Global Peer Learning Series: Impact, Investment and Innovation in the Cultural and Creative Sectors — Session 1

Impact measurement in practice: outcomes-based funding and impact investing in the cultural sector

How do funders and investors understand whether their support for cultural and creative sectors is working? Impact measurement is among the most discussed questions in the field, and approaches vary widely between grant-making, outcomes-based contracts and repayable finance.

This first session in our global peer learning series brings together practitioners from Latin America and the UK to discuss how they measure impact in practice – the methods they use, the trade-offs they have made, and the difficulties that remain. Fundación SURA and Latimpacto will share their experience of the Cultura Latinoamérica programme, one of the largest grant-funding initiatives for cultural and creative organisations in the region, which combines funding with outcome-based agreements. Figurative will discuss their approach to impact measurement and what the trade-off between financial and social returns can look like in practice.

The session is chaired by Florencia Giulio of Pulso. As with all sessions in the series, the emphasis is on candid, practical exchange rather than formal presentation: each contribution is followed by a moderated discussion and questions from the audience.

Please note that this session is aimed at practitioners actively investing in the cultural and creative sectors or with proven interest in this field (for example, through active fund design & development). As such, we ask attendees to tell us briefly about their work or interest when registering, and places will be offered on that basis. We plan to run more open sessions later on, so that those newer to the field can take part too.