Through our Greener Homes initiative, Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good, is offering up to five x £10,000 development grants for compelling broadcast and/or digital projects that incorporate themes about how the ways we heat and power our homes are changing. We are looking for entertaining, fresh stories and approaches that bring a range of audiences to this subject.

We are not looking for boring, on-the-nose content. We want to support brilliant and arresting ideas about the changes that are taking place on the home front. The aim of this development fund is to provide promising ideas with important early-stage funding to deliver a proof of concept, so that they are pitch-ready to raise the funding required to go into production.

We’re looking for ideas that can come to screen in the next 12 months. With regard to form, we are agnostic; the digital & broadcast ideas we want to support could include:

• story-led content for a specific platform or influencer
• a factual entertainment show
• a new item in an existing consumer programme
• an innovative short-form documentary idea amplified on digital platforms
• immersive content, or a DIY show

Ultimately, we want to support ideas that audiences at scale will want to watch and engage with.

For ideas of story entry points, check out the Putting these themes on screen section of the Greener Homes Handbook.

The Greener Homes Development Fund offers successful projects a £10,000 non-recoupable grant to develop an idea into a production-ready project. 

• In addition, should you need them, Nesta experts will be on hand to offer factual insights and support to complement your editorial. 
• When you have a proof of concept and are ready to raise the funds required to move into production, for high-potential projects, Nesta’s Greener Homes Content Fund may be interested in co-funding (up to 50%) if there’s confirmed funding interest from a platform or broadcaster.

The next two decades will require substantial adjustments when it comes to our homes. Reducing carbon emissions in the switch to electrification will create smarter, cheaper, cleaner, healthier places to live. It will also reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, creating more energy stability and autonomy.

Households are bigger emitters of greenhouse gases than any other sector. For this reason, the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee assesses that increasing heating efficiency and replacing fossil fuels (such as gas and oil) with renewable energy will be necessary in almost all homes. They estimate that around half of homes in the UK should be using a heat pump by 2040 if we are to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to mitigate climate change.

The UK has committed to meet the legally binding goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 (2045 in Scotland). Recent government announcements are paving the way for a clean power transition, and the home will be on the frontline of many of these changes.

The concept of ‘home’ is powerful and plays an important role in all forms of storytelling. But how these stories are told – and the information that’s conveyed – will inevitably need to reflect the changes taking place. This is especially true as consumer demand and government legislation evolve, and homes become more energy efficient due to the way they are built or modified.

The societal shift towards electrification, and the accompanying changes to our homes, is one of the most significant transitions since the industrial revolution, and will bring with it compelling human stories on themes such as community, skills, and inclusion. Nesta is keen to support the development, and potentially, the production of these stories to reach a range of audiences.

Furthermore, broadcasters have committed to the Climate Content Pledge, which commits them to using their content to help audiences understand what tackling climate change might mean for them, as well as inspire and inform sustainable choices.

Please drop us a line by contacting us at [email protected].

On-screen sustainability experts Picture Zero are offering free Greener Homes briefings (1.5 hours) over Zoom, providing vital context and an opportunity to learn more about bringing these themes to audiences. If this is of interest, get in touch.