Empowering New Voices for Change

The Ideas and Pioneers Fund, created by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, supports individuals and groups who want to explore fresh and daring ideas for social change. The fund is designed for people whose ideas are in the early stages—concepts that are still forming but hold strong potential to challenge injustice, shift power, and transform society.

This initiative recognises that the best ideas for how society should change often come from those who have personally experienced injustice or exclusion. By offering up to £20,000 in funding and tailored support, the Ideas and Pioneers Fund provides the time, space, and resources necessary for these innovators to test new ways of making a difference.

Who the Fund Supports

The programme funds both the idea and the person behind it, focusing on individuals or small groups with strong potential to drive change. Eligible applicants include:

• Individuals with a clear idea for social change
• Groups or collectives (formal registration is not required)
• Organisations with an annual turnover under £150,000

While priority is given to applicants aged 18–30, applications from older individuals are also considered. Applicants under 18 are not eligible.

The fund specifically supports people who:

• Have a personal connection to the issue they want to address
• Are ready to take action and have a sense of the next steps needed.
• • Face barriers to accessing grant funding, particularly those who have not previously received financial support for their ideas
   

  What Makes a Strong Idea

  The Ideas and Pioneers Fund is interested in ideas that are:

  1. Challenging Injustice:
  Projects should address the root causes of systemic inequality and work towards building a fairer society. The fund values both local and national initiatives that help shift power and promote equity.

  2. Emerging:
  Ideas do not need to be fully developed. The fund supports applicants in shaping and testing early-stage concepts, helping them explore and refine their approach.

  3. Oriented Toward Long-Term Impact:
  Applicants should demonstrate a vision for lasting change that extends beyond the life of the grant.

   

  The Approach: How You Plan to Work

  In reviewing applications, the Foundation also considers how applicants intend to work. Successful proposals often reflect thoughtful, ethical, and collaborative approaches to change-making. Reviewers will look for indications that applicants are:

  • Considering the lived experiences of people affected by the issue
  • Exploring opportunities for collaboration or co-creation.
  • • Committed to fair pay and equitable compensation for contributions, especially from those with fewer resources
     

    What the Fund Will Support

    Funding is limited to ideas that serve a charitable purpose. Within this framework, applicants can request funding for any activity that will help them test, explore, and learn about their idea for social change.

    Examples include:

    • Conducting research or consultations to develop the idea
    • Gathering evidence or data to support a campaign
    • Bringing communities together to share knowledge, build power, or co-create solutions
    • Paying themselves or others for time spent developing and testing the idea

    The fund also offers a wraparound support package, which may include:

    • Training and mentorship
    • Access to a network of other innovators and changemakers
    • Peer learning opportunities and events
     

    What the Fund Will Not Support

    The Ideas and Pioneers Fund has clear boundaries around the types of proposals it can support. Funding will not be provided for:

    • One-off or short-term projects without potential for sustained impact
    • Ideas that lack a genuine connection between the applicant and the issue being addressed
    • Production of standalone creative works (e.g., podcasts, films, plays, or books)
    • Multiple proposals from the same applicant
    • Anyone who has previously received a grant from the Ideas and Pioneers Fund
    • Applications declined by the fund within the last 12 months
    • Projects that already have a fixed plan for implementation or scaling, with little room for experimentation

    These exclusions ensure that funding remains focused on exploration and learning rather than on delivering predefined outputs.

     

    What Applicants Can Expect

    Beyond the financial support, the fund provides a collaborative learning environment where recipients can connect with others tackling similar challenges. Grantees gain access to training, mentoring, and peer support sessions, creating a network of pioneers working to reshape social systems.

    By joining the programme, applicants not only receive funding but also become part of a community of innovators who are reimagining how social change happens—from the grassroots up.

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    Examples of Funded Projects

    The fund has previously supported a wide range of trailblazing initiatives:

    • Resist + Renew, a collective of trainers and facilitators, supports grassroots movements through training in campaign planning, decision-making, and organisational structures to enable radical social change.
    • The Survivors’ Fund, founded by Lucy, aims to establish the UK’s first survivor-led fund for the 11 million survivors of child sexual abuse, most of whom are currently unsupported by existing systems.

    These examples illustrate the diversity of approaches the fund embraces—from movement building to systems change and community empowerment.