Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation have launched a £1m digital development fund, offering grants of up to £70,000.
It aims to support UK non-profits to test and develop digital service delivery solutions.
The fund is part of their joint Tech for Good programme, which was originally developed in 2016 in response to the need for charities to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services.
Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the need for organisations to explore how digital and design capabilities can help transform or maximise their work in supporting vulnerable people.
The programme will offer grants of up to £70,000 over a nine-month period from June 2021, alongside access to technical support from experts provided by CAST (Centre for the Acceleration of Social Technology).
It is available to individual not-for-profit organisations or those working in partnership. Applicants should aim to define, test and develop digital solutions that meet a social need or challenge, or aim to adapt or re-purpose existing technology to do so.
Moira Sinclair, chief executive of Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has forced charities to adapt their services at pace. We hope that our Tech for Good programme with Comic Relief will help them to explore and develop the digital solutions they need to improve the way they work and the support they provide to people and communities.
“The programme is not only about creating a new product or tool – existing technology can be re-purposed or adapted. It’s about understanding where and how a digital approach can make a positive difference for organisations and those they work with.”
The application process is open to UK charities with incomes of between £75,000 and £10m. Applications close at 12pm on 12 February 2021.
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