Comic Relief/Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Tech for Good 2019 for UK

Deadline: 25 March 2019

Comic Relief with Paul Hamlyn Foundation has launched a UK Tech for Good funding programme, the first round of funding in their renewed three year Tech for Good partnership.

The Tech for Good programme was developed in response to the emerging need for charities in the UK to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services.

Themes

Projects should address one of four core issue areas: Children Survive and Thrive, Global Mental Health Matters, Fighting for Gender Justice, or A Safe Place to Be.

Comic Relief will also welcome applications addressing challenges related to disability and inclusion outside of the themes specified above, as they understand the critical potential of digital technology in tackling these issues.

Funding Information

This round will fund up to 13 digital projects with grants of up to £48,000 over a period of nine months.

The grants will last for nine months and will include:

A two-month soft development phase (Aug-Sept 2019)
An intense four-month hard development phase (Oct-Jan 2020)
A three-month launch phase (Feb-Apr 2020)

What will Fund

This programme aims to provide the opportunity for not-for-profit organisations, who already have some technological capacity, to take their digital innovation projects forward. Comic Relief are looking to fund teams to make a significant digital step forward within nine months.

A wide range of digital interventions will be considered and aim is to fund projects that:

Are focused on specific user needs in their design, delivery and development
Make best use of existing technology
Disrupt and challenge existing ways of delivering services
Have a clear sustainability plan
Are shareable with other parts of the non-profit sector

Cohort Engagement

The Tech for Good programme has been shaped as an opportunity for successful organisations to engage, collaborate and share their learnings around their use of digital technologies and social impact with the rest of the cohort.

Projects will be expected to:

Attend a one-day pre-assessment workshop for those shortlisted in April 2019
Attend a one-day start-up workshop at the beginning of both the soft development and hard development phases
Present their new digital product/service at a public wrap-up event in 2020
Actively take part in regular online peer learning webinars
Maintain an open and collaborative relationship with their grant manager and programme evaluators
Fully engage with any external support they are provided with and proactively share learnings

Organization Criteria

Applicants must be based in the UK
Applicants must be not-for-profit organisations. Additionally, Comic Relief does not accept proposals from NHS trusts, hospitals, schools/colleges, statutory bodies including local authorities, and non-registered organisations without constitutions
The applicant must also not have an annual income of more than £10 million. Please note the lower income limit for this fund is £75,000 but funding requests must be relative to income
Applicants should have a tech development partner on board at the time of application, unless they have the appropriate specialist tech expertise in-house. The tech partner cannot be the lead applicant or grant holder if the application is successful
Organisations with an existing Comic Relief grant can apply, as can holders of a previous Tech for Good grant, although proposals must be for a new project and not one they have previously funded
Organisations can submit more than one proposal to the initiative and tech development partners can be associated with more than one bid
All applicants must identify a project sponsor at senior level i.e. CEO

Please note that for this Tech for Good initiative, the lower income limit for organisations applying is £75,000, as opposed to the £250,000 lower limit for UK organisations stated in Comic Relief’s general eligibility requirements.

Project Criteria