There has been some media commentary today about grants made to the Big Society Network following an NAO report into the funding for three projects: Your Square Mile, Get In and Britain’s Personal Best.

NESTA did not fund any of the projects highlighted in the NAO report. We were approached for grant funding for the Your Square Mile, Get In and Britain’s Personal Best projects and decided not to fund them.

NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), which was an NDPB, awarded two grants to Big Society Network in 2010. In August 2010, NESTA awarded a grant of £80,000 to the Big Society Network Ltd to support the Your Local Budget project, which explored innovative approaches to participatory budgeting. The project was a partnership with the Participatory Budget Unit and provided direct support to nine local authorities across England.

In December 2010 NESTA awarded a grant of £400,000 to the Big Society Network Ltd. This was split with £150,000 of the grant provided to part finance Big Society Network’s core running costs (of both Big Society Network Ltd and Society Network Foundation) in its early stages whilst the majority, £250,000, was to support three specific projects, which we did alongside a number of other funders. The projects NESTA's grants supported:

• Nexters – a project to find and support social entrepreneurs focused on technology. Project partners: Deloittes, Unltd, Bulldog Trust and Yorkshire and Clydesdale Banks
• Spring – a project to support research into technology based innovations in the giving of time and money. A partnership with the Nominet Trust
• It’s Our Community – a project to explore innovations in community ownership of assets. A partnership with NCVO and Gulbenkian

Nesta became an independent charity in March 2012 when the NDPB (NESTA) was abolished.

All funding provided by Nesta – whether previously as an NDPB or currently as an independent charity – is awarded following detailed review and discussion, which is overseen by an independent board of trustees.

The grants to Big Society Network were approved by our trustees, following a thorough review and proper consideration.