/21) Mr. Mustafa Hassan (Appointed 26/1/22) Mr. David Wearing

Executive Management Team

Chief Executive Officer Derri Burdon Chief Operating Officer Sue Langfeld Executive Director of Learning & Workforce Jude Bird Executive Director of Social Justice Kelly Allen

Statutory Auditors & Accountants

Mitchell Charlesworth (Audit) Limited 3[rd] Floor 44 Peter Street Manchester M2 5GP

Bankers

CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent MA19 4JQ

Solicitors

Counterculture Partnership LLP Unit 115 Ducie House Ducie Street Manchester M1 2JW

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Chair and CEO’s Joint Statement

This wasn’t the year we thought it would be. We had known since 2018 that Arts Council England (ACE) funding for the national Bridge network would be coming to an end in March 2022. Due to the pandemic, ACE had extended our grant for a further twelvemonths and we entered the year determined to make the most of the unexpected opportunity.

In April 2021 we, like the rest of the world, were navigating the post-pandemic ‘new normal’. Although restrictions were being lifted, it would be many more months before education and culture, the two main sectors we work across, would get back to operating anywhere near normal. It’s fair to say that the high levels of uncertainty that dominated the first half of this financial year affected our ability to plan events and training with certainty.

At the same time, the devastating impact that successive lockdowns and restrictions on social mixing had on children’s learning and wellbeing was becoming clear. Distressing new phrases started to invade the education lexicon such as ‘catch-up’ and ‘learning loss’, and the media were warning of a looming mental health crisis amongst children and young people. We knew there was a crucial role for cultural education to tackle these pressing issues.

We were disappointed then, when in June Kevan Collins resigned from his role as education catch-up tsar due to the Treasury’s refusal to fund his recommendations. We had grown hopeful that a recovery fund would bring with it opportunities for young children to catch-up on the creative and cultural learning experiences many of them had been deprived of due to the pandemic.

But we weren’t defeated!

Our partnership with United Learning Trust (ULT) to deliver the Unlocking Experiences initiative demonstrated how useful a national approach could have been. The partnership was instigated by ULT’s CEO, Sir Jon Coles who wanted both pupils and staff at his schools to ‘get out and enjoy themselves’ after lengthy periods of uncertainty and change. In his unique response to this time, he was recognising the pressures being felt by schools and their population. He also wanted to trial a model that could be replicated by other schools to address this challenge.

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Footballer Marcus Rashford had spearheaded a successful campaign to extend support for low-income families to be able to access free school meals in major school holidays. We seized the opportunity presented to us by the Department for Education to influence more and better cultural activity through HAF (Holiday Activity Food) Camps. We delivered an online session for local authority commissioners from across England to advise them about good commissioning practice and encourage them to make use of our Cultural Providers Map. The involvement of cultural organisations and creative practitioners in the delivery of this scheme continues to grow across England.

As the year progressed, we realised quickly that the shift to online meetings and training during the pandemic had caused a permanent change in the way we would need to work going forwards. But starting to meet in-person again sparked a renewed appreciation about the value of being able to connect with people. So, as we settled into the ‘new normal’ we began to explore approaches to hybrid working. We think very carefully now about how and why we bring people together online or in-person. ‘Holding the space’ for professionals across the education, youth and culture sectors continues to be a key aspect of our work – the spaces are both digital and in-person now.

2020 had been a year of reckoning for us and we had embarked on a journey to become an explicitly anti-racist organisation, and to be a stronger champion for diversity and inclusion. We entered this year determined to be a conduit for sector-led change and welcomed Saphena Aziz into the new role of Director of Inclusion. Saphena made an immediate impact, working with our ARG (Anti-Racism Group) to conduct thematic deep dives into the inner workings of the charity. This work, particularly the change to our recruitment processes, has drawn national attention from others wanting to replicate our methods.

This was the year in which two long-serving Trustees, Ivan Wadeson and Ruth Raban retired. We are incredibly grateful for the support and expertise they offered. They both made a significant contribution to steering the charity through the choppy waters of the pandemic and their words of wisdom continue to influence what we do and how we do it. We in turn welcomed three new Trustees onto the board following a successful recruitment exercise: Eleanor Chapman, Mustafa Hassan and Alicia Smith. They bring a useful mix of professional and lived experience into the charity and add vibrancy to board discussion and fresh insight to planning and decision making.

The second half of the year marked a crucial point in Curious Minds’ transition from being a Bridge organisation into its next phase of development as Trustees worked with the Executive Management Team to develop the organisation’s new strategy for 2023 - 2030, and to apply to join ACE’s portfolio as an NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) for the period 2023 - 2026. We knew it would be a highly competitive bidding round and while we were quietly confident that our application would be successful, there was no certainty that 4

it would be, or that we would be offered the same level of funding we receive as a Bridge organisation.

We’re incredibly proud of the resolve and ingenuity the whole Curious Minds team mustered throughout a year permeated with uncertainty about both the immediate and long-term future. We continued to deliver our services and programmes to an incredibly high standard and to respond rapidly to the needs of the cultural education workforce as they became apparent.

Little did we know that this was simply the calm before the next storm!

Post-pandemic, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, political instability and a devastating cost-of-living crisis, the status and provision of arts subjects is declining, and the cultural participation gap is widening. There is a real danger that without rapid intervention, soon only the most affluent families will be able to purchase the advantages of a proper cultural education for their children. Our work is more urgent now than ever!

And so, into a curious future we proceed with a renewed determination to make it one in which being creative and experiencing brilliant culture is a regular part of every child’s learning and life.

Karen Crowshaw Derri Burdon Chair of the Board of Trustees Chief Executive Officer

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Trustees’ Annual Re ort p

Our purpose and activities

The purposes of the charity are to advance for the public benefit the education of children and young people within England to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals, in particular by:

Curious Minds aims to improve the lives of children and young people in the North West of England through facilitating access to arts and culture for all. It promotes cultural education and enables creative innovation and collaboration between the cultural, educational and youth sectors.

In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, including the guidance ‘public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’. Our main beneficiaries are schools, local authorities, cultural organisations and creative practitioners and we are mindful that they all continue to work within a challenging social, financial and policy climate.

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Charging Considerations

Our main beneficiaries/stakeholders are schools, local authorities, cultural organisations and creative practitioners, all of whom are working in a challenging financial and policy climate. Affordability and access to our programmes is important to us and remains a key consideration when we are planning our activity. Wherever possible, places on our events and training programmes are provided at low or no cost to participants using the grants we receive as subsidy. The decision whether to provide a service, place on training or at an event or conference is carefully balanced to ensure cost does not act as a barrier but also taking into account our experience of drop-off when offering places for free (e.g., people register but don’t turn up). We cost all our traded offers on a full cost recovery basis.

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Programme Delivery

Business plan priorities were originally agreed for the four year period 2018 – 2022, reviewed to manage a smooth transition towards 2023 in line with the Arts Council England’s extended funding due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

These are:

  1. Widening our influence – so that Curious Minds is positively influencing policy and practice across the entire children’s workforce.

  2. Pioneering next practice – recognising the factors impacting on children’s lives and the vital role culture and creativity play in helping them navigate a rapidly changing society.

  3. Developing autonomy and resilience – to ensure that Curious Minds is ready to tackle future financial and environmental challenges.

  4. Making a difference – responding rapidly and innovatively to tackle issues affecting children’s lives that we care deeply about.

From March 2020, when it became apparent that we would not be able to deliver our usual programme of activities, we reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic, repurposing our resources to respond to the crisis facing the cultural education workforce, and have incorporated these strategies in our action since then and into the Bridge extension year.

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Review of our Achievements and Performance in 2021/22

Curious Minds continues to punch above its weight to achieve significant regional impact with limited resources. We choose to support the sector rather than directly working with young people and it is this strategic approach that enables us to have substantial regional reach and influence as honest brokers and advocates for cultural and creative education.

Our work targets children and young people living and learning in some of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of the country. We continue to support cultural and education sectors to collaborate so that these children and young people can enjoy rich art and cultural experiences.

