GrantRadar

The Access Foundation

Bridging the Digital Divide

Grants generally between £20,000 and £50,000 to registered charities tackling the digital divide — making IT facilities, support and learning available to disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Awarded by open competition, with applications assessed against each other rather than on a first-come basis, so a clear return on investment and direct support for people in need matter. Projects normally run no more than 12 months. Registered charities only: CICs and other unregistered not-for-profits cannot apply under this pillar, and general running costs are never funded.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£20,000 – £50,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Registered charities in any geographical area in which The Access Group operates — the Foundation names the UK, Ireland, Romania, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka
  • Applications are only considered from organisations registered by the appropriate charity commission or registry for their area, which may include charities exempt or excepted from registering with the Charity Commission for England and Wales
  • Charities registered with OSCR, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or the Charities Regulator for the Republic of Ireland must give their charity registration number and charity tax reference number
  • Organisations outside the UK where no equivalent charity register exists are only considered where the trustees are satisfied the organisation meets an appropriate standard of regulation in its country
  • Applications must be for specific services, activities, initiatives or projects with clearly identified and measurable outcomes; general overheads and operational costs are never funded, and grants are made on a restricted fund basis
  • Previous recipients and previously unsuccessful applicants are considered on their own merits with no preferential or adverse treatment

What it funds

  • Specific services, activities, initiatives or projects with clearly identified and measurable outcomes that mitigate the digital divide by making computing facilities, support and learning available to disadvantaged and vulnerable people
  • Grants are given on a restricted fund basis and normally support a project completing within 12 months

What it will not fund

  • Applications for grants from individuals
  • Applications from Community Interest Companies (CICs) under the Digital Divide pillar
  • Other UK not-for-profit organisations not registered with the Charity Commission, under the Digital Divide pillar
  • Organisations' general running costs or overheads
  • Religious organisations or religious activity
  • Charities whose aim is to support animals
  • Any political activity, such as lobbying government, political protests or campaigning for a change in the law
  • Education institutions, unless they are 100% for Special Educational Needs (SEN)

How to apply

  1. Read the Grant Making Policy and Procedures and the Digital Divide grant application guidance notes
  2. Create a user profile and an organisation profile on the Foundation's Fluxx application portal
  3. Wait for the registration to be approved — every registration is reviewed manually, which can take a few days
  4. Complete the application, adding colleagues to help if needed; it can be saved and resumed until you submit
  5. State how many people will benefit and how, and the expected impact both quantitatively and qualitatively
  6. Upload your safeguarding policy, your latest accounts and an itemised budget
  7. Submit — no further edits are possible afterwards

there are no application deadlines, and all applications are assessed against each other in an open competition

after submission, correspondence runs through the Fluxx platform

the decision is at the sole discretion of the trustees, is final, has no appeal process, and no reason need be given

Have ready

  • Your safeguarding policy
  • A copy of your latest accounts
  • An itemised project budget
  • Details of the purpose of the application, how the grant would be used, and expected measurable outcomes
  • Your charity registration number, and for OSCR, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland charities also your charity tax reference number

where work would be subcontracted, you must confirm you have done full due diligence on the provider's qualifications and processes

you must confirm your safeguarding procedures are robust, legally compliant, proportionate to your beneficiaries and suitable for your context

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