The Welsh Government commissioned Alma Economics to undertake an evaluation of its 2021–2026 Cultural Capital Grants (CCG) portfolio, covering 41 capital investment projects across Wales.
Our evaluation developed a portfolio-wide logic model through a stakeholder workshop and review of project documentation. We then conducted a narrative synthesis of 169 documents, including business cases, monitoring reports, evaluations, and audit reports, to assess implementation progress and emerging impacts across the portfolio.
As many projects remain in the early stages of delivery, it was too soon to assess several anticipated long-term outcomes. Instead, we identified how future evaluation activity could build a stronger evidence base by mapping planned evaluation work across projects.
To support more consistent monitoring, we developed a set of core indicator families and key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be applied across the diverse portfolio. We also made six recommendations to strengthen future monitoring and evaluation, helping the Welsh Government better understand the long-term value and impact of cultural capital investment across Wales.