As this year began, we were still responding to the Covid–19 pandemic. We had repurposed our resources in 2020/21 to respond to the crisis facing the cultural education workforce. It was a time of learning and, despite the challenges, of discovering new ways to define what it means to be a Sector Support Organisation (SSO). It was also a period in which the value of the cultural education workforce has been brought into sharper focus, along with its vulnerabilities.

In early 2021 we refreshed our plans for the remaining term of our business plan and agreed the following:

Strategic Aims 2021 - 2023

Through our work we will:

  1. IMPACT social justice outcomes

  2. INFLUENCE children’s services policy and practice

  3. INVEST in the cultural education workforce

  4. INNOVATE creative practice & pedagogy

  5. INITIATE partnerships and strategic alliances

Strategic Plan 2021 - 2023

Our Strategic Plan for 2021 - 23 was produced in partnership with our Board of Trustees, Advisory Groups and consultation with funders and key stakeholders. It is designed to manage a smooth transition as we move out of our current Arts Council England (ACE) Funded Bridge role which ends on 31 March 2023.

We will continue to play a key role in helping ACE to achieve the ambition for children and young people as expressed in the new Ten-Year Strategy, 'Let's Create', having been included within the National Portfolio 2023 - 2026.

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Delivery Plan 2021 - 2023

Over these two years we are focussing delivery and programme development across 4 key areas:

Activity

1. Sector Development Activity

1.1. Artsmark

Working with our Artsmark Associates, we delivered monthly online Development Training and Statement of Commitment sessions, with additional 1:1 email review and feedback support on completed drafts of Statements of Commitment. As a result, 72 schools submitted their Statement of Commitment and progressed to delivering their Artsmark Programme.

“Thank you so much for your help and guidance! We have really appreciated it and the zoom meetings were really inspiring and helpful to us. We look forward to the next stage of our journey!” Balderstone St. Leonard’s Primary School (Artsmark Gold).

We provided monthly Statement of Impact sessions, with additional 1:1 email review and feedback support on completed drafts of Statements of Impact. By scaffolding this phase of the Artsmark journey with a comprehensive support offer and nurturing relationships over the long-term, 42 schools submitted their Statements of Impact and received their Artsmark accreditation (19 Silver, 17 Gold, 6 Platinum).

“Thank you so much for your support and advice over the past few years. Your input and the support from Curious Minds was invaluable. In short, I could not have done it without you!” Blackmoor Park Junior School (Artsmark Gold).

The team hosted three online Artsmark Partnership Programme briefings and confirmed 17 new organisations as Artsmark Partners.

“Please can I just pass on our gratitude for this morning’s session. We found it extremely informative, and it gave us the clarity we were seeking. The session was so well delivered and put together that the time flew! We cannot wait to become partners!” I4YPC (Artsmark Partner).

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We also celebrated the Artsmark community with Artsmark Celebration Week 2021 with 69 guests attending our celebratory events during the week.

1.2. Leading The Arts

35 teachers successfully completed our ‘Leading the Arts (LTA) in your school’ course by the end of the Academic year 2022. LTA is our tried and tested modular programme designed for early to mid-career teaching staff in any education setting, with ambition to develop their school’s arts and cultural offer and to make a real difference for children as they reconnect with learning. This iteration of the course included a hybrid model including the development of the Online Platform.

Outputs:

The impact has been:

1.3. Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs)

We have supported LCEPs through meetings, advice, signposting to sources of funding and have delivered an in-person session on place-based working, as well as a conversation on Artsmark, and how that can support engagement with schools. We regularly share sector information and opportunities with LCEP chairs and coordinators and have supported changes of personnel (chairs and coordinators) across the LCEPs, ensuring all are connected into each other and kept updated.

Support is also maintained on an individual basis with LCEPs, as they continue to develop programmes to impact their areas. These are according to the needs and make up of each area and range from leading events for Borough of Culture (Halton), being key partners in City as Art School (Manchester), co-developing cultural strategies for their boroughs alongside other partners (Sefton) and creating a CPD offer for those working in schools

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(Salford). Rochdale has been supported to develop an LCEP and Crewe are just at the beginning of that process. Seven LCEPs (in Greater Manchester and Pendle) have hosted Creative Youth Voice Champions under the Kickstart programme (led by Careers & Employability and supported by Sector Development). Their recommendations are being shared with all LCEP chairs and coordinators.

1.4. Freelancer Network

We have co-delivered two briefings on the Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) programme funded by the Government. 14 individuals and small organisations attended alongside staff from 6 HAF teams. A number of organisations within our network were successful in securing funding to deliver activity during the summer holidays 2021.

We hosted three quarterly Network sessions with a total of 63 attendees. To provide additional support, we also hosted sessions focusing on Trauma Informed Practice (39 attendees), Governance (9 attendees) and a Spotlight on Being a Freelancer (6 attendees).

1.5. Social Prescribing Pilot

The Creative Youth Social Prescribing Pilot ran between September 2021 and July 2022. In five 6th form Colleges across GMCA, this included commissioning of activity. The biggest impact has been the relationships that have developed from this work specifically: BeeWell, The Royal Society for Public Health and GMCA which has led to significant partnership working.

1.6. SLiCE (Specialist Leader in Cultural Education)

Curious Minds has been working with United Learning Trust to deliver year 1 of a 2-year, national programme to six settings from the Multi Academy Trust. Six Fellows enrolled and five of those completed year 1 of the Fellowship.

The outputs from the programme for each Fellow are as follows:

The impact of the programme so far, has included:

“Through our cultural commission our school has: increased engagement,

a real appreciation of Arts & Culture, created a shift in SLT focus and increased interest in extra-curricular activities.” Amy Burrows, Avonbourne Academy

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“This year’s work has forced me to reach beyond my staff to outside agencies. It has given the young people a chance to question how they want to be seen and how to positively commit to exploring and expressing that.” Zoe Cooper, Sedgehill Academy

“One of my main takeaways is what does ‘Cultural Capital’ actually mean and how can we best support our communities to ensure equity in education.” Laura Orchard, Pegasus Primary School

1.7. Hyperlocal and Blackpool SLiCE

We launched Hyperlocal work in three areas - West Cumbria, Ellesmere Port and Blackpool. These are all areas of high deprivation with different needs and we have been working on the idea of investing staff time and Curious Minds’ programmes in each focussed geographical area to monitor what happens given that our work has been regionwide for 10 years. Cumbria has Curious Citizens and Leading the Arts, Blackpool has SLiCE(R) and a careers focus and Ellesmere Port has Artsmark, LTA, artists as cover, intergenerational work and careers. This work will be further developed in 2022/23.

1.8. Creativity Collaborative

In October 2021 we learned that St Bernard's RC Primary in Ellesmere Port had been successful in obtaining one of eight national awards to become a Creative Collaborative lead school. We have worked closely with this school since 2014 on SLiCE, CASE, Artsmark, LCEP and they are now part of the Ellesmere Port hyperlocal steering group. Our support for their bid augmented the established partnership with the schools and evidenced our impact working in a long-term in-depth way with them.

1.9. Early Years and Intergenerational Work

We developed an early years web page on our site identifying the range of work we have been engaged in across education and the cultural sector. We have continued to be a lead partner in the cross Bridge early years network hosting symposia and network meetings to advance and share practice. Spring boarding from this we began conversations on intergenerational work and made contact with Dr Virginia Tandy at the Centre for Creative Ageing and Ready Generations to look at models of intergenerational working. This work will be further developed in 2022/23.

1.10. United Learning Trust (ULT) Unlocked programme

We were introduced to the CEO of ULT via Arts Council England (ACE). He wanted their Manchester/Salford secondary pupils to get out into the world again after a series of lockdowns and do something enjoyable. We worked with Salford Academy, Cadishead and

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Irlam Academy, Albion and the Lowry Academy, Stockport Academy, William Hulme Grammar School and Manchester Academy.

We brokered links to cultural organisations including Manchester Camerata, HOME, National Football Museum, People’s History Museum, Manchester Arts Gallery and the Whitworth and the Lowry. Due to another wave of Covid-19 some of the planned activity was stymied however the sessions that did run were considered hugely successful.

