COMIC RELIEF TECH VERSUS ABUSE FUND

Tech vs Abuse is a new £300,000 fund launched by Comic Relief and funded by the Tampon Tax.

The Fund is for technological innovation and creative digital solutions, to improve the safety of women and girls affected by domestic violence.

Grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 are available over a period of one year from August 2017 to August 2018. It is anticipated that up to seven grants will be awarded.

Grant awards will include additional support from social-tech development experts, which will include a start-up workshop over two days at the commencement of the grant, connections to tech experts, on-going mentoring and two peer learning days in November 2017 and April 2018.

Comic Relief will also be holding three advice days (13, 14 and 15 February) so that groups may discuss their application. Potential applicants can book either a 30-minute phone call or online discussion by clicking on the Doodle poll HERE..

Grants can be used for digital solutions at any stage of development, from conceptual stage to those with existing solutions.

Comic Relief is looking for those projects and partnerships with potential to address the following five design challenges:

1. Fifteen minute window - Provide or curate key information online for women experiencing domestic abuse in a way which is easy to find, simple to navigate and quick to interact with;
2. Effective real-time support services - Enable women to find and access services for support (including referrals) when required, day or night, seamlessly and with minimal logistical and emotional burden;
3. Safer digital-footprint - Provide people affected by domestic abuse and frontline professionals the confidence and knowledge they need to use technology and stay online safely, with full control over their online data, privacy settings and social media accounts;
4. Accessible legal and financial information - Create engaging, accessible and digestible information on the legal process or the financial situation women find themselves in, connecting to support and advice where relevant; and
5. Realising it is abuse - Use the creative opportunities of the web to raise awareness of what an abusive relationship looks like, provoking women and girls experiencing abuse to recognise this and get support.

Projects without a digital partner in place at the point of applying will also be considered.

The funding will support new technology development as well as low-technology solutions and any training and resource publications required to meet these design challenges.

Comic Relief is particularly supportive of innovative approaches ensuring these solutions have high immediate impact or a lasting legacy beyond the life of the funding.

There is also interest in solutions with the potential to scale up, whether this is gained through buy-in across domestic abuse support agencies, by open sourcing the solution or ensuring shared learning and the possibility of replication.

The following are not eligible for funding:

o Pure research for the duration of the grant (Comic Relief will, however, support research as part of the grant that results in the creation of tangible solutions);
o Organisations and projects which evangelise or proselytise; and
o Organisations which adopt a partisan political stance or activities which are party political.

Not-for-profit organisations or partnerships based and working in the UK can apply as long as they have a governing document.

There is no restriction on the annual income of the organisation or partnership applying for a grant.

Applicants that currently have another grant with Comic Relief or have received an award previously may also apply to the Fund.

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 13 March 2017.

Full details, along with the online application form, can be found on the Comic Relief website.

Contact details for Comic Relief are:

Comic Relief
89 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7TP
Tel: 020 7820 2000
Email: grantsinfo@comicrelief.com

(Source: GRIN)