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The CMC Impact Fund

The charitable engine of Culture Meets Capital.

The CMC Impact Fund is an independently incorporated registered charity. It does not exist only to fund the Fellowship — it exists to deploy charitable capital across the entire gap between the creative economy and the financial resources it needs.

City firms donate to the Fund. Those donations are maximised through Gift Aid. The Fund deploys the capital where the creative economy needs it most — subsidising course access for arts charities, funding emerging practitioners, supporting governance development and in time, operating as a genuine impact investment vehicle for the creative economy.

The CMC Fellowship — flagship programme

Twenty emerging creative practitioners selected each year. A twelve-month programme combining financial education, City mentorship and a funded project grant to pursue work that would not otherwise be possible.

20Fellows per year
12Months of structured support
FundedProject grant per Fellow
CityMentors from financial services

Fellowship applications open for 2027 admission.

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What the CMC Impact Fund does — beyond the Fellowship

The Fund is the mechanism through which City capital reaches the creative economy with accountability, Gift Aid efficiency and genuine impact. Six ways to be involved — each creating a lasting relationship, not a transactional donation.

Cultural Finance Institute access grants. City firms donate to the Fund to cover Cultural Finance Institute course fees and licensing for arts charities who cannot afford commercial rates. A £10,000 donation becomes £12,500 after Gift Aid recovery — funding course access for an entire arts organisation for a year.
Named Fellowships. A City firm sponsors a specific Fellow by name — receiving updates, impact reports and an invitation to meet their Fellow. The Fellow is selected by the Fund; the firm receives the relationship.
Scholarship Endowments. A named endowment fund within the CMC Impact Fund, generating a permanent annual Fellowship place in perpetuity. The most significant form of City involvement — a lasting institutional legacy.
Match Funding. City firms match individual donations to the Fund — doubling the impact of every gift from the creative community and individual donors.
Pro-Bono Professional Services. Law firms, accountancy practices and financial services firms provide pro-bono support to Fund beneficiaries — structured as a professional programme, not ad hoc volunteering.
Advisory Council. Senior figures from City partner firms join the CMC Impact Fund's Advisory Council — shaping the Fund's strategy and connecting both sectors at the highest level.

Rooted in the City of LondonOriented towards the wider creative economyBuilt for the long term

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