1.11. Arts Award

In partnership with Preston LCEP, we supported the development of an LCEP Arts Award map. The aim of this was to join up the regular offers of the cultural organisations so the Arts Award pathway across a local area was more visible to Arts Award advisers and young people

The impact has been:

1.12. Let’s Craft

Building on the Covid-19 response Let’s Create and Let’s Craft programmes, Curious Minds are one of nine partner Bridge organisations working with Crafts Council and sponsor HobbyCraft to deliver packs of craft materials to children across the country from 2022 to 2025. Beginning in Wigan, 500 packs will be distributed in the run up to the Christmas 2022 holidays.

2. Social Justice Activity

2.2. Anti-Racism Group

At the start of the year our ARG had recently been established and had begun thematic deep dives into the inner workings of Curious Minds. During Spring 2021, they looked at our recruitment processes, which led to a re-vamp and the introduction of a promise that we will not shortlist for permanent posts until we have at least 20% diversity amongst applicants. Not only has this proved consistently successful in attracting a wider range of candidates, but it has also drawn attention from other organisations wanting to replicate our methods. Together with the ARG we then created a Director of Inclusion role, and

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through our new process successfully recruited Saphena Aziz who took up post in September 2021.

2.2. Pushing Boundaries

This year saw a long-term ambition put into action plans to support refugee and new migrant artists to develop their skills as Cultural Educators, able to work in UK schools. In partnership with Community Arts North West, we planned a programme of work and have since recruited 8 artists from Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria, Palestine, Iran and Iraq to our Pushing Boundaries programme, which will run from September 2022 to March 2023.

2.3. Inclusivity and Relevance Workshops

During this year, Arts Council England introduced their Investment Principles, which placed great importance on ‘Inclusivity and Relevance’. Whilst already firmly embedded in the ethos of Curious Minds, we seized the opportunity to ‘turn the volume up’ further and ran internal and external workshop sessions to help cultural educators interrogate the concepts, understand the implications for their work and push their practice even further.

2.4. Global Curiosity

The ongoing impact of Covid-19 made it necessary for us to pivot our Erasmus+ project Global Curiosity programme to online delivery. Global Curiosity is a practice sharing programme to increase the involvement of cultural venues and creative practitioners in the delivery of global youth-work. We worked in partnership with The Hellenic Theatre/Drama and Education Network -TENet-Gr (Greece), and The Malopolska Institute of Culture in Krakow (Poland). We coalesce around the belief that there is a pressing need for Children and Young People to be able to think critically, behave compassionately and act democratically, and that creativity and curiosity are vital to this.

2.5. Curious Commissions

Towards the end of the year, we began our Diversity & Inclusion focused Curious Commissions programme. This is a professional development programme, providing a learning opportunity to work with a mentor to develop a new area of delivery with young people through a live commission. It is targeted exclusively at Black and Brown artists, and artists with disabilities, to accelerate their learning and presence in the cultural education workforce. We received 65 applications for 19 commissions, the vast majority of whom were previously unconnected with us, many of whom have since gone on to be involved in other Curious Minds programmes and projects.

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3. Careers and Employability

3.1. Kickstart Wraparound Support

During 2021/22 we delivered Kickstart wraparound support to 20 young people as part of their time working with a creative employer. One participant commented:

“I am really grateful for all your help this year during my Kickstarter job and would love to keep in touch”'.

We participated in wider strategic conversations about Kickstart to influence DWP decision making and supported the wider sector to engage where possible. In March 2022 we successfully recruited seven young people as Creative Youth Voice Champions. Deployed in pairs across Bury, Pendle, Bolton and Salford & Trafford LCEPs, they were tasked with taking a creative approach to engaging children and young people’s voices in creativity and cultural education.

3.2. Stage Directions Salford

Our support of Stage Directions continued, with emphasis on supporting the careers strand. This is the Youth Performance Partnership Fund programme with Salford LCEP. In October 2021 we appointed Elli Chapman as the Careers Event Producer. March 2022 saw the delivery of a large-scale creative careers event called 'Beginners Call: Starting your creative career'. Over 300 students from across Salford, from mainstream education providers, SEND provision and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), took part in a multi-site event, delivered during national careers week. Evaluation showed that as a result of this experience young people improved their transferrable and performance making skills and have a better understanding of and interest in creative careers.

3.3. Alternative Saturday Jobs (ASJs)

This year saw the successful delivery of 6 Alternative Saturday Jobs (ASJs) supporting museum partners to create youth employment opportunities, as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Hope Streets project. As a result, most of the museums have repeated the roles or created new opportunities, including apprenticeships. In one case, new HR processes have been implemented so young people aged 16 and over can be employed within the museum service. This creates a legacy to this work and allows more young people to be brought into their future workforce.

Together with Saul Argent and Sadia Mir (ASJ with Lancashire Museums), we presented at the Museums Futures Summit in March 2022. Together, we shared the ASJ model as an alternative pathway into museums and heritage careers and shared the long-term strategic benefits a scheme like this can offer museums and heritage organisations, as well as the young people involved.

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3.4. Careers and Employability Advocacy

Our Head of Careers & Employability also joined the steering group for Culture Forum North, an open network of partnerships between Higher Education and the cultural sector across the North, looking at the value and impact of partnership working. Alongside this we continued to be part of the Youth Employment Group, a national coalition of 300 organisations advocating for fair and inclusive employment for young people.

4. Learning and Impact

4.1. Research Partnerships

In a partnership with Goldsmiths, three postgraduate researchers analysed survey data collected from pupils at United Learning Trust schools, The Valley Leadership Academy and Bedford High School. The research explored the barriers to and benefits of engaging with art and culture, particularly in terms of character strengths and curiosity. Findings were presented back to us in November and Curious Minds supported one student’s application to continue the research at doctoral level.

4.2. Philosopher in Residence

Manjit Shellis joined us as our Philosopher in Residence developing our Curious Pedagogy work. Manjit facilitated a series of sessions to develop work based on the successful pilot of Cultural Citizens, an iteration we have called Curious Citizens. This draws on Manjit’s knowledge and skills from her UFA (University of the First Age) and National Citizen Service experience.

4.3. Repurposing UFA Leadership & Learning Training

Education charity the UFA closed in March 2021 after over 20 years of delivering learning and leadership programmes for children and young people and the adults that support them. Former National Manager at the UFA, Manjit, with the permission of the UFA worked with the Curious Minds team to repurpose a range of former UFA training programmes so that they can be delivered with the cultural and education sectors to ensure a firm legacy. These include Lead Learner Training, Peer Tutor Training and Young Researchers and Evaluators. We will be working with Manjit to market and deliver these courses in 2021/22.

4.4. Reviewing SLiCE (Specialist Leader in Cultural Education) In addition, Manjit has supported a ten-year review of our SLiCE (Specialist Leader in Cultural Education) Fellowship programme and provided ‘train the trainer’ input to our friends at Blaze Arts CIO.

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4.5. Evaluation & Facilitation

In evaluation and facilitation work, six evaluation contracts were won this year with two arts organisations, two University projects and two projects with Chester Zoo. These add to our existing three-year work with Writing on the Wall.

These contracts have allowed us to pull together an internal team to develop our ‘Curious Approach to Evaluation, Consultation and Facilitation’. We have developed and tested curiosity driven approaches with external clients, namely: our ‘Hack Event’, an online consensus workshop and evaluation focused ORID conversation technique; and an Evaluation Framework that maps theory of change to mechanisms, actions, impacts and indicators.

“It has really helped my practice so much and you guided us through it expertly.” Emma Hulme, Programme Manager, Writing on the Wall.

Evaluation advice has been provided to three organisations this year and fundraising advice has been provided to eight organisations. Two bid-writing workshops have been delivered with approximately 60 places booked. We were invited to provide a programme of fundraising mentoring to Lancashire Music Service.

A full impact evaluation report was provided for the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to demonstrate the value of their investment in our Covid-19 response initiative Bubble Up.

5. Policy & Influence

5.1. Public Relations & Public Affairs

Throughout 2021/22 we worked with PLMR to develop our approach to public relations and public affairs work, including political stakeholder engagement. During the first half of the year, key messages focused on the role of the cultural education workforce as a valuable resource for education recovery and promoting our new Cultural Providers Map. The second half of the year focused on Levelling Up and the role of cultural education for increasing opportunity for children and young people in the North. PLMR helped us to secure meetings with Esther McVey MP (member of the Levelling Up taskforce and Northern Research group), Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Shadow Spokesperson for Education) and Julie Elliot MP (Chair of the Children's Media and Arts APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group). They also invited us to a conversation event with the new Children’s Commissioner, for which we were able to submit questions and invite key partners, including the Arts Council.

