Comic Relief launches new Tech for Good funding round
Melanie May | 12 October 2016 | News
Comic Relief is inviting applications to a new round of its Tech for Good funding programme, following last year’s pilot programme.
Applications opened on 3rd October, and close on 1st November at 3pm. Comic Relief, in partnership with Paul Hamlyn Foundation, is seeking to fund 10 digital projects each with up to £46,500, plus £3,500 to enable access to expert support.
The projects will last for four months, from April – July 2017, and will address any of Comic Relief’s four programme areas: Empowering Women and Girls, Investing in Children and Young People, Building Stronger Communities, Improving Health and Wellbeing.
This programme aims to provide the opportunity for not-for-profit organisations that already have some technological capacity to take their digital innovation projects forward, and is looking to fund teams to be able to make a significant digital step forward within four months.
Comic Relief’s aim is to fund projects that:
- Are focused on specific user needs in their design, delivery and development
- Make best use of web, mobile or internet based technologies
- Can scale effectively and offer economies of scale
- Disrupt and challenge existing ways of delivering services
Applicants must also show that they understand how to successfully manage a digital project, and have sound technical expertise in their management and delivery team, with some development work already having taken place.
Comic Relief’s 2015 pilot scheme enabled six not-for-profit organisations to develop digital products and services. Two of these grantees recently won Tech4Good Awards: SafetyNets which helps sex workers notify one another of dangerous people, and the audio-based app Wayfindr which enables visually impaired people to navigate using directions delivered through their smartphone.
Moira Sinclair, chief executive of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation said:
“We believe it is important to back innovation with monetary support and specialist expertise if we are to learn from others and achieve better results. By partnering with Comic Relief, we can expand our collective support to charities wishing to address complex social issues through technological solutions. Together we hope the programme will result in improvements to service design and delivery that can have an impact on many people’s lives.”
More information is available at: www.comicrelief.com/grants/initiatives/tech-for-good-2016-17.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.