Safe, Secure, Settled: Full proposal guidance
General guidance
Please find the guidance for your initiative below. Please read this guidance carefully, and be sure the answers you give clearly address the key points these questions are seeking to draw out from your response.
This Sport Relief, we are launching the Safe, Secure, Settled fund. This initiative will invest in projects that are using sport to improve the lives of young people without a safe or secure place to live, helping them to gain the skills and resources to lead safe and positive lives. We will consider work that supports children and young people aged up to and including 25. We will also consider family-based interventions where the majority of beneficiaries are under 25.
Sport and physical activity can be a powerful tool for social change, used to address a range of issues facing communities. It can support the development of essential life skills, deliver powerful messages, develop confidence and improve self-esteem. It can also improve mental and physical health. Over the past 10 years Comic Relief has funded hundreds of projects that use sport in this way and we have seen the potential that it has to change lives when used alongside other interventions.
We believe that projects developed and delivered in partnership with the people they aim to support will be more effective in creating positive social change. Projects like this are more likely to respond to the priorities of the people they are trying to reach and be more able to identify appropriate solutions. They may also benefit from greater accountability and legitimacy, and by empowering people to be part of the process, have the potential to build confidence and strengthen community cohesion.
Comic Relief defines Sport for Change as bringing about positive social change for individuals and communities through the intentional use of sport and physical activity. We know that taking part in sport and physical activity leads to an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence for most people and for this initiative, we are making the assumption that this underpins all programming. However, for this programme we want proposals go above and beyond confidence building and to demonstrate how sport can be used to achieve positive social change. Proposals to this initiative will need to demonstrate wider social outcomes and not just focus on increasing participation in sport. Click here for more information: Sport for Change.
Proposals to this initiative must meet Comic Relief’s general eligibility requirements (see our policies).
Applications are welcome for a minimum of £100,000 and a maximum of £500,000, over a period of between two and four years. We will support projects being delivered in the UK, India, South Africa, Brazil or Kenya. Applications for work in India, South Africa, Brazil or Kenya can be made by a locally registered organisation directly delivering the project or in partnership with a UK-based organisation.
Your grant request should be appropriate to the size of your organisation.
We encourage you to demonstrate a contribution specific to this project, this can either be by cash match funding or value in kind. We provide space for you to do this in the budget template.
Please note that some questions in the form will be marked as not applicable as they are not relevant to your funding initiative or proposal, and you are not required to complete these.
Applicants are only allowed to submit one application.
The online form automatically saves your answers as you move between sections. However, you can also choose to save your work using the save button at the end of each section. You can leave the form and return to add more information at a different time. The answers to some questions will determine whether you are subsequently asked additional questions. To make sure you supply us with the answers to all required questions you should complete the questions and sections in order.
Before you can submit your proposal successfully, our system checks whether you have completed all mandatory sections and questions. The system will flag any unanswered questions to you. You can print a copy of your proposal at any time using the print form options at the top of this page and at the top of each section.
We recommend you use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browser to complete this form
Please note that there are character limits for the answers to some questions; where relevant you can find these on the online form and they are also noted in the guidance below in the final column.
The deadline for this initiative is midday UK-time on the 14th June 2018.We will not accept late proposals and strongly urge that you resolve any issues with your proposal and submit it in advance of the deadline.
1.Basic details
Subsection / Question / Guidance / Character count1.1 Reference information / Reference information / You should use this proposal ID in all correspondence relating to your proposal. / n/a
1.2 Basic details / Proposal title / Please provide a brief title for your proposal, excluding your organisation name. We will use this title whenever we refer to your proposal. / 100 characters
1.2 Basic details / Has this work/project previously been funded by Comic Relief? / Please tick yes if Comic Relief has previously provided funding for this work/project.
Please note that if we have previously funded this work, you will be asked to upload the latest report of this work or any final evaluation you might have carried out.