In May 2021 we provided written evidence for the Northern Culture APPG inquiry into ‘What Northern culture needs to rebuild, rebalance and recover’ and were invited to present at the online evidence session later that month. The Northern Culture APPG Case

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for Culture report was published in January 2022, including evidence provided by Curious Minds. We are now a sponsor for the Northern Culture APPG and supporting their current inquiry ‘A Question of Sport? An Inquiry into the cultural value of sport to the North’s cities, towns and communities.’

I n September 2021, our Curious Feast helped to develop our thought leadership role, hosting conversation and debate on the theme of cultural capital. This was a great opportunity to engage some of our key stakeholders and to profile the expertise of leading figures in cultural education. Content from the event has been used to explore cultural capital within other Curious Minds programmes, including CASE and Leading the Arts.

Towards the end of the year, we started to work across the Curious Minds team to develop a stronger focus on purposeful communication and advocacy, developing key messages and stakeholder engagement plans for different strands of work.

Other key pieces of work:

6. Marketing and Communications

6.1. Campaigning Activity

The 2021 - 22 fiscal year began with the ramping up of our campaigning activity around Covid Recovery, summer clubs and the potential of the cultural education workforce. At that point, our #PasstheBaton campaign was still very much in full swing.

April 2021 saw the launch of our Creative Providers Map – both as a demonstration of workforce scale and a useful tool for commissioning authorities. This is still very much part

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of our digital footprint today and, so far, has over 360 published provider listings. Site page views from July 2021 to March 2022 numbered 752.

6.2. Thought Leadership

Our work to campaign for and highlight best practice also extended to thought leadership pieces published on our website on topics as varied as: Reconnection, Lessons from UFA and Youth Leadership. We were also proud to be able to share a good deal of content profiling our partnerships in terms of the Goldsmiths research partnership, CASE, ULT Unlocked, and our support for the successful Creativity Collaboratives bid in the North West.

We were also delighted to announce news of field-shaping importance, such as our CEO Derri’s position as co-chair of the CLA, her invite to join the LGA Commission on Culture and Local Government, and the appointment of Saphena Aziz as Director of Inclusion.

6.3. Rebrand

Towards the end of this financial year, the Communications team worked closely with Derri and PLMR to initiate and bring to fruition a corporate rebranding project that has been very well received externally. This was rolled out across all external comms channels from 1st May 2022 but was the result of months of work beforehand.

6.4. Publications

Also in May, an external article profiling our work with ULT (United Learning Trust) was published in Teachco’s Secondary magazine. Naturally, this emphasised the role of ULT, but it comprised – in a large part – our own written content. With a large print and online readership in the education sector, this is valuable exposure.

6.5. Digital & Social Media

Our expertise in the use of digital platforms accelerated significantly due to remote working and moving our entire offer of events, training and support online, developing innovative approaches to maintaining our interactive and dialogic house style. We remain committed to improving our own use of ‘Digital’ and to also supporting other practitioners and organisations who are keen to explore how improved use of digital platforms and approaches can help them reach more children and young people.

We will continue to grow our online presence across the full range of social media platforms to raise the profile of our work and champion the work of the wider cultural education workforce.

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Our Commitment to Equality, Inclusion and Diversit y

We want all children and young people to enjoy and contribute to the cultural life of society. We are ferociously committed to identifying and removing barriers to engagement for children and young people from marginalised backgrounds. We recognise this can only be achieved by a more diverse, resilient, and better-connected workforce. We commit to playing our part to bring about these changes – starting with ourselves. We are a Real Living Wage employer.

Our Commitment to Quality

We believe that quality and equality go hand-in-hand. Raising the quality of the creative and cultural learning experiences all children and young people have access to, at school and in the community, is fundamental to ‘levelling up’ opportunity.

Developing the workforce is key. Overcoming preconceptions and barriers to engage with previously excluded children and young people is highly skilled work, yet most practitioners learn on the job with little support. We commit to creating new and clearer pathways that lead to the professionalisation of the Cultural Education workforce.

Our Commitment to Climate Change

The global pandemic which struck in 2020 led to a year in which Curious Minds, and the wider world, changed. Our Action Plan and supporting Policy have been developed as we emerge from the pandemic and seize the opportunity to build on these changes to develop our environmental practices for the better.

We commit to redoubling our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our day-to-day operations and be more environmentally responsible. We seek to influence, educate and advocate for a post carbon future through our day-to-day work and programmes; including doing whatever we can to ensure children and young people see themselves as global citizens and develop the creative skills they will need to access opportunities arising from the transition to a low carbon economy.

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Our Values - The 7 Cs

Curious Minds is a values driven organisation and we hope this is writ large throughout this plan; in how we approach our work, the partnerships we broker and the programmes we deliver.

We refer to our values as ‘The 7 Cs’ : seven words beginning with C by which we hold ourselves to account for what, how and why we do things: we are CURIOUS ; we CARE; we are COURAGEOUS; we are CONSCIENTIOUS; we CONNECT; we are CREDIBLE; we CELEBRATE.

2020 - 21 gave us a new C-word to contend with and with it came the opportunity to stress-test our values like never before.

Curious Minds stepped up to the challenge and we’re proud of the difference we made to individuals and organisations over the pandemic; the alliances we forged; the partnerships we brokered; and the creative activity we helped make happen.

As we moved into recovery and revival, we continue to use the 7 Cs to navigate our journey through the challenges; listening and responding to the needs of our sector to the best of our ability. Our aim remains the same: to support the North West’s cultural education workforce so that together, we emerge at the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic and the emerging cost of living challenge stronger and better positioned to respond to The Cultural Education Challenge.

The National Brid e Network g

Our work with the nine other Bridge organisations across England has developed significantly over the last few years, driven by our desire to provide ever-increasing value for children and young people and the communities in which we live and work. We have put in place structures and systems to enable peer learning, sharing expertise and ideas, and joining up on key projects and deliverables. Our shared commitment and responsibility to meet these challenges together is enabling us to work with more coordination, consistency and quality across the whole country. Our network development accelerated and became particularly crucial and effective as we prepare for the end of the Bridge Network in March 2023.

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Understandin and Growin Our Im act g g p

In November 2019 we commissioned Social Value Lab to conduct an independent evaluation of our impact. The review helped uncover a distinct methodology that continues to influence our planning and inform the charity’s strategic direction.

“Curious Minds is a catalyst for cultural education, driving organisational and systemic change, one teacher, one youth worker, one creative practitioner at a time.”

Our Methodology

These organisations in These individuals go on We work directly with turn influence other to change their Leading to long-term Creative Practitioners, organisations and colleagues and the systemic change in Teachers and Youth statutory agencies they organisations they society. Workers work with. work in.

Our Plans for the Future

The Trustees, Executive Management Team and staff of Curious Minds remain ambitious for the charity’s future, knowing that our work is more urgent and needed than ever.

The financial year 2021/22 represents a significant period of transition for the charity, as our Bridge funding ends at the end of March 2023, and we join Arts Council England’s regularly funded portfolio as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).

We were told this change was coming in 2018 and have been anticipating and planning for it since then. It presents an exciting opportunity for us to scale our most successful offers and programmes and to think differently about how and where we work to deliver the greatest impact.

To that end staff and Trustees have worked collaboratively to develop a new seven-year strategy that will take us on a developmental journey to achieve our ambition to become a representative body for cultural educators across England. Our future plans demand a laser focus on tackling unequal access to creativity and culture for children and young people often excluded by social and economic inequalities.

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Curious Minds dream of a future where being creative and experiencing brilliant culture is a regular part of every child’s learning and life.

Powered by curiosity, we work to tackle unequal access to creativity and culture for children and young people who are often excluded by social and economic inequalities.

Driving all our work is the belief that, with the right support and space to innovate, our region’s incredible cultural sector can play a greater role in making the North the best place to grow up and achieve your creative potential.

