Civic Catalysts

The initiative was directly shaped by and linked to our Civic University Agreement, providing seed corn funding, networking opportunities and support to projects that addressed some of the aims and objectives set out in the agreement and which worked in partnership with partners within that agreement.

Projects could be led either by Goldsmiths researchers in collaboration with a local partner, or led by local partners in collaboration with a Goldsmiths academic. This ‘flipped’ aspect to the funding proved to be important and has led to a longer legacy for the project.  

Some projects supported by Civic Catalysts have included: 

• Evaluating the Migration Museum’s People's Panel and Network 
• 999 Club Impact Evaluation project 
• Unheard Voices - Engaging Phoenix Residents 
• Take Me to Your River  

Projects supported by Civic Catalyst

In 2025, two further Civic Catalyst grants were made to support ongoing interpretation, engagement and decolonising work around the Goldsmiths Deptford Town Hall building.

This former civic building is now a focal point for debates around colonial legacies and diversity in the built environment. Civic Catalyst commissions have helped to support further research and creative responses to this history.  

Projects supported by Civic Catalysts have been broad and diverse, from impact evaluations for local charities to art commissions and activist interventions. 

Projects have benefitted civic organisations, in doing so benefiting the communities that they serve. For example, one Civic Catalyst Grant supported the Migration Museum in working with their Community Panel to develop a set of core values for the museum, as well as undertaking an evaluation of the successes and learning points from the Community Panel itself. This in turn led to the development of a new Toolkit for Co-Curated Community Projects, which aimed to share best practice on co-curation and co-production in museum contexts.  

Beyond the impacts from the individual projects, Civic Catalysts has had a wider impact on the way that we approach grant making and funding at Goldsmiths. This has been taken up by the work of the Migrant Futures Institute, that adapted aspects of the Civic Catalysts methodology to shape their Social Engagement and Enterprise grants call in 2025.