You can find more information about our policy on continuation funding on ourpoliciespage. / n/a
1.2 Basic details / Has this work/project previously been funded by another funder (not Comic Relief)? / Please tick yes if this work/project has previously been funded by another funder.
Please note that if the work has been previously funded, you will be asked to upload latest report of this work or any final evaluation you might have carried out. / n/a
1.2 Basic details / Are you using any of the following approaches in your proposal:
Sport for Change□
Tech for Good□
Enterprise □ / Guidance on proposals involving Sport for Change
Comic Relief defines Sport for Change as bringing about positive social change for individuals and communities through the intentional use of sport and physical activity.Click here for more information: Sport for Change.
We cannot fund projects which aim only to increase participation in sport, projects aiming to develop sporting excellence, individual athletes or sports teams or one-off sporting events. Refurbishment, upgrades to playing surfaces, or any other capital works associated with sporting provision will also not be funded. You will be asked additional questions about your approach in section 2.
Please see Appendix 1 at the end of this document for a full list of sports eligible for Comic Relief funding.
Guidance on proposals involving Tech for Good
By Tech for Good, we mean projects which include substantial development of digital products or technology to create social change. Please do not select Tech for Good if your project includes general digital inclusion work such as training people in how to use or access technology. Under this approach, we generally will not fund the updating of websites or routine social media campaigns, or related staff or volunteer training. You will be asked additional questions about your approach in section 2.
Guidance on proposals involving Enterprise
For projects in the UK: By enterprise approach, we means requests for funding from organisations which trade to tackle social problems, so organisations that generate income from selling goods or services, but then reinvest all profits back into their business or local community, which help to tackle social issues. These organisations will have a clear social mission set out in their governing documents and generate a significant proportion of their income through trade. For Community Interest Companies they must have an asset lock in place and all profits must be reinvested back into their social objectives. / n/a
1.2 Basic details / Please select the programme area(s) to which your proposal best fits. For more information about our programme areas, and our priorities within these programme areas, please visit our website. / Please select the programme area or areas to which your proposal best fits. For more information about our programme areas, and our priorities within these programme areas, please visit our website.
For this initiative it should always be Children and Young People.
1.2 Basic details / Are you working with partner organisations who will be responsible for managing a share of the project budget? / Partners are defined as organisations who will be responsible for managing a share of the project budget.
Please also note that if you are working with any government organisations, they should not be in receipt of any Comic Relief funds. / n/a
1.3 Project evaluation / If this project is for existing work, please upload your evaluation or latest report / If your project has been previously funded, please upload the most recent report or evaluation about this work using the upload field, to give us a view of how the project has developed and its achievements. / n/a
2. Your Proposal
This section is for you to give us more detail on your proposal.
Please note that some questions in the form will be marked as not applicable as they are not relevant to your launch initiative or proposal, and you are not required to complete these.
Subsection / Question / Guidance / Character count2.1 Change / Please provide a brief summary of your project / Please give us a clear 2-3 sentence project description here. We want to get a clear idea of the essence of your project, including the overall change(s) your project is intending to achieve and who will benefit. Please be clear and concise and avoid the use of jargon. We do not need a detailed list of project activities in this question or a description of the context. / 350 characters
2.1 Change / Please provide a link to a 2 minute video summarising what you want us to fund (this is optional, you do not have to do this). / You should not attach the actual video file, but a link to YouTube, Vimeo or another online platform where your video can be accessed.Please do not password protect the video. We reserve the right to not accept proposals where the video has been password protected.
The film should be a maximum of 2 minutes long. Don’t send us longer films, as they won’t be watched.The content of the film is more important than the quality. We are very happy with films created on phones, or using basic software.
Please note this should not be a generic video about your organisation’s work, but one which specifically tells us about how you wold use this funding. Films should:
- State the name of the organisation (and any partners) and give a brief summary of what the work will involve
- Describe how you’ll go about the work and what it will achieve.