We know from evidence and experience that quality and equality go hand-in-hand. But, despite decades of investment and good intentions, the poorest CYP are still most likely to get the worst deal when it comes to creative and cultural learning and progression.

Developing the workforce is key. Overcoming preconceptions and barriers to engage with previously excluded CYP is highly and uniquely skilled work, yet without a professional infrastructure most practitioners learn on the job with little support

The need for a more skilled, diverse and specialised cultural education is a barrier to progress. Our ambition to become a representative body for cultural educators in England is motivated by our learning during the global pandemic. We witnessed professional creative educators being woefully undervalued, underdeveloped, overlooked and underrepresented at decision making tables. This is exacerbated for those working at the grassroots, in smaller organisations and as freelancers, whose livelihoods are most vulnerable and who also tend to have greatest success at reaching into marginalised communities. Freelancers alone were 68% of this workforce when last measured (2019). The quality of the cultural offer to CYP depends heavily on the quality of freelance creative educators.

We will:

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Strategic Framework 2023 – 2026

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Financial Review

Financial Results

The Trustees are pleased to report an increase in free reserves to £481,491 (2021: £458,773) placing the Charity in a stable financial position for meeting our plans for the future. We continue to plan for a new base and have therefore set aside further funds towards the cost of establishing this in the coming year.

The principal funding sources during the year continued to derive from restricted grants, with a total of £476,979 (2021: £404,387) funds carried forward at the year end to meet future activity plans.

Core funding

From April 2012, Curious Minds has been in receipt of National Portfolio Funding and Department for Education funding from Arts Council England in respect of its status as a Bridge organisation, which runs until March 2023, extended by a year in response to Covid19. We also received funding through government initiatives in response to the Covid-19 pandemic during the year.

Project funding

In late March 2020, we were awarded a European Commission Erasmus+ grant for a partnership project with Poland and Greece however this was impacted by the inability to travel during the pandemic and the timeline extended to complete. The war in Ukraine has further impacted the ability for travel to Poland and we have therefore decided to draw the project to a close in spring 2022.

We continue to deliver the Hope Streets project through National Lottery Heritage funding which commenced in 2018 and will run until 2023. Total funding for the project has been increased to £1,127,000.

The Charity retains the objective to further diversify incoming resources in future periods.

Financial Risk Management

Within the wider risk management process, the Board of Trustees monitors and assesses financial risks to which Curious Minds may be exposed and assesses their potential impact on the Charity. We have in particular reviewed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our income and are monitoring and considering potential future scenarios. Confirmation of the continuation and extension of our core funding through ACE in 2022/23 has been hugely supportive.

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The awarding of the Bridge Organisation status to Curious Minds by Arts Council England for an extended period April 2018 to March 2023 secured £6.7 million of funding.

The Bridge Organisation status gives us a solid platform from which to plan and develop the organisation. That said, we are committed to retaining our independence and the ability to pursue activities beyond our Bridge remit in order to ensure that the organisation is best placed to meet and deliver its strategic objectives.

Reserves policy

The level of unrestricted reserves has been set to meet the costs of retaining a skeleton staff for six months plus overheads. The target was reviewed in 2021 and the calculated unrestricted reserves needed to meet these costs remained at £375,000 (2021: £375,000). During the current year, this target was met and at the year-end the free reserves stood at £481,491 (2021: £458,773). At the discretion of the Trustees, the surplus above target can be designated to development work. The Trustees review the reserves policy annually.

Investment policy

Our cash assets, over and above those required for day-to-day working capital, are invested in appropriate fixed-term and notice cash deposit accounts that yield a greater return than our instant access current accounts. This investment policy is reviewed with reference to a detailed cash-flow analysis and assessment of future funding opportunities; however the scheduling of cash outgoings (including grant claims) remains difficult to predict with accuracy, as this is largely in the control of our partners and therefore timing is unknown.

Financial control and audit

The organisation's finances are overseen by the Finance and Operations Team. They use Xero Accounts software for financial processing and adhere to finance systems which were developed in partnership with our Auditors and are reviewed annually. Relevant staff receive appropriate training for day-to-day financial systems and consistently process financial information in an accurate and timely manner.

To ensure effective financial management within the organisation, management accounts are produced on a quarterly basis for the Executive Management Team and the Board of Trustees. Performance against budgets is reviewed between the Chief Operating Officer and individual budget holders to ensure that all transactions are posted accurately and according to the principles of accruals-based fund accounting.

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The Board of Trustees have a comprehensive overview of audit requirements, financial policies and procedures, including accounting policies and compliance with statutory requirements, risk management and financial planning. The Board continues to appoint the external Auditors and approve their remuneration and terms of engagement and responds to any relevant matters relating to annual financial statements raised by the External Auditors as a result of their audit work.

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Structure, Governance & Management

Governing Document

The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 17th December 2008, as amended by special resolution dated 3rd March 2009 and 25th June 2009. The Company is registered as a Charity with the Charity Commission.

Trustee recruitment

Transparent procedures are an important element of good governance. All new Trustees to the Board are appointed through a transparent open recruitment process when skills and knowledge gaps in the Board are identified. A thorough induction to Curious Minds is given to all newly appointed Trustees and they receive a governance pack which includes the organisation's business plan and current financial budget, the organisation's memorandum and articles of association, the Trustee role and description and sub-committee terms of reference, the Charity Commission document 'The Essential Trustee', and the publication 'Good Governance: A code for the voluntary and community sector'.

Curious Minds' Board of Trustees is fortunate to contain a mixture of skills ranging from arts, culture, heritage, public services and education through to human resources and accountancy. This enhances the placement of the organisation as a key player within the arts and cultural sector, regionally and nationally.

Trustees are encouraged to attend events and project activity throughout the year to gain first-hand knowledge and experience of the work of Curious Minds, and they are required to attend an annual Board away day with the management team to develop their skills within the Board environment and to discuss key strategic issues for Curious Minds, which in turn informs the business planning process for the organisation.

Related Parties and links with other organisations

None of our Trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the charity. Trustees and members of the Curious Minds paid staff team are required to declare any interest - when considering what interests to declare, the principal rule is that if members of the general public could reasonably conclude that the interests might have an influence on an approach taken by Curious Minds to an application or contract awarded, to funding received by Curious Minds, or general organisational decisions taken by Curious Minds, then they must declare them.

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Due to Curious Minds’ recruitment of experienced sector leaders, it is inevitable that Trustees and Executive Management will have declared interests arising from either executive or nonexecutive appointments with Public, Cultural and Education Sector organisations. Where Curious Minds engages with a partner organisation in which a declaration has been made, the interested party must be excluded from the decision making processes. It is considered that these transactions do not represent ‘related party transactions’ for reporting purposes.

Decision making

The Board of Trustees have delegated the day-to-day management and decision making of Curious Minds to the Chief Executive. Significant decisions that impact on, for example, staff employment, business planning, financial stability and the sustainability of the organisation, are brought to the Board for approval prior to action taking place.

Risk management

The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which Curious Minds is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. Curious Minds has a thorough risk management procedure wherein risks to which the organisation may be exposed are monitored and assessed as to their potential impact and likelihood. Appropriate controls are then identified and put in place to provide reasonable assurance against their occurrence.

The executive management team, led by the Chief Executive, monitor the risks associated with the organisation regularly and the updated risk register is presented to the Board of Trustees quarterly for discussion and approval.

Internal policies

Curious Minds have a range of internal policies that have been written in consultation with appropriate professionals and that are reviewed annually and amended more frequently according to new legislation as appropriate. These include (but are not limited to) the following areas:

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Statement of Trustees’ Res onsibilities p

The Trustees (who are also the Directors of Curious Minds for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Statement as to disclosure of information to Auditors

In so far as the Trustees are aware at the time of approving the Trustees’ annual report:

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Director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company`s Auditors are aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees:

Karen Crowshaw (Dec 12, 2022 11:00 GMT)

Karen Crowshaw Chair of Trustees Dec 12, 2022

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Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of Curious Minds

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Curious Minds (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31[st] March 2022 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flow, and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

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Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless

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the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made under section 154 of that Act.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Identifying and assessing potential risks related to irregularities

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we considered the following:

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As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in relation to the timing of the recognition of income, and the recognition of grants payable. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override and we identified a risk in relation to the posting of unusual journals and the manipulation of accounting estimates.

