What is the Give More Get More Fund?

The Give More Get More Fund will support organisations to develop and test intensive volunteering placements for people approaching, or in retirement, that work alongside public services. We will provide up to £100,000 for five programmes, alongside non-financial support to develop and test the best ideas.

It is run by Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation, working in partnership with the Office for Civil Society.

What do you mean by intensive volunteering?

We want to work with organisations to develop and test intensive volunteering placements for people approaching, or in retirement, that work alongside public services. The shape of the volunteering placement and what it will focus on may vary, but we expect each organisation to be able to mobilise the time and talents of at least 100 people to carry out at least 150 hours (per person) high impact volunteering over an intense period (e.g. full time over a two to three-month period, or three days a week over a four-month period).  

Why does the Give More Get More Fund focus on innovations that mobilise people aged 50+?

The Give More Get More Fund seeks to build upon the enormous contributions already made by people aged over 50 to civil and civic society. We know that people aged over 50 contribute a huge share of the caring, volunteering, charitable giving, voting and other forms of civil engagement. But we think there is an opportunity to offer a different way for people to give their time and talents, through more intensive volunteering placements.

In a number of countries, there are opportunities to participate in ‘domestic gap years’ - as a form of structured national service commonly aimed at young people. Great examples come from across the world from German Zivi’s, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. These models have also been inspiring new forms of social action for young people here in the UK, for example with the replication of City Year from the US or the development of National Citizens Service in England.  

But these types of opportunities are not just for young people. In the US nearly 270,000 people aged over 55 take part in one of three Senior Corp programmes - Grandparents, Senior Companions and RSVP, each year. Last year 840,000 older people received assistance to remain independent in their homes, and more than 267,000 young people received tutoring and mentoring that improved their academic performance, self-esteem, and overall social behaviour.

This is a huge contribution to society. But it also has a huge impact on the lives of the people volunteering. Senior Corps members commonly report having a greater sense of purpose and achievement, having increased sense of belonging and connection in the community, and developing new contacts and friendships. Research also shows that volunteering as we age can have benefits way beyond this too; from health improvement and disease prevention, increased well-being and mental health, decreased isolation and loneliness, and positive impacts on self-confidence and self-esteem. Volunteering is increasingly seen as a fantastic enabler of a happy and healthy life as we age.  

But these forms of ‘intensive volunteering placements’ are relatively rare in the UK. We want to explore the potential of more intensive volunteering opportunities, and what it would take to motivate, recruit and support people aged over 50 to be able to share their time and talents in this different way. This is an exciting opportunity for organisations to be able to develop and test new innovations, that mobilise people’s times and talents in extraordinary ways.

What financial and non-financial support can we apply for?

We will provide up to £100,000 of financial support. We expect that around ten per cent of this will be required for evaluation costs. Successful organisations will also be supported with a range of non-financial support to develop and test their idea.  

Who is eligible to apply to the Give More Get More Fund?

We are looking to work with organisations that:

• Are a public service, or can demonstrate a clear alignment to public service priorities.
• Are able to demonstrate that the benefits of their proposals will be in England only.
• Are passionate about the opportunity that ‘intensive volunteering placements’ can bring to their work, and are interested in developing an innovative new approach.
• Can demonstrate a commitment to mobilising the time and talents of at least 100 people to carry out at least 150 hours high impact volunteering over an intense period (e.g. full time over a two to three month period, or three days a week over a four-month period).
• Have a track record in mobilising the time and talents of volunteers (this doesn’t necessarily have to be older volunteers).
• Can demonstrate that they have appropriate networks or channels to reach out to people approaching, or who are already, retired.
• Have a clearly identified priority outcome(s) and a persuasive case of why mobilising the time and talents of people over 50 in intensive placements will make a difference to this outcome (e.g improving primary school literacy, supporting elderly people to remain at home and independent etc).
• Have staff already in place to lead this work (rather than relying on new appointments) so you can hit the ground running.
• Have a commitment to being part of a fast-paced and creative innovation process, and are supported by a competent management team who are open to challenge and support.
• Have a commitment to measuring their ongoing performance and progress against our Standards of Evidence.

What types of organisations can apply?

The Give More Get More Fund is able to support public services, charities and social enterprises.

Do you back individuals?

We can support incorporated entities and unincorporated associations with formal membership structures, but not individuals.

Are faith-based organisations eligible to apply?

We welcome applications from faith-based organisations, but we cannot fund activity that is inherently religious, such as religious worship, instruction or proselytising.

Are there any other restrictions?

As the Give More Get More Fund is part financed by Nesta we can only fund projects which advance our charitable objects for public benefit. We cannot fund projects which are party political, or which support or promote religious activity, and can only fund limited paid for marketing or advertising.

As the Fund is also part financed by the OCS, grants will come from public funds and must not be used in a way that constitutes unapprovable State Aid.

If you are a for profit business, we may require you to make the innovation developed using the grant freely available, to reinvest profits from commercial exploitation back into your project to deliver greater public benefit, or to return a share of profits to Nesta. If you have any questions about this, please contact us on [email protected].

Can organisations apply in partnership or consortia?

