FAQs

Do you have a question about the Innovation in Giving Fund? Please read our Frequently Asked Questions to see if they can help answer it.

Q1: Who can apply?

A: The Fund is focused on increasing giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money in England.  While your organisation can be legally constituted in any part of the UK, the benefits of your proposal should focus primarily or significantly on England.

We are open to ideas and proposals from all sources and sectors -communities, charities large and small, social entrepreneurs, faith groups, businesses, academia, public services or other organisations. You must be legally constituted as an organisation in order to receive an award through the Fund.

The Fund is open to all forms of organisation, including for-profit, private companies, however funding will only be awarded for activities that have a clear public benefit and do not generate excessive profits.

 

Q2:  Why is the Fund restricted to England?

A: Giving - be that of time or money - is a devolved issue and each country will consider the most appropriate arrangements for implementing related policy within their area. While applicants can be established in any part of the UK, the benefits of their proposals should focus primarily or significantly on England.

 

Q3: Can I submit more than one idea?

A: Yes, you can submit more than one idea and be named as a partner on more than one application. We encourage applicants to submit ambitious, innovative ideas that will achieve national impact or to replicate proven platforms in multiple localities. It is likely that focussing on one big idea will stand a greater chance of success than a number of small ideas with limited scope for impact.

 

Q4: What funding and support is available through the programme?

A: Through 'Game Changing Innovations in Giving' we expect to make first stage grants of up to £50,000 to approximately twenty organisations to back game changing innovations in this first round, alongside a package of tailored non-financial support to help develop the idea and build the capacity to put it into practice. 

Recipients of these first round grants will have the opportunity to secure further stages of funding, with additional awards to be made from spring 2012.  Further stages of funding will be structured to reflect the nature and needs of the organisation implementing the idea and will not necessarily be in the form of a grant and could involve significant levels of investment.  We expect the innovations that receive further stages of funding from this Fund to attract co-investment from other sources.

Through 'Local Platforms for Giving' we expect to make grants of between £50,000 and £150,000 to approximately 15 organisations, alongside a package of tailored non-financial support to help put it into practice.  This part of the Fund will give priority to proposals that have already secured matched funding.

In additional to funding, we will offer tailored, non-financial support to all those funded through the programme.  This will be tailored to your specific needs, including specific support such as legal or financial advice or more general business development or mentoring support.

 

Q5: About the criteria: What do you mean by innovation?

A: We are interested in bold and radical innovation; which comes from looking at challenges and problems from completely new perspectives and vantage points; asking fundamentally different questions and open to being taken in completely new directions. These kinds of ideas may be  potentially controversial, they may require a high degree of tolerance to risk and a willingness to experiment with radically different operating models; they may fundamentally change the nature of relationships and balance of power between people and organisations.

The 'Local Platforms' funding stream is designed explicitly to support the replication, adaptation and emulation of existing, proven and successful local, innovative solutions. We will also be looking for innovation within the proposed model for this replication to happen in a credible and sustainable way.

We will expect applicants to have a good awareness of other organisations who are attempting similar initiatives in the UK. They should be able to articulate the points of difference between theirs and others ideas - as well as having thought through opportunities for collaboration to achieve greater impact.

 

Q6: About the criteria: What do you mean by impact?

A: The Fund seeks to support solutions that can demonstrate high potential (Game Changers) or track record (Local Platforms) to achieve significant impact in catalysing collective action, encouraging positive behaviour change, increasing levels of giving, receiving  and volunteering and enabling much more efficient use of spare capacity and resources. Applicants will also be judged on their potential to deliver impact and positive outcomes in other areas pertinent to their idea (such as health, wellbeing, employability, environmental sustainability etc).

 

Q7: How will decisions be taken to make awards through the Fund?

A: A selection panel has been put together, made up of individuals with significant experience and knowledge of innovation and the fields of giving and exchange.  The selection panel will approve all awards made through the Fund.  The decision of the selection panel will be final and there will be no avenue for appeal.

Proposals will be shortlisted by NESTA on the basis of the application form and 3 minute video. You can access the online application form here.

Shortlisted applications to the Fund will be invited to one of a series of events where you will be asked to present your proposal to a selection panel. These events could involve an element of peer review.

We expect to receive a significant number of applications to the Fund and plan to make awards in tranches from November 2011 until early 2012, before opening another call for ideas.  The first tranche of shortlisted applications will be informed by 11 November 2011.

 

Q8: What will happen to applications that are not selected?

A: Some applications that are not selected for a financial award may be offered tailored, non-financial support to further develop their idea, with an invitation to re-apply in future rounds. This will be determined by NESTA and the selection panel who will work with the applicant to determine the most appropriate support which will be most likely to support the growth and development of their idea.

We do expect to receive some applications to the Fund which while being bold and highly innovative, do not readily meet the core criteria or fit neatly into a particular funding stream.  We will remain flexible on how we might be able to support these high-potential but high-risk, early stage ventures.

 

Q9: What is the difference between the social action fund and the Innovation in Giving Fund?

A: The Social Action Fund supports proposals that will embed long term increases in giving of time (volunteering, time-banking) or resources (money, property, fixed assets or equipment) in Government identified priority areas. It favours proposals which offer match-funding commitment, result in large increases in volunteering, have the greatest enduring impact within priority areas and that are large-scale, or can be scaled-up or replicated.

The Innovation in Giving Fund on the other hand will support innovative schemes that have the potential for ongoing sustainability, and have a focus on non-traditional forms of volunteering and giving. Unlike the Social Action Fund, funding won't be used to directly fund volunteer opportunities, but innovative new forms of infrastructure and platforms that could support it

 

Q10: Can we apply to the Innovation in Giving Fund if we also intend to apply to the Social Action Fund with the same idea?

A: No. You should choose which Fund best reflects the nature of your proposal and apply to that one.  NESTA, and the Office for Civil Society will be working together closely throughout the lifetime of the Funds to ensure that proposals are considered in the appropriate Fund.

 

Q11:  What's expected of people or organisation who are funded through the Innovation in Giving fund?

A: In addition to making your idea work in practice, we will expect all awardees to contribute to our collective understanding and learning about how innovations in giving and reciprocity can support sustained growth in volunteering and participation in civic life. This will involve awardees taking part in occasional learning seminars, being interviewed, and making data available which clearly demonstrates the impact of the work they are undertaking.

 

Q12: Will there be another call for ideas?

A: The Government has made a commitment over two years to the Innovation in Giving Fund and this is the first of what will anticipate will be several calls for ideas throughout that period.  The focus and approach to future rounds of funding is subject to change in light of the experience and learning from this round.

 

Q13: What will be the duration of grants awarded through the Innovation in Giving Fund?

A: We are anticipating that most grant agreements issued under the Local Platforms strand will have a duration of between 12 and 18 months. However, this may be flexible depending on individual projects' needs and circumstances.

Successful applicants under the Game Changers strand will receive an initial grant of up to £50,000, the duration of which will be agreed on a project by project basis, with the possibility of receiving further investment after this intial period. 

 

Q.14 Are faith based organisations eligible to apply?

A: We welcome applications from faith based organisations, but we cannot fund activity that is inherently religious, such as religious worship, instruction, or proselytization

 

Q.15 What does NESTA mean by "platforms for giving"?

A: By platforms for giving we mean schemes that, at the local or national level, facilitate exchanges and/or donations of time, skills, money and resources across people and organisations. While technological platforms may be used to facilitate some of these exchanges the kind of solutions and ideas we are looking for are not restricted to technological platforms.