We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the charitable company operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the reporting requirements of the funding bodies and the charity commission regulations.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.

Audit response to risks identified

In addition to the above, our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:

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We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or noncompliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at:

www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s Trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s Trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Dec 12, 2022

Jamielee Johnston CA Mitchell Charlesworth (Audit) Limited Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor 3[rd] Floor 44 Peter Street Manchester M2 5GP

Mitchell Charlesworth (Audit) Limited is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

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Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31[st] March 2022

Includin income & ex enditure account ( g p )

Note
INCOME
Incoming resources from charitable
activities
2
Investment income
2
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Expenditure on charitable activities
3
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
NET INCOMING / (OUTGOING)
RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR
BEFORE TRANSFERS
6
TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS
11
NET INCOMING / (OUTGOING)
RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR
AFTER TRANSFERS
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
11
BALANCES BROUGHT
BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
62,082
1,711,485
4,494
-
2021/22		 2021/22
2020/21
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
67,623
1,824,303
1,773,567
1,891,926
6,824
-
4,494
6,824
2020/21		 2021/22
2020/21
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
£
67,623
1,824,303
1,773,567
1,891,926
6,824
-
4,494
6,824
2020/21
66,576
1,711,485		 74,447 1,824,303
1,778,061
1,898,750
352,281
1,263,225		 385,331 1,538,195
1,615,506
1,923,526
352,281
1,263,225
(285,705)
448,260
375,668
(375,668)		 385,331
(310,884)
401,832		 1,538,195
1,615,506
1,923,526
286,108
162,555
(24,776)
(401,832)
-
-
89,963
72,592
610,070
404,387		 90,948
519,122		 (115,724)
162,555
(24,776)
520,111
1,014,457
1,039,233
700,033
476,979		 610,070 404,387
1,177,012
1,014,457

The notes on pages 41 to 53 form part of these accounts.

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Balance Sheet as at 31[st] March 2022

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible Assets
7
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
8
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due in one year
9
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Unrestricted
11
Restricted
11
TOTAL FUNDS		 2022
£
129,636
1,180,041
1,309,677
132,665		 2022
2021
£
£
-
99,126
1,101,276
1,200,402
185,945
1,177,012
1,177,012
700,033
476,979
1,177,012		 2021
£
-
1,014,457
1,014,457
610,070
404,387
1,014,457

For the year ending 31 March 2022 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies but as this company is a charity, it is subject to audit under the Charities Act 2011.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

The notes on pages 41 to 53 form part of these accounts.

Approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 8[th] December 2022

And signed on their behalf by

Karen Crowshaw (Dec 12, 2022 11:00 GMT)

Karen Crowshaw – Chair of the Board of Trustees

Company registration number 06775402

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Statement of Cash Flow for the Year Ended March 2022 31[st]

31stMarch 2022
2022 2021
Note £ £
Cash used in operating activities
Net movement in funds 162,555 (24,776)
Add depreciation charge 6 - -
Deduct interest income shown in investing activities 2 (4,494) (6,824)
Decrease / (increase) in debtors 8 (30,510) 13,916
Increase / (decrease) in creditors 9 (53,280) 28,720
Net cash flow from / (to) operating activities 74,271 11,036
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest income 2 4,494 6,824
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities 4,494 6,824
Increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year 78,765 17,860
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 1,101,276 1,083,416
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 1,180,041 1,101,276

Analysis of changes in net debt

The charity did not hold any overdraft or loan facilities nor finance lease obligations at the start or during the period covered by these accounts or in the previous accounting period.

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31[st] March 2022

1. Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by charities: Statement of Recommended practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102 - effective 1 March 2018), Charities SORP (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2016.

Curious Minds meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s). The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

Going concern

These accounts are prepared on the going concern basis. At the time of approving the financial statements and having due regard to the impact of Covid-19 as referred to in the Trustees Report, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements. The Charity has confirmed ACE grant funding to 31[st] March 2026 and sufficient cashflow to meet its liabilities as they fall due.

Incoming resources

Income is recognised in the accounting period in which it is receivable, except in the following circumstances, when the income is deferred and included in creditors:

Income includes grants in respect of revenue and capital items.

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Resources expended

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year-end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.

Allocation and apportionment of costs

Support costs have been allocated between the cost centres: salaries; travel and subsistence; learning, development and recruitment; marketing and publicity; premises related costs; and office, sundry costs and depreciation.

Central costs are charged to unrestricted funds with contributions to overheads levied to individual programmes as appropriate. Contributions to overheads are charged to programme funds, as agreed with funders and where funds are restricted, these are shown within fund transfers along with relevant permissible recharges for specific programme work.

Grants payable and grant making policy

Curious Minds issues grants in accordance with the requirements and objectives laid out within the various funding agreements we receive. The Charity does not have its own funds for grant making purposes.

In meeting our strategic objectives (and requirements of our funders where applicable), the nature of the investments committed determines grant making as the legal form to achieving this, as they do not constitute contracts for services.

Grant commitments are recognised when the legal agreements are signed and control of the grant funds is passed to the recipient or lead partner in a partnership.

Direct grant costs are allocated directly to the grant funds. Where agreed with the funder, a management charge is levied for central overheads, administration and contribution to reserves (this is credited to unrestricted funds, where associated costs are charged).

Where agreed with the recipient, grant repayments during the year are shown as a reduction in grants payable.

Tangible fixed assets

Single asset purchases, not forming part of a related series of transactions, costing less than £2,000 are not capitalised, but are written off as a revenue expense in the year of acquisition.

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Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its estimated useful life.

Office Equipment 25% on cost Furniture & Fixtures 25% on cost

Taxation

The Charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

The Charity is not registered for VAT and therefore all its input VAT is irrecoverable. Expenditure is analysed inclusive of VAT where this has been incurred.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme which pays 6% of gross salary. Contributions payable to the employees’ personal pension schemes are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. The Charity’ staging date for auto enrolment was 1/4/2017 and the scheme is compliant.

Operating leases

Payments under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the Charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in this note to the financial statements.

Designated Funds

• Curious Stories:

Funds generated from sale of the Curious Stories book, sponsorship as well as fundraising to enable disadvantaged children to better experience high quality arts and culture.

Following closure of our Preston base in 2020, we have designated costs saved as set up funds towards a new base as we emerge from Covid-19 restrictions and home working.

• Development Fund:

Funds set aside to support development of income generation activities and international opportunities.

43

• Dialogic Teaching & Learning:

A trial project to explore the impact of dialogic teaching and pedagogy.

Additional funds to cover the required match contribution to the NLHF programme.

Funds allocated to a comprehensive assessment of our impact over the last ten years.

Restricted Funds

Grant from Arts Council England for the delivery of the Bridge role for the North West of England (Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester & Cheshire)

Grant from Department for Education, paid by Arts Council England, for Bridge network expansion activity.

Grant from Arts Council England for the delivery of creative resources to children during school closures due to Covid-19 in 2020/21.

Grants from the Artfund and the Crafts Council via Arts Connect for the delivery of

creative resources to children during school closures due to Covid-19.

European Commission grant funding for a partnership project to explore arts-based youth work.

Grant from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation towards the Bubble Up programme of activities for children transitioning from primary to secondary schools during the Covid19 pandemic in 2020/21.

Funding through the Government Kickstart scheme towards salaries and support for six month employment placements for young people.

Funding provided through a partnership project to deliver the Stage Directions programme.

• NLHF Kick the Dust Hope Street:

Grant received from National Lottery Heritage Fund for delivery of the ‘Kick the Dust’ Programme.

Funding to support Trailblaze placements.

44

• Paul Hamlyn:

Grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation towards Bridging the Gap bursaries for

freelance artists and grassroots arts organisations directly affected in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21.

• Preston Cultural Collective:

Grants from Preston City Council, University of Central Lancaster and the Brewtime Collective for micro commissions for Preston artists directly affected in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020/21.

Funding from Warrington Borough Council’s Holiday Activities and Food programme 2021 to deliver a programme of activities during the school summer holidays.

