£14million Innovation Fund

The Centre for Social Action’s £14million Innovation Fund has opened for applications for innovative ventures and programmes that use social action to achieve impact in four areas, including impact volunteering.

The fund is the first initiative from the Cabinet Office’s new Centre for Social Action, set up to fund programmes that encourage people to create positive change through social action.

Managed by Nesta, it will fund projects that aim to tackle various big social challenges, such as ensuring the wellbeing of older people and supporting people with long-term health conditions.

Grants will range from £50,000 to £500,000 and successful applicants can also access non-financial support including business advice and making new relevant contacts.

The Innovation Fund will be open for two years from April 2013 and will look for innovations in specific priorities. The first four priorities, including impact volunteering, which involves using new approaches to mobilise volunteers to increase and enhance the outcomes achieved by public services, will be open for applications for six months, until the end of October 2013.

Further priorities will be opened for applications in due course.