2.1 Change / Describe the people who would benefit from this project and the problems they face in their lives / We want to know who the people are who will benefit from your project (your main target groups or beneficiaries). Tell us where they live and what problems or challenges they face, and explain a little about the context in which they are living. Your explanation should help us see the need for your project.
You could describe the major factors – people and relationships, systems and structures, policies and processes – that are influencing the lives of these people, and the ways in which these factors are impacting on them. Please use relevant and up to date evidence where relevant.
For this initiative we are looking for work which can make a meaningful change to the lives of young people who are without a secure or safe place to live. We have identified some key issues that can contribute to a lack of a secure/safe place to live:
Family breakdown
Relationship breakdown, usually between young people and their parents, is a major cause of youth homelessness. Many have experienced long-term problems at home, often involving violence or abuse, leaving them without the family support networks that most of us take for granted. Almost a quarter of homeless young people in the UK identify as LGBT, and the majority cite coming out to their parents as the reason they were forced to leave home.
Complex needs
Young people that are homeless face a range of complex problems. Many have mental health issues, are experiencing substance misuse, or are suffering from poor physical health. These problems often overlap, making it more difficult for young people to access help and increasing the chances of them becoming homeless.
Poverty
Young people's chances of having to leave home are higher in areas of high deprivation where the prospects for employment and education are poor. Many of those who experience long spells of poverty can fall into debt, which makes it harder for them to access housing. High rental costs and a lack of social housing can make finding a place to live impossible.
Exclusion from school
Not being in education can make it much more difficult for young people to access help with problems at home or health problems. Missing out on formal education can also make it harder to move into work.
Leaving care
Many young people that are homeless have been in care. They often have little choice but to deal with the challenges and responsibilities of living independently at a young age. Traumas faced in their early lives make care leavers some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities, with higher chances of poor outcomes in education, employment and housing.
Gang crime
Homeless young people are often affected by gang-related problems. In some cases, it becomes too dangerous to stay in their local area meaning they can end up homeless.
Refugees fleeing war and conflict
A proportion of young people that are homeless are refugees or have leave to remain, meaning it isn't safe to return home. This includes young people who come to the UK as unaccompanied minors, fleeing violence or persecution in their own country. Even after being granted asylum, young people sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go and can end up homeless.
Urban Slums
While globalisation creates new wealth, this is rarely to the benefit of the poor. Cities in developing countries are growing at a rapid rate, but this is not matched by the supply of adequate, affordable housing.
Please check the specific guidance for the initiative under which you are applying for an example of how this question may be answered. / 3500 characters
2.1 Change / What changes do you expect to see as result of your project? / Tell us what changes you are aiming to bring about (i.e. your project outcomes) for the people described in the previous question.
We want to know in what way the activities or service you want to provide will bring about change for the better in the lives of the people who use your project.
Depending on the kind of work your project will do these changes could be for individuals, communities or organisations and could be about changes in capacity, attitudes, behaviour, structures, services, or policies.
We are looking for work which can make a meaningful change to the lives of young people who are without a secure or safe place to live. We want to hear from organisations who can demonstrate a deep understanding of what makes a positive difference for young people in this situation in their local context.
We expect that projects will contribute to a minimum of one of the following outcomes:
- Children and young people increase and/or sustain their engagement with education
- Children and young people have increased pathways into training or employment
- Children and young people increase life skills*
- More children and young people have a safe and supportive network or trusted place to go for advice
We expect organisations to consider who else they need to work with in order to achieve their project outcomes. We encourage organisations to work with partners to ensure a targeted, holistic approach
We know that taking part in sport and physical activity leads to an increase in self-esteem and self-confidence for most people and for this initiative, we are making the assumption that this underpins all programming. However, for this programme we want proposals go above and beyond confidence building and to demonstrate how sport can be used to achieve positive social change. Proposals to this initiative will need to demonstrate wider social outcomes and not just focus on increasing participation in sport. Click here for more information: Sport for Change. / 3500 characters