45

2 INCOME

2 INCOME
Incoming Resources from Charitable Activities:
Restricted Grants
Purpose
Let's Craft
Lowry
Stage Directions
Warrington Borough Council
Unrestricted Income
Bank Interest
Donations
Fees received
Government Job Retention Scheme Grant
Government Relief Scheme Grant
Total
Funding body
Arts Council England
Department for Education
Let's Create
Arts Connect
for the European Commission
British Council as National Agency
Arts Council England
Bridge Organisation
Bridge Extension
Bubble Up
Erasmus+
Somethings Brewing commissions
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
Trailblaze
Preston Cultural Collective
National Lottery Heritage Fund
MDNW
Bridging the Gap
Holiday Activities and Food
Department for Work & Pensions
Kickstart Scheme
Kick the Dust - Hope Streets		 2022
£
4,365
1,359,893
-
11,537
82,612
4,620
-
15,000
2,445
213,318
-
17,695
-		 2021
£
4,324
1,359,893
15,000
9,184
82,612
-
50,000
-
-
279,290
20,000
-
4,000
1,711,485 1,824,303
4,494
12
62,069
-
-		 6,824
5,000
22,540
15,083
25,000
66,576 74,447
1,778,061 1,898,750

46

3 EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

a. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Grants payable
Project delivery
Governance costs
% of total expenditure		 2022
Direct
costs
Support
costs
£
£
281,720
-
986,060
339,378
-
8,347		 2022
2021
Direct
costs
Support
costs
Total
Total
£
£
£
£
474,192
-
281,720
474,192
1,079,535
361,157
1,325,439
1,440,692
-
8,642
8,347
8,642
2021
1,267,780
347,726		 1,553,727
369,799
1,615,506
1,923,526
78.5%
21.5%		 80.8%
19.2%
100.0%
100.0%

Charitable expenditure is allocated between unrestricted and restricted funds as follows:

Unrestricted
Restricted
£
£
Grants payable
5,000
281,720
Project delivery
338,934
981,505
Governance costs
8,347
-
352,281
1,263,225
% of total expenditure
21.8%
78.2%
b. Grants payable by programme
Programme
Arts Council England - Bridge
Arts Council England Department for Education
NLHF Kick the Dust - Hope Streets
Curious Minds
2022		 Unrestricted
Restricted
£
£
5,000
281,720
338,934
981,505
8,347
-
2022		 Unrestricted
Restricted
£
£
-
474,192
376,689
1,064,003
8,642
-
2021		 2022
2021
Total
Total
£
£
286,720
474,192
1,320,439
1,440,692
8,347
8,642
352,281
1,263,225		 385,331
1,538,195		 1,615,506
1,923,526
20.0%
80.0%
2022
2021
24
33
2
4
6
5
1
-
to institutions
Number of grants		 100.0%
100.0%
2022
2021
£
£
183,437
335,442
19,500
22,500
73,783
116,250
5,000
-
33
42		 281,720
474,192

47

3 EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

c. Analysis of institutional grants

Grantee Purpose 2022 2021
ACE - Bridge grants £ £
Accrington Academy The Uncertainty Principle PI 3,000 -
Action Transport Theatre Ellesmere Port Hyperlocal
Development PI 35,000 -
ArtReach Trust Creative Sanctuary - 2,000
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery Let's Create & Let's Craft - 4,690
Blackpool Teaching School Alliance Illuminating Futures PI (60,712) 29,000
Blaze Arts, Preston Staying Curious in a Crisis PI 10,000 23,000
Cartwheel Arts Let's Create boxes - 3,500
Centre for Youth Impact Outcomes Framework PI - 5,000
Comics Youth Let's Create & Let's Craft - 4,400
Community Objectives CIC Let's Craft 250 -
Cumbria Music Service FRAME Project PI 20,500 4,500
Cumbria Music Service Let's Create & Let's Craft 650 4,480
East Prescott Road Nursery School SLiCE Programme - 2,000
Festival of Making CIC LCEP Development PI 30,000 -
Festival of Making CIC Let's Craft 650
Formby High School LCEP Development - 500
GMCA Autism Aware Culture - 5,000
GMCA Culture & Transport in GM PI 15,000 55,000
Home Start Warrington Let's Craft 250 -
Knowsley Borough Council Let's Create - 2,000
Lancashire Youth Challenge Our Place in the World PI 7,000 22,000
Lancashire Youth Challenge Let's Craft 650 690
Liverpool City Region Generations of Change PI 45,000
Liverpool Learning Partnership Let's Craft 350 -
Martenscroft Nursery School SLiCE Programme - 1,000
Museum Development North West Re-engaging Audiences PI 2,500 7,500
Newtown Nursery School SLiCE Programme - 2,000
Norfolk & Norwich Festival Metal Support Programme - 2,382
Odd Arts CASE Leadership Programme 671 -
Odd Arts Lets Create boxes - 2,000
Oldham Enterprise Trust LCEP Development - 2,000
Pendle Leisure Trust LCEP Development PI 15,000 -
Ribblesdale Nursery School SLiCE Programme - 2,000
Robert F Kennedy Human Rights UK Poetic Universal Declaration of
Human Rights PI 45,000 -
Sub total carried forward 170,759 186,642
48

48

c. Analysis of institutional grants continued c. Analysis of institutional grants continued £ £
ACE - Bridge grants continued Sub total brought forward 170,759 186,642
Royal Opera House Youth Voice Initiative - 2,000
St Helens Council Let's Create - 2,000
Stoneyholme Nursery School SLiCE Programme - 2,000
Warrington Borough Council Let's Create & Let's Craft 250 4,400
Whole Education School Ready Digital PI 3,000 12,000
Wigan STEAM CASE Leadership Programme 778 -
Wirral Hospital Schools LCEP Development 3,000 4,000
Ykids Let's Create & Let's Craft 650 2,400
Young Manchester Digital Inclusion PI - 10,000
Young Manchester Youth & Play Cultural Partnerships PI - 90,000
Z Arts Creative Curriculum PI 5,000 20,000
Sub total 183,437 335,442
Sub total number of grants 24 33
ACE DfE Extension grants £ £
Bolton School SLiCE Programme - 5,000
Egremont Primary School SLiCE Programme - 5,000
Evelyn Community Primary School SLiCE Programme - 2,500
Hollins SLiCE Programme - 10,000
United Learning Trust SLiCE Programme 18,000 -
University of Manchester SLiCE Programme 1,500 -
Sub total 19,500 22,500
Sub total number of grants 2 4
NLHF Kick the Dust - Hope Streets £ £
Bolton Museum 11,250 18,750
Lancashire Museums 15,000 41,250
Reform Radio CIC 4,000 -
The Atkinson 11,250 22,500
Tullie House 15,000 15,000
West Cheshire Museums 17,283 18,750
Sub total 73,783 116,250
Sub total number of grants 6 5
Curious Minds £ £
Lowry Youth Performance Hub 5,000 -
Sub total 5,000 -
Sub total number of grants 1 -
Total Grants Payable 281,720 474,192
Total number grants 33 42
49

4 Analysis of governance and support costs

Governance Costs
Audit fee
Support costs
Total Governance costs
Support Costs
Salaries
Travel & Subsistence
Learning & Development
and recruitment
Legal & Professional Services
Premises related costs
Office, sundry costs & Depreciation
Total Support costs
% of total expenditure		 Project
Delivery
Gover-
nance
£
£
262,955
-
6,979
-
6,414
-
16,283
-
8,935
-
45,762
397
2022		 Project
Delivery
Gover-
nance
£
£
270,217
-
498
-
6,948
250
10,781
-
6,307
-
74,798
-
2021		 2022
£
7,950
397
8,347
2022
Total
£
262,955
6,979
6,414
16,283
8,935
46,160
347,726		 2021
£
8,392
250
8,642
2021
Total
£
270,217
498

7,198

10,781
6,307
74,798
347,328
397		 369,549
250		 369,799
99.9%
0.1%		 99.9%
0.1%

50

5 Staff Costs

The payroll costs of the charity were as follows:
Wages & salaries
Social Security costs
Pension costs
Redundancy payments
Total Staff costs		 2022
2021
£
£
787,044
824,023
74,061
77,771
45,715
48,923
7,700
-
914,520
950,717

One employee had earnings (excluding employer pension costs) over £60,000 during the year:

Number of employees

Number of employees Band One (2020: One) £60,000 to £70,000

The remuneration costs during the year of the Executive Management Team as outlined on page 2 (inclusive of pension costs) was £217,172 (2021: £251,546).