Yes, but one partner must act as lead and take responsibility for the others. As part of the EOI we explicitly require that all partners are aware of the partnership and have agreed to the EOI, even where a formal partnership arrangement is not suitable or not yet in place. We may check-in with partners as part of our EOI sifting process.

How many projects are you looking to work with?

We anticipate supporting around five of the best service placement proposals, to develop and test what may be possible for intensive volunteering opportunities for people 50+.   

Why is the Give More Get More Fund restricted to England?

The Give More Get More Fund is a partnership with the Office for Civil Society, which has responsibility for social action in England only. While applicants can be established in any part of the UK, the benefits of their proposals must be in England.

What is the application and delivery process?

As we are looking to develop and test new ideas, we have developed a process to enable us to explain the ideas and principles of the Fund in more depth, before you develop a full proposal.

We would like all eligible organisations to attend a workshop in London on 15 November 2016 to initially explore what we want to develop and test in more detail. Following this, organisations will be invited to develop a full proposal. We expect a final decision to select the five proposals we will work with by 15 January 2017. 

An outline timetable of key activities can be found below:

24 Oct 2016      
EOI closes: deadline for organisations to register their interest.

15 Nov 2016     
Initial interest workshop: eligible EOIs will be invited to attend a workshop at Nesta, for us to outline what we want to work with you to develop, the key elements that we want to test, and the application and delivery process.

Deadline midday 12 Dec 2016   
Organisations who remain interested in applying to the Fund are invited to develop a full proposal.

21 Dec 2016      
Organisations will be notified as to whether they have been successful in being shortlisted, and will be notified and invited to attend a pitch day in London.

11 Jan 2017
Shortlisted applicants to attend an assessment day.

Mid-Feb 2017   
Grant agreements signed with organisations.

Mid Feb - end of May 2017        
We will work with organisations to develop and rapidly prototype their ideas for intensive volunteering.

June, July, Aug 2017      
Organisations will launch their intensive placements and recruit at least 100 volunteers aged 50+ to carry out high impact volunteering.

Sept 2017 to March 2018           
Service placements delivered (6 months) and evaluated

Organisations will deliver their intensive volunteering placements for at least 100 people aged 50+ to carry at least 150 hours of high impact volunteering over an intense period (e.g. full time over three months, three days a week over four months).

Spring 2018       
We will share the learning from developing and testing intensive service placements more broadly.

How many people aged 50+ would we need to work with?

We want to work with projects to develop and test intensive volunteering placements with at least 100 people aged 50+.  

What sort of volunteers should intensive volunteering placements work with?

We want to work with projects that create innovative intensive volunteering placements for people aged 50+, that have a demonstrable impact on a clearly defined outcome. We are particularly interested in projects that mobilise the time and talents of people who have rarely or never engaged in routine volunteering before.

We do not currently work with volunteers aged 50+ does this mean we can’t apply?

We will look to work with innovations to develop and test intensive volunteering placements for people aged 50+ where they have either:

• a proven track record of mobilising volunteers 50+ and now looking to develop and test new intensive volunteering placements;
• or can demonstrate a compelling case of how they will be able to recruit at least 100 people aged 50+ to deliver, for example by demonstrating connections to appropriate networks, and a track record of working with volunteers under 50 to deliver high impact outcomes.  

What are the timescales for the delivery of the work if we are successful in our application?

We will work with organisations to develop and test their intensive service placements from February 2017-March 2018.

What is the Give More Get More workshop on the 15 November 2016 about?

We will invite organisations who have submitted an EOI and are eligible, to attend a workshop on the 15 November 2016 to explore the key concepts that we are hoping to develop and test in more detail.  We strongly recommend that you attend this workshop, as we will look favourably on proposals that incorporate or respond to the information discussed in this session.  

This workshop enables us to relay key information and ideas, and although is a time commitment for organisations, we know that this helps to develop high quality applications and ideas as compared to developing a full proposal in isolation.  

We will pay reasonable travel costs for you to attend the workshop.

Do we need to have match funding secured in order to submit an Expression of Interest?

You do not need to have secured match funding to submit an Expression of Interest. However, you should have a sense of what match funding or in-kind funding (such as staffing or systems) you could contribute. Match-funding (including in-kind contributions) of at least 25 per cent is usually required as part of our grant conditions.

How many programmes are you looking to work with?

We anticipate supporting around five projects to develop and test intensive volunteering placements for people aged 50+. This may vary depending on the quality of the EOIs we receive, and the amount of financial and non-financial support projects require.

Do I need to have all the details of my intensive volunteering placement trial worked out to submit an EOI?

No, but we do want to hear about your initial idea. At the workshop on the 15 November 2016 we will explore key concepts and ideas in more detail, before full proposals are developed. We will also work with successful applicants to develop, prototype and refine intensive volunteering placements, from February-May 2017, before volunteers are recruited.

Can one organisation submit an EOI for each of the funds seeking to mobilise the time and talents of people aged 50+?  (Join in Stay In, Give More Get More, the Second Half Fund)

 We currently have 3 funds open that seek to mobilise the time and talents of people aged 50+ through social action, alongside public services.  This includes the Second Half Fund, Join in Stay In, and the Give More Get More Fund.  You may apply for more than one of the funds, however, we will assess the capacity of the organisation to be able to realistically work on more than one of the Funds in our assessment of the EOI's.