Updated: Added information on the Rehabillitation Social Action Fund
What is social action
The Centre for Social Action supports programmes that encourage people to create positive change through social action.
Social action can broadly be defined as practical actions in the service of others, which:
- is carried out by individuals or groups of people working together
- is not mandated and not for profit
- is done for the good of others; individuals, communities and/or society
- is bringing about social change and/or value
- includes the giving of time and money
The government set out its intentions on how to promote social action in the:
Centre for Social Action: objectives
The Centre for Social Action aims to:
- provide financial support, and in some cases additional skills development, to programmes that motivate people to make a difference through social action - helping programmes to expand
- commission campaigns that encourage large numbers of people to get involved in social action
- find and support new ideas and designs that have the potential to get many more people, businesses, and civil society organisations involved in social action
- support the development of a modern and effective infrastructure to support social action
It will invest around £36 million of government funding and £4 million of Nesta funding in 2013 to 2014 and 2014 to 2015. Details of how to apply for funding will be released as programmes are announced.
Types of projects supported by the Centre
The Centre for Social Action builds on the work of the Social Action Fund and the Innovation in Giving Fund.
Details of projects supported through those funds can be found on:
Funding: grant programmes
A series of social action grant funds will be launched to specifically support programmes that encourage social action.
Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Justice are committed to ensuring that social action is highly valued as an effective tool to reduce reoffending. We are looking to fund a small number of established organisations which use social action to rehabilitate offenders and are ambitious to improve their evidence of impact, develop a strategic voice and increase their delivery of social action opportunities.
At least £1 million will be available this financial year, with further funding potentially available next year.
Consultation about the design of this grant fund has now closed. More information will be available soon. Please contact centreforsocialaction@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk if you have any further questions.
Further details of other grant funds will be made available in due course.
Funding: campaigns
The Centre for Social Action will commission a small number of campaigns that aim to get large numbers of people involved in social action.
An example of a campaign that would be commissioned is the Alzheimer Society’s Dementia Friends campaign which seeks to recruit one million Dementia Friends to create dementia-friendly communities.
We are not currently looking to fund specific programmes, but are interested in any ideas you have for other large scale social action campaigns.
Please fill in our campaigns ‘call for ideas’ application form below and send it to CentreforSocialAction@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk, providing details of:
- the issue that the campaign would seek to address
- who we would be encouraging to take action - eg parents, house owners, older people
- what we are asking them to do - eg become a Dementia Friend
- who benefits from the campaign
- your contact details
We’ll respond to all ideas within 10 working days.
Innovation Fund
The Innovation Fund is a £14 million fund run by Nesta, the UK’s Innovation Foundation, working in partnership with the Cabinet Office.
Find more information on what innovations the Fund will support and how to apply for funding.
The Youth Social Action Fund
As part of the Centre for Social Action, and in parallel with the launch of the independent Campaign for Youth Social Action, bids are being invited for funding for programmes which deliver social action programmes in four areas: Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Lancashire and Kent. For further information, please visit the Youth Social Action Fund page.
Rehabillitation Social Action Fund
The Centre for Social Action is pleased to announce the Rehabilitation Social Action Fund is now open for applications. Up to £3.5 million will be available for charities and social enterprises who can demonstrate that they have a strong track record in using social action to rehabilitate offenders, a commitment to improving their evidence of impact and an ambition to scale up.
The Ministry of Justice has emphasised the important role voluntary and community organisations play in the rehabilitation of offenders in their strategy to deliver the Rehabilitation Programme. There is a wealth of promising programmes using social action to reduce reoffending delivered by voluntary and community groups. The Rehabilitation Social Action Fund recognises their contribution and will support them to scale up (whether through partnership working, expansion of an existing service or replication of a model in a new location), build evidence of impact and develop sustainable business models in order to engage with future commissioners, funders and contractors.
If you’re interested in applying, please go to Contracts Finder or read the Rehabilitation Social Action Fund FAQs for more information.
Infrastructure for social action
The Centre is supporting the development of the online and offline infrastructure for social action, and is currently working with YouthNet to develop and find a new host for the searchable volunteering database Do-it.
A full specification for organisations interested in being part of the Do-it platform is available here.