The average monthly head count was 23 staff (2021: 24 staff) and the average monthly number of full time equivalent employees (including casual and part time employees) during the year was:

Average FTE
6 Net incoming resources before transfer
This is stated after charging:
Auditors remuneration - Audit fees
Number of trustees claiming expenses:
7 Tangible fixed assets
Cost
As at 1 April 2021
As at 31 March 2022
Depreciation
As at 1 April 2021
Net book value
As at 31 March 2022
As at 31 March 2021		 Office
Equipment
£
16,474		 2022
2021
20.7
22.1
2022
2021
£
£
7,950
8,392
7,950
8,392
-
-
Furniture
& Fittings
Total
£
£
3,887
20,361
3,887
20,361
3,887
20,361
3,887
20,361
-
-
-
-
16,474
16,474
16,474
-
-

51

8 Debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments
Grant and other income receivable
Other debtors
9 Creditors falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Contract commitments due and accrued
Accruals
Grants and income in advance
PAYE & Payroll deductions payable
Pension contributions payable		 2022
2021
£
£
4,836
2,531
17,413
28,651
107,387
67,516
-
428
129,636
99,126
2022
2021
£
£
11,832
7,782
25,002
82,483
41,992
46,976
28,387
23,760
19,849
19,418
5,603
5,526
132,665
185,945

Curious Minds pays all suppliers within 30 days of receipt of invoices due for payment.

Accruals include £23,250 (2021:£38,300), being the cost of staff annual leave due but not taken and carried forward at year end.

10 Deferred income
Chester Zoo
Cultural Citizens
DWP re Kickstart
Erasmus+
Heriot Watt
Trailblaze Funding in advance
Movement in deferred income
Balance as at 1 April
Amount released to income
Amount deferred in year
Balance as at 31 March		 2022
2021
£
£
11,180
-
3,983
3,983
5,880
-
6,244
17,781
1,100
-
-
1,996
28,387
23,760
23,760
5,979
(13,746)
-
18,373
17,781
28,387
23,760

52

11 Statement of funds Balance Fund Balance Fund Balance
01/04/2020 Income Expenditure Transfers 31/3/2021 Income Expenditure Transfers 31/03/2022
& 1/4/2021
Unrestricted Funds £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
General Fund 443,528 74,447 (380,374) 321,172 458,773 66,576 (352,281) 308,423 481,491
Designated funds:
Curious Stories 6,193 - - - 6,193 - - - 6,193
Curious Space - - - 30,000 30,000 - - 70,000 100,000
Development Fund 43,627 - - 660 44,287 - - - 44,287
Dialogic Teaching & Learning - - - 50,000 50,000 - - - 50,000
Hope Streets 20,817 - - - 20,817 - - (2,755) 18,062
Impact Evaluation 4,957 - (4,957) - - - - - -
519,122 74,447 (385,331) 401,832 610,070 66,576 (352,281) 375,668 700,033
Restricted Funds
ACE Bridge Organisation 520,111 1,359,893 (1,162,238) (363,379) 354,387 1,359,893 (905,632) (331,669) 476,979
ACE DfE Extension - 82,612 (61,960) (20,652) - 82,612 (61,960) (20,652) -
ACE Let's Create - 15,000 (15,000) - - - - - -
Arts Connect - 4,324 (4,324) - - 4,365 (4,365) - -
Erasmus+ - 9,184 (4,531) (4,653) - 11,537 (8,117) (3,420) -
Esmee Fairbairn - 50,000 - - 50,000 - (50,000) - -
DWP Kickstart - - - - - 4,620 (4,620) - -
Lowry - - - - - 15,000 (15,000) - -
NLHF Kick The Dust Hope Street - 279,290 (266,142) (13,148) - 213,318 (196,217) (17,101) -
Manchester Museum Development - - - - - 2,445 (2,445) - -
Paul Hamlyn - 20,000 (20,000) - - - - - -
Preston Cultural Collective - 4,000 (4,000) - - - - - -
Warrington HAF - - - - - 17,695 (14,869) (2,826) -
520,111 1,824,303 (1,538,195) (401,832) 404,387 1,711,485 (1,263,225) (375,668) 476,979
53
Total Funds		 1,039,233 1,898,750 (1,923,526) - 1,014,457 1,778,061 (1,615,506) - 1,177,012
See notes on next page

Notes on Statement of funds

Fund Transfers include contributions to overheads charged to programmes within individual funds, as agreed with funders, along with relevant permissible recharges for specific programme work in accordance with the use of those funds.

The net transfer of[£375,668] (2021:[£401,832)] between restricted and unrestricted funds during the year is made up of[£395,119 ] (2021:[£401,172) ] agreed contribution to overheads and £NIL (2021: £660) permissible programme costs, less £19,451 (2021: £23,405) contribution to the NLHF Kick the Dust

The balance of restricted funds represents expenditure not due at the Balance Sheet date from grant funding received. Bridge funds carried forward within the grant period have been profiled in our agreed 2022/23 Activity Plan.

54

12 Analysis of net assets between funds

2022 2022 2021 2021 2022 2021
General Restricted General Restricted
Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
£ £ £ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets - - - - - -
Net current assets 700,033 476,979 610,070 404,387 1,177,012 1,014,457
700,033 476,979 610,070 404,387 1,177,012 1,014,457

13 Operating lease commitments

The charity has no commitments under operation leases for premises (2021: NIL).

14 Corporation tax

The company is a registered charity and is entitled to claim annual exemption from UK corporation tax.

15 Related Party Transactions

Eleanor Chapman was appointed as a Trustee in January 2022. Prior to her appointment, she has worked as a freelance youth and arts practitioner and producer for various Curious Minds programmes. From October 2021 to March 2022 Eleanor was contracted and paid £14,000 for work on a fully funded Stage Directions partnership project with the Lowry and £450 for her contributions to Curious Minds' Inclusion & Relevancy working group.

Jaffer Hussain was employed by Lancashire BME Network when he became a trustee in July 2020. In August 2021, Jaffer supported our recruitment of a new Director of Inclusion, for which Curious Minds contributed £225 to Lancashire BME Network towards his time.

Mustafa Hassan was employed by Lancashire BME Network when he became a member of our Anti Racism Advisory Group on its inception in September 2020. In 2021/22 Curious Minds contributed £218.75 to Lancashire BME Network toward Mustafa's time spent at various meetings and on ad hoc

support. Mustafa also completed two sessions of our Affinity Group training project, for which he received a bursary of £90.

Derri Burdon, Chief Executive, was appointed Chair of Trustees of Blaze Arts which was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in July 2018.

Blaze Arts have received total Partnership Investment grant funding of £83,000 in prior periods and £10,000 during the year.

Curious Minds have a service agreement to provide Blaze Arts with back office support, for which fees paid during the year amounted to £5,000 (2020/21 £6,000).

Blaze Arts also reimbursed Curious Minds for salary costs of seconded staff members of £35,335 (2020/21: £45,537).

Curious Minds commissions Blaze Arts as Programme Producers for elements of Curious Minds' programmes, with commissions totalling £2,160 during the year.

Derri's daughter, Amy Burdon, runs WigLe Dance CIC, who were commissioned for an event performance at a fee of £1,200 in 2021/22.

55

CM TAR & FS 2021 22

Final Audit Report

2022-12-12

Created: 2022-12-12 By: Sue Langfeld (sue.langfeld@curiousminds.org.uk) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAA--ifT-GqmBHmN5I1OTuDWAR9ZBlTWrPe

"CM TAR & FS 2021 22" History

Document created by Sue Langfeld (sue.langfeld@curiousminds.org.uk) 2022-12-12 - 9:39:31 AM GMT

Document emailed to karen@crowshawconsulting.co.uk for signature

2022-12-12 - 9:44:17 AM GMT

Agreement completed.