The past 12 months has seen a subtle change in the way that IDCF has gone about its business.
This was the first year in seven that IDCF has not managed and received SRB funding plus it has moved towards managing and delivering more of its projects directly.
During the year, IDCF also hosted its first corporate breakfast as a means of engaging more with the local business sector and to keep them informed of our plans and achievements. It was a great success and it is likely to become an annual event.
Several members of IDCF's board of trustees stepped down during the year. In particular, I would like to make mention of Melvin Crutchley, our Honorary Treasurer, who has served IDCF well, for many years, on a pro bono basis. The Foundation has a succession planning strategy in place and I am pleased to welcome several new members to our Board.
In financial terms, our work was boosted with the award of Millennium Quarter (MQ) funding for a pilot scheme of projects agreed with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The small IDCF core team worked hard to get these projects up and running and deliver the required outputs within the short time frame available. I am indebted to Tracey Betts and her staff for achieving this.
The award of MQ funding, although invaluable to our work, makes it even more imperative for IDCF to win the support of more businesses in the Canary Wharf area. We are already committed to levering in additional finances to match fund, wherever possible. In addition, the unpredictable nature of the way in which MQ planning gain funds will flow, means that match funding or a significant contingency will be essential to keep projects running. IDCF, of course, still remains true to its prime remit of building an endowment that will serve the community for generations to come.
