Applying to the Activate Fund
Applying to the Activate Fund
Introduction
The Activate Fund is a pilot grant scheme which supports the impact that Fellows make in their communities and sectors across the UK.
Currently it offers one-off grants of £10,000-30,000 for Fellows to implement the findings of their Fellowship. It covers UK activities, not international travel, and is available to Fellows within 10 years of their award. Stories of Activators’ projects can be read here.
Applications can be submitted online from 19 January until 5pm on 24 February 2022. Grants will be awarded in July 2022.
All eligible Fellows are emailed when the Fund opens for application, with a personalised link to the online application form. If you believe you are eligible and have not received a link, please email us on office@churchillfellowship.org.
The aim of the Activate Fund is to support Fellows in the crucial period after your research, when you are turning your ideas into action. It has been developed in consultation with Fellows.
As well as providing a grant, we can offer support in the form of online sessions where Activators can meet each other to form peer networks, and connections with our own network of specialists in your field who can offer advice, insights or introductions, as you may require.
This Fund is complementary to the Fellowship and therefore does not cover further international travel.
What type of projects will this fund?
- Setting up a social enterprise, charity, or other non-profit entity.
- Piloting a project or prototyping a product.
- Costs related to expanding a project, which may include consultancy fees.
- Development of a service, resources or training.
- Advocacy activities such as speaking engagements in influential spaces, publishing research, a book or policy papers/briefings for a clear target audience.
- Evaluation of a project.
What activities can the funding be used for?
- A stipend or to supplement income if you are proposing to reduce your working hours.
- Vital life costs, where it will give you time and capacity to pursue your endeavours. These costs could include a contribution to extra childcare costs, carer costs, etc.
- Support needs, such as legal costs, trademarking, website design, translation, the adaptation of resources for different audiences, equipment, etc.
- Consultancy fees or staffing costs (i.e. service design, evaluation specialists, equity, diversity, and inclusion experts, etc.)
- Workshops and events delivered as part of a wider project. (We cannot support one-off activities, such as a conference, a festival, a trip, a workshop).
- You can also use up to 20% of your budget flexibly as your needs might change once the work begins.
- Please note, while we are able to contribute to equipment, we are unlikely to support bids where equipment costs constitute more than 25% of your budget.
This grant can support projects over a period of up to 24 months. Projects of 12 months or less can receive a maximum of £20,000.
What won’t this fund?
- Projects for which there is no demonstrable demand.
- Promotion of a political party.
- Proselytising on religious grounds.
- Work that is not for public benefit.
- An idea that will only benefit the applicant, not the wider UK society.
- Academic studies, dissertations for undergraduate degrees, degree placements, medical electives, student grants, internships, etc.
- Gap year activities, unless the application is for a stand-alone project.
- Art projects that will result only in an exhibition and have no public benefit beyond raising. the profile and expertise of the applicant.
- Artist's residencies.
- Research for fiction unless it has a wider public benefit.
- Where the project is solely about enabling an individual to volunteer.
- Organisational running costs.
- University or large institutional overheads.
- One-off activities, such as attending a conference, festival, trips, a workshop, etc.
- Moving your services online.
- Supplying equipment.
- Travel outside of the UK.
The aim of the Activate Fund is to support Fellows in the crucial period after your research, when you are turning your ideas into action. It has been developed in consultation with Fellows.
As well as providing a grant, we can offer support in the form of online sessions where Activators can meet each other to form peer networks, and connections with our own network of specialists in your field who can offer advice, insights or introductions, as you may require.
This Fund is complementary to the Fellowship and therefore does not cover further international travel.
What type of projects will this fund?
- Setting up a social enterprise, charity, or other non-profit entity.
- Piloting a project or prototyping a product.
- Costs related to expanding a project, which may include consultancy fees.
- Development of a service, resources or training.
- Advocacy activities such as speaking engagements in influential spaces, publishing research, a book or policy papers/briefings for a clear target audience.
- Evaluation of a project.
What activities can the funding be used for?
- A stipend or to supplement income if you are proposing to reduce your working hours.
- Vital life costs, where it will give you time and capacity to pursue your endeavours. These costs could include a contribution to extra childcare costs, carer costs, etc.
- Support needs, such as legal costs, trademarking, website design, translation, the adaptation of resources for different audiences, equipment, etc.
- Consultancy fees or staffing costs (i.e. service design, evaluation specialists, equity, diversity, and inclusion experts, etc.)
- Workshops and events delivered as part of a wider project. (We cannot support one-off activities, such as a conference, a festival, a trip, a workshop).
- You can also use up to 20% of your budget flexibly as your needs might change once the work begins.
- Please note, while we are able to contribute to equipment, we are unlikely to support bids where equipment costs constitute more than 25% of your budget.
This grant can support projects over a period of up to 24 months. Projects of 12 months or less can receive a maximum of £20,000.
What won’t this fund?
- Projects for which there is no demonstrable demand.
- Promotion of a political party.
- Proselytising on religious grounds.
- Work that is not for public benefit.
- An idea that will only benefit the applicant, not the wider UK society.
- Academic studies, dissertations for undergraduate degrees, degree placements, medical electives, student grants, internships, etc.
- Gap year activities, unless the application is for a stand-alone project.
- Art projects that will result only in an exhibition and have no public benefit beyond raising. the profile and expertise of the applicant.
- Artist's residencies.
- Research for fiction unless it has a wider public benefit.
- Where the project is solely about enabling an individual to volunteer.
- Organisational running costs.
- University or large institutional overheads.
- One-off activities, such as attending a conference, festival, trips, a workshop, etc.
- Moving your services online.
- Supplying equipment.
- Travel outside of the UK.