Digital Fund: Supporting Charities and Community Organisations in UK

Deadline: 3 December 2018

Applications are open for Digital Fund to support charities and community organisations.

It is about helping the charity and voluntary sector to use digital tools and approaches to support people and communities to thrive.

Types of Strand & Funding Information

Digital Fund Strand 1 offers grants of up to £500,000 and a tailored support package. The aim is to help established organisations use digital to take a major leap forward. They expect grants to last from 1 to 4 years.
- Successful Strand 1 proposals will:
  - Demonstrate a firm commitment by organisational leadership to changing the way that the organisation serves people and communities.
  - Contain a plan that has been developed in accordance with good digital practices, such as committing to an iterative approach, and making sure that people are in the lead.
  - Supply evidence that the organisation has already invested in digital, prior to this proposal.
  - Show a commitment to working generously, sharing what applicants learn and the products or services they produce with others.
Digital Fund Strand 2 offers grants of up to £500,000 for newer organisations that have already launched promising services that use digital to achieve scale or impact. They expect grants to last from 1 to 4 years.
- Successful strand 2 proposals will:
  - Have made use of user-centred design.
  - Clearly demonstrate either the potential to scale applicant’s impact at low cost, or clearly demonstrate potential to use digital to bring substantial benefits to a specific group of people.
  - Be driven by teams that combine knowledge of an issue that matters to people and communities, with experience of digital delivery.
  - Relate to a product or service that is far enough through its development process that people are currently benefiting from it.
  - Provide evidence of impact upon those people.
  - Have a theory of change or similar document showing how the product or service will achieve aims that benefit a specific group of people.
  - Show an understanding of the challenge of sustaining impact after the ending of Big Lottery Fund support.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants can apply if they’re a:
- voluntary and community organisation
- registered charity
- social enterprise
- group of organisations, if they are led by a voluntary and community organisations or social enterprise
- community interest companies (with two or more directors).
Additional eligibility criteria that apply only to Strand 1
- Applicant’s organisation must have had an income over £500,000 last year. If their organisation had income of over £10m last year, The Big lottery fund will ask for a matching contribution that will be tailored to their size
- Applicant’s organisation must be incorporated within the UK, and must work primarily in the voluntary and community sector
Additional eligibility criteria that apply only to Strand 2
- Applicant’s organisation must have been incorporated after the year 2000. The Big lottery fund has taken a decision to focus on newer organisations in this strand following their research for the Digital Fund.
- Applicant’s must currently operate a product or service that is functional and being used by the type of people and communities they plan to serve in future.