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Ideas and Pioneers Fund to close for at least a year

Published: 1 November 2021 
Volunteers working at Little Village baby bank
Volunteers working at Little Village baby bank. Photo credit: Monika Chilicka
We will be closing the Ideas and Pioneers Fund to new applications for at least a year, from 15 November 2021. 

The Fund, which offers grants of up to £15,000, supports people with innovative ideas to improve life chances in the UK. Since the Fund first opened seven years ago, demand has increased significantly and we are extremely proud of the range and diversity of ideas and pioneers we’ve been able to support.

Increasingly however, we’ve had to say no to a lot of proposals (currently we turn down about 86% of all applications). We are concerned that this is creating a lot of work for applicants and we want to take some time to think about whether there is a better way to support this sector.

We have decided to temporarily close the Fund while we undertake the review, and will close to new applications for at least a year.

All applications that have already been submitted will be considered before Christmas, and support for existing Ideas and Pioneers grantees will continue.

We will update the website with news and progress.