Second call for ideas

Applications for the second open call have now closed

In May 2012 Nesta announced with the Office for Civil Society a second open call for ideas to the £10m Innovation in Giving Fund. We were looking for proposals which have the potential to deliver a significant increase in the giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money.

Purpose of the Innovation in Giving Fund

In May 2011, the Government's Giving White Paper announced a range of measures to support new and better ways to enable the giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money, including the Innovation in Giving Fund.

"Our ambition is to stimulate a step change in giving... to make it easier and more compelling to give time and money... to give better support to the trailblazers and innovators." 

Francis Maude Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General and Nick Hurd Minister for Civil Society

The Innovation in Giving Fund aims to invest in, support and grow innovative ideas that will bring about a step-change in the giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money and which have a credible route to being self-sustaining in the longer term. The Fund is managed by Nesta, the UK's Innovation Foundation. 

Second Call for Ideas

Nesta's first call for ideas in autumn 2011 surfaced an inspiring range of ideas with the potential to transform the way that people give and share to achieve social goals.  Over 440 applications were received and so far 32 innovative ideas have been backed with over £2.5m, ranging from crowd-funding platforms that help social projects connect with supporters to new online tools to organise personal care networks.  We've seen genuinely imaginative ways of asking people to give and projects that harness the power of new technology to make giving and sharing easier and more compelling. These innovations could help make this country even more generous and help exploit key opportunities including tapping into donor motivations more effectively and stimulating new audiences.

We opened the second open call for ideas because we know that new ideas in this field are constantly emerging, developing and growing.  

As well as finding and supporting some of the most promising innovations in giving, the Fund aims to catalyse new ideas and collaborations, build a body of knowledge and learning, and help bring about a wider transformation in the culture of giving across England.   

What kinds of things will this second call for ideas support?

The Innovation in Giving Fund aims to support innovations that have the potential to deliver a significant uplift in the giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money to achieve social goals and public benefit.  The White Paper on Giving highlights some examples of innovations in this field and through this open call we want to find and support many more.  Some of the features that we are particularly interested in are:  

Harnessing the potential of collaborative and networked technologies - for example online platforms that connect people to opportunities to give, share or take action, the use of mobile phones and smart phone apps or connect different platforms or systems together in ways which enables greater opportunities for giving and exchange for the benefit of the public. 

Platforms and mechanisms that promote reciprocity - for example the use of time credits, points systems or other complementary currencies to create a more reciprocal relationship that values giving and incentivises people to volunteer and get involved.  We are particularly interested in ideas that use public services and community organisations as platforms for giving, for example in housing associations, schools or community centres.

Making use of idling capacity - for example platforms, models, market places & enterprises that enable people or organisations to share, exchange and redistribute assets, skills and resources, particularly where these can be shown to build relationships and social capital to deliver public benefit.  

Increasing the number of people that make donations to charity and stimulating new audiences - for example innovations that connect donors and recipients in sustained, more effective relationships, or which make it easier for people to give, change the culture of giving and increase the amount that existing donors give to charity. 

Improving the targeting of pro bono support from commercial organisations - for example finding better ways to match needs and availability of expertise. 

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and we welcomed proposals of all kinds that met the objectives, core criteria and eligibility of the Fund (set out below).  

How was this call for ideas structured and what was on offer?

This open call focused on 'game changing' innovations in giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money. This means innovations that demonstrate the potential to have national impact at significant scale - engaging people in the hundreds of thousands over time. Proposals could be at any stage of development, from an early stage idea to something with a proven track record and the possibility of going to greater scale, as long as they met the core criteria set out below. 

In the first stage we asked for a video pitch of no more than three minutes and a short online form that captured some basic information about the idea and organisation. 

The most promising ideas will be invited to submit a written application and a shortlist of those will be invited to pitch to a panel of experts.  We are aiming to hold the selection panel meetings in early September. 

We will be making first stage grants of up to £50,000 to back game changing innovations, alongside a package of tailored non-financial support to help develop the idea and build the capacity to put it into practice.

Those with the most compelling and promising ideas will have the opportunity to secure further stages of funding, with additional awards to be made from autumn 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. We expect the innovations that receive further stages of funding from this Fund to attract co-investment from other sources.   

Core criteria

There are five core criteria against which all applications will be considered.  

i. Impact - proposals need to demonstrate the potential for significant impact at scale in line with our charitable objects, which means the potential to engage people in the hundreds of thousands over time. You should explain what potential your idea has for increasing giving, what social outcomes and public benefit will be achieved and how impact will measured.  You will need to be able to explain how you have established the demand for your idea.  Applicants should be clear and realistic about the ambition and the trajectory for achieving impact at scale.   

ii. Innovation - proposals need to demonstrate how they are innovative, which might mean applying an existing idea to a new context, a disruptive new application of technology or a wholly new idea.  Innovations always build on other innovations (often ones that have failed) and you will need to demonstrate that you are aware of what has gone before and how your innovation builds on it. 

In addition, potential applicants should explain how their idea is different to or builds on those that have been funded through the first call for ideas, details of which can be found here.

iii. Sustainability - proposals need to demonstrate how they will be sustained beyond the support they receive from the Fund, which should be seen as investment.  We will not support proposals that create ongoing demand for grant funding.  Early stage innovations should have credible assumptions for how they will become sustainable.  We will give preference to proposals that can demonstrate match funding, whether expressed through time or money. 

iv. Capacity - all applicants to the Fund will need to describe the capacity of the team that will put the idea into practice, where the gaps are and how they would propose to fill those.  

v. Openness - all applicants to the Fund need to demonstrate a willingness to share their experiences and learning to help establish a body of knowledge that can bring about a sustained change in the culture of giving and exchange. Nesta intends to carry out and publish research into the insights gained through the Fund.

Eligibility

The Fund is focused on increasing giving and exchange of time, assets, skills, resources and money in England. While your organisation can be established 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 and all types of organisations - communities, charities large and small, social entrepreneurs, businesses, academia, public services or other organisations.  We cannot fund activity which is party-political in intention, use, or presentation and we will not normally fund the purchase of capital equipment. 

The Fund is open to for-profit, private companies; however funding will only be awarded for projects that have an identifiable public benefit related to the aims of the Fund and our charitable objects and where any private benefit is incidental and not excessive. 

Applicants who applied to the first call for ideas can apply again to this second call for ideas, but should first read the feedback on the first round which is available here.    

The timetable for the selection process is: 

• Post video / complete basic details form: Noon 22 June 2012
• Invited by Nesta to submit an application form: 16 July 2012
• Deadline for submission of application forms: 30 July 2012  
• Invitation to pitch to selection panel: 24 August 2012
• Selection panel pitches: Early September 2012
• Confirmation of awards: Early September 2012

If you have any further questions or queries relating to the Fund or any accessibility requirements, please email giving@nesta.org.uk or contact us on 020 7438 2500  

About Nesta

Nesta is the UK's innovation foundation. We exist to help bring great ideas to life. We do this by providing finance through programmes, investments and grants, and mobilising research, networks and skills. Nesta became an independent charity on 1 April 2012 (charity number 1144091).   

About the Office for Civil Society

The Office for Civil Society, part of the Cabinet Office, works across government departments to translate the Big Society agenda into practical policies, provides support to voluntary and community organisations and is responsible for delivering a number of key Big Society programmes.