Deadline: 9-Jan-22
In partnership with Hubbub, the John Lewis Partnership has launched a £1 million fund to support trailblazing ideas and innovations that can accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy.
Whether it’s rethinking waste with new products or materials, finding creative ways to shift consumer mindsets or developing new business models and services, they would like to hear from you.
The Circular Future Fund: The Million Pound Challenge has been created by John Lewis & Partners in partnership with HUBBUB.
Focus Areas
Projects should cover one of the following areas:
- Textiles – Solution examples: Production factors such as water and energy efficiency, material innovation, disruptive reuse platforms, chemical reduction/alternatives.
- Household products, technology and services – Solution examples: Zero emissions delivery, innovation in home goods, disruptive reuse/recycling platforms, consumption awareness and behaviour change, tech solutions and products.
- Food – Solution examples: Full supply chain food waste reduction, smart food waste solutions or changes in consumption awareness and behaviour change.
Funding Information
The fund will provide grants between £150,000-£300,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Fund is open to:
- Charities
- Academic bodies and institutions
- Community Interest Companies
- Social enterprises as defined: “Organisations that have a clear charitable mission, that can demonstrate the positive difference they are trying to make and which reinvest profits to further their social mission, and/or which, in a ‘wind-up’ situation, pass remaining assets on to another non-profit social enterprise that has a charitable purpose.”
- For-Profit organisation as defined: “Organisations that aim to generate profit from their operations, which have been operating for no longer than 5 years”
- Applicants must prove they are an officially constituted body in the UK by providing their company registration number, and/or charity registration number and their constitution.
- Applicants must submit their audited accounts for the last financial year.
- Applicants must be seeking funds to support a specific and discrete project. Organisations seeking funding to cover core operational costs will not be considered.
- The Fund aims to offer grants valuing £150,000 to £300,000. The grant must represent the majority funding for the project. The Organisers reserve the right to offer grants of a lower or higher value depending on the merit of the Applicant and funds available.
- Applications from a collaboration of organisations or partnerships are welcomed. The lead organisation, which shall be the “Applicant”, must be one of the types of organisation.
- Each Applicant shall appoint one individual (the “representative”) to represent it and act on behalf, including registering and entering an application, of said organisation. The representative must be duly authorised to submit on behalf of the organisation. The representative warrants, represents and undertakes that:
- he/she is duly authorised to act on behalf of the organisation; and
- he/she has read these Terms & Conditions and that any partner organisation has read them and agreed to abide by them.
Criteria
- A truly circular solution: You need to explain how your project offers a viable and truly circular solution.
- Impact: The project needs to demonstrate its tangible impact. This could be a direct and immediate impact or a clear path to future impact.
- Legacy: THey want to see that the project will have a longer-term impact beyond the scope of the funded year, and ideally it would have wider social and environmental benefits too. Where will your idea be in 3 years’ time
- Fund project activity (not core costs): They want to fund a discrete project, or specific project activity rather than contribute towards an organisation’s core costs.
- Innovation and why you: They want to know what is innovative about this project and why the people, and organisation(s) delivering it are the right ones.
- Open sharing: How will you share the learnings and results to inspire and enable others to learn from and amplify your project and thereby increase the impact
For more information, visit https://www.circularfuturefund.co.uk/about