Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation announce new Tech for Good funding round

22nd January 2019

We are pleased to announce that Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation have renewed their commitment to supporting not for profit organisations who are using technology to deliver new ideas and make their services more effective.

After two successful co-funded rounds of the Tech for Good programme, Comic Relief and PHF have extended their commitment to the programme until 2021, with total funding of £2.4 million.

The first UK Tech for Good funding programme of this 3-year partnership will be opening for applications in February 2019, and will support up to 13 not-for-profit organisations to develop or scale up digital products or services.

The Tech for Good programme was developed in response to the emerging need for charities to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services. We know funders have a vital role to play in enabling charities to increase the range of digital products and services available to their beneficiaries in an increasingly digital world.

The Tech for Good 2019 programme will open for applications from February 11th to March 25th. Applicants will be asked to submit a video of no more than three minutes which creatively and compellingly explains why the project should be funded. We will publish a longlist of the top 50 video applications online to celebrate the best proposals. From the longlist, the top 22 will make up the shortlist, and will be assessed for funding.

As part of the programme, funded partners are offered a monetary award of up to £48,000 for nine months alongside access to support from experts and advisors, plus the opportunity to collaborate and share learning with other organisations in the cohort.

Projects should address one of our four core issue areas: Children Survive and Thrive, Global Mental Health Matters, Fighting for Gender Justice, or A Safe Place to Be. For this initiative, Comic Relief would also welcome applications addressing challenges related to disability and inclusion outside of the themes specified above, as we understand the critical potential of digital technology in tackling these issues.

Previously funded projects have included the development of a Braille e-reader, a programme to digitise food vouchers for fruit and vegetable markets, and an app to help young people who sleep rough find a safe place to stay. For details of past projects, alongside publicly available previous longlists, please visit the Tech for Good hub(opens in new window).

We are looking to fund projects at any stage of development, with solid user-centred research, a clear problem to address, and a compelling digital solution to achieving this. The technology may be simple or cutting edge. We are looking to fund new products and services that can be shared with the wider not-for-profit sector. We do anticipate that most applicants will already have a digital development partner on board when they apply to help them deliver their project.

Prospective applicants should keep an eye on our funding opportunities page, where details and link to applications will be posted.

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