A new report from Neighbourly Lab, commissioned by Spirit of 2012, offers rich insights into the Volunteering Cities grant programme—an initiative that supported four places to strengthen their cultural volunteering infrastructure following their bids for UK City of Culture status.
Download the full report here>
The programme, which ran from 2022 to 2025, funded projects in Bradford, Conwy, Great Yarmouth & East Suffolk, and Medway to develop place-based, cultural volunteering projects that built on the momentum of their City of Culture bid. While each place approached the challenge differently, the report reveals shared lessons about what it takes to build sustainable, inclusive volunteering infrastructure—and the tensions that arise when doing so.
One of the clearest findings is that aspirations sometimes exceeded what was feasible in practice. Most grantees began with limited infrastructure and had to build systems, partnerships, and volunteer pathways from scratch. This often meant prioritising volunteer experience—such as recruitment, training, and event delivery—before the foundational infrastructure was fully in place. As a result, some cities focused on delivering high-quality volunteer experiences at cultural events while simultaneously trying to define and build the systems that would support them long-term.
This tension between event-based volunteering and sustainable infrastructure was compounded by challenges in partnership working. Cultural organisations, often assumed to be ready to host volunteers, frequently lacked the capacity or understanding to do so effectively. Grantees had to invest significant time in relationship-building, training, and support to help these organisations create meaningful volunteer roles.
Accessibility and diversity were central to the programme’s aims, with each city using a portion of their funding to reduce barriers to participation. From Amdani! Conwy’s embedded accessibility model to Bradford’s targeted outreach to underrepresented communities, the report highlights innovative approaches to engaging new volunteers. However, it also notes the difficulty of measuring diversity and the need for consistent, sensitive data collection methods.
Despite the challenges, the report concludes that all four cities made significant strides toward inclusive, place-based volunteering. Bradford, buoyed by its successful City of Culture bid, is well-positioned to sustain its infrastructure. The other cities are exploring legacy options, with some transitioning programme ownership to local voluntary organisations.
As we await an announcement about future iterations of the UK City of Culture competition, this report offers timely reflections for funders, councils, and cultural organisations alike. It underscores the importance of long-term investment, realistic expectations, and the need to embed accessibility and partnership from the outset.