Geoff Mulgan
Nesta head Geoff Mulgan says it will back about 10 organisations in finding new ways to encourage giving
A government fund is seeking to back about 10 medium-to-large charities that want to find new ways to encourage people to give money and time.
The Innovation in Giving Fund, administered by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts on behalf of the Office for Civil Society, will provide a programme of support worth about £1.5m in total to organisations that "want to use their expertise, networks, assets and capabilities" to involve people in new ways of giving.
The programme will provide development funding, expert support, connections to potential partners and opportunities for collaboration, as well as a programme of workshops and events and practical support throughout the year.
Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta, said: "In the first round we’ve already backed some brilliantly imaginative new ideas and start-ups.
"But we now also want to tap into the great strengths of existing medium and larger-sized charities that can take innovative approaches to a larger scale.
"That will be crucial for our bigger goal of raising the amount of both time and money that’s given in this country."
The application process closes on 9 May.
A further call for ideas will be launched in May. This will continue an existing programme that is open to smaller charities, social enterprises and for-profit businesses with a social mission, and has already made 32 awards worth about £3m.
