GrantRadar

Do it Now Now (funded by Wellcome)

Innovate Now with Wellcome

A grant and capacity-building programme run by Do it Now Now with funding from Wellcome for UK Black-led initiatives with annual income up to £150,000 that support the research careers of Black and Mixed Black heritage people. Grants are fixed by tier: £13,000 over two years for unregistered groups, sole traders and organisations under £10k income; £21,000 over three years for registered initiatives with £10k-£30k income; and £48,000 over three years for registered initiatives with £30k-£150k income, alongside governance, leadership and wellbeing support. Round 2 Expressions of Interest are open until 27 November 2026; 45 grants will be made in total.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£13,000 – £48,000
Deadline
40 days left
27 November
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Initiatives based in and operating in the UK with annual income of £0-£150,000 and a track record of supporting Black or Mixed Black heritage researchers, students or communities involved in research careers
  • They can be registered (charities, CICs, social enterprises, limited companies) or sole traders / unincorporated / unregistered groups with appropriate governance; fiscal hosting is acceptable, and university-affiliated (especially non-Russell Group) or community-based initiatives can apply
  • Over 50% of leadership must identify as Black (including Mixed Black heritage), 75% of directors/trustees should have lived experience of the issues addressed (smaller boards may still qualify if decision-making is led by Black and Mixed Black people), and at least one decision maker must be a (free) Do it Now Now member
  • All criteria must be met

What it funds

Work that strengthens Black-led initiatives supporting research careers, including:

  • Capacity building and leadership development
  • Mentoring and peer networks
  • Training, workshops and community engagement
  • Research support services, advocacy and systemic change work

For example strengthening governance, leadership or internal systems, or expanding mentoring, training or community engagement for Black researchers.

Priority goes to initiatives supporting Black or Mixed Black heritage researchers in human sciences, wellbeing, STEM, humanities, social sciences and racial equity; other disciplines may be considered with a clear link to health, wellbeing or research pathways.

Grants are not repayable and come with 2-3 years of tailored capacity-building support.

What it will not fund

  • Activities promoting religious or political purposes (faith-based initiatives can apply if services are open to people of all or no faith)
  • Purely commercial activities
  • Party-political campaigns
  • Projects not aligned with supporting Black heritage researchers and equitable research careers
  • Initiatives with annual income over £150,000
  • Requests for amounts other than the set tier (less than £13,000 or more than £48,000)

How to apply

  1. Read the Round 2 guidance document and the real-time FAQs
  2. Register for a free DiNN Membership ID (bit.ly/dinncode) - at least one decision maker must be a member
  3. Complete the Expression of Interest form (bit.ly/dinngrants) by 27 November 2026; it cannot be saved part-way, so draft answers first (a Word template is available)
  4. Shortlisted applicants complete a Due Diligence form and a 1-2-1 Health Check with an assessor
  5. Proposal development: work with the team to draft a proposal for the funding committee
  6. Onboarding: approved initiatives receive a contract and join the 2-3 year capacity-building programme

1-2-1 support calls can be booked via funding@doitnownow.com, and Zoom drop-ins run Mondays 4-5pm from 14 September to 27 November 2026 (excluding bank holidays).

Reasonable adjustments are available on request.

Have ready

  • Most recent annual accounts or bank statements
  • Management accounts (profit and loss and balance sheet) or equivalent (cashflow forecast, annual budget)
  • Bank statement for the account to be paid into
  • Proof of ID of the contract signatory
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Data protection policy
  • EDI policy
  • Financial reserves policy or statement on reserves

Documents are only requested at the due diligence stage from shortlisted applicants; the Expression of Interest needs no uploads.

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