Application guidelines

Make your points clear and simple
If you can’t distil your idea into a couple of sentences then it will be difficult to communicate it to your users, clients and other potential investors. Use simple language – the less jargon, the better.

Be concise
There are word limits for each question because we want to focus on the core idea; to save you time and so that we can process more applications in less time.

Show us your homework
If you are planning on overhauling something as important as the way teachers and parents talk to each other, how kids learn at school or how a graduate finds out about jobs, we’d be impressed to hear what the existing provision is, why you’re better than what is out there already – and why whatever is being changed isn’t going far enough.

We welcome works in progress
We are really interested in the best ideas so don't worry if your idea is early stage (really just an idea with only a few sentences of description) or much more developed (perhaps, you’ve already put a business plan together). If there is a kernel of a great idea, we will happily work with you to develop it into an initiative or organisation.

Be a pioneer – not a sociologist
We believe the social sector has enough researchers and needs more innovators. Show us you are relentlessly focussed on making our money and your time go far by wanting to spend our money not on a pilot and an evaluation – but rather establishing an evidence base, a service, a customer who will pay for it and a plan for where you will base yourselves, who you need to recruit and what skills you need.

Cast a wide net
We know that some fantastic projects which are best suited to a certain community or group work best for those they are already serving. But projects that will only ever have an impact on a small minority – a small geographical area, or a niche target group like young people from a certain ethnic background, or young people with special educational needs or with mental health problems – are unlikely to meet our criteria of having an impact on as many young people as possible.

Addressing our Criteria

We get excited by sustainable ideas that can be scaled up; that are innovative and that effectively address a social need affecting youth in transition aged between 14-25. We're looking for evidence that you have thought about how your idea fits the bill, so be sure to tell us how.

Elevator pitch
This is your chance to get us hooked:

• Explain the idea
• Tell us about the impact on your users, clients and society

Core idea
This is your chance to tell us how it all works in a bit more detail:

• Describe what a young person will experience in taking part in your project and when
• Tell us how far along you are with the idea, what partners you have on board and stakeholders
• Tell us why it matters to you

Social Impact
We are looking for ideas that will have a profound social impact on youth in transition aged 14-25:

• Explain the social need or problem you want to address – and how big a problem it is
• Tell us what impact you will have on young people – and impress us with any evidence you’ve got already

Innovation
We want to know why your approach is innovating beyond what is already out there:

• Tell us who your competitors are and why you’re different
• Persuade us that your approach is more effective

Sustainability
We work with individuals and teams that want to build sustainable organisations and are not dependent on grant funding:

• Tell us where your income will come from
• Impress us by explaining the needs of the people who will finance you - and how you plan to address them

Scalability
We want to support projects that have the potential to have an impact on many young people and that are thinking cleverly about doing a lot with a little:

• Tell us how and when you see your impact growing
• Impress us with setting out clear and ambitious goals for the next 6-12 months
• Show us you have thought about how you can reach many more young people without just raising your costs

Passionate, competent people
We know the most important thing in creating successful ideas is passionate, competent people:

• Tell us who you and your core team are and your background and motivations
• Impress us by showing us that you have thought about your team’s gaps and weaknesses and how you intend to fix them