If you have completed your overseas learning, had your Fellowship report approved, and are based in the UK, you are eligible to apply. If you’ve already received an Activate grant you can’t apply for another one.

This year the fund will open for applications on Wednesday 15 April and close on 22 June. There will be a similarly timed application window in future years.

If you have completed your learning and published your report before 27 March 2026 you will automatically receive an invitation to apply by email on 15 April. The email will include a link to our online application form. If it is easier for you to apply in a different way or if you need any additional support, please contact the Activate team.

If we have not sent you an email invitation to apply and you think that you are eligible, please contact the Activate team.

The maximum grant available is £30k.

Activate grants are for a maximum of two years. Payments will be made in instalments.

We plan to make up to 20 awards in the first year. The number of awards will increase gradually year on year, building to 30 by 2028.

It will be open for at least five years, with one application window in each year.

You can find more detail in the Fellows’ Resources section on our website. We will also send eligible Fellows guidance to support the application process and details of how to sign up to the webinars we are holding on 9 and 29 April.

Yes. You will need to identify a lead Fellow and be able to articulate what each of the Fellows in your group will bring to the project, and how you plan to work together.

Yes, you can apply as part of an organisation by whom you are employed or in some way associated and request the grant to be paid to and held by the organisation. You would still be personally responsible for the grant and must play a leading role in the delivery of the activity.

Yes, to be eligible to apply for an Activate grant you’ll need to be based in the UK, and so should the other Fellows you’re working with if you’re applying as a group. If you’re applying through an organisation, they should also be UK-based.

We will let you know if you have been longlisted in mid-August. You will find out if you have been shortlisted for interview mid-September. Interviews will take place 5 – 9 October and successful candidates will be notified by the end of October.

Applicants will first be assessed by the Activate Team. We may also work with external reviewers who are familiar with the Fund. Longlisted applications will be reviewed by our panels of Trustees, Advisory Council members and Fellows who received Activate grants in the pilot programme, who will select a shortlist of candidates to interview.

Yes, you should be able to articulate how your Activate project builds on the learning you acquired from your Fellowship. However, it doesn’t have to have the same focus or be in the same sector or subject.

All Activate projects should be aiming to do one of these three things:

• Setting up a new organisation to do things differently
• Piloting a project to test if an idea for change really works
• Organising and mobilising with others to create change

You can get an idea of how others have approached these priorities by looking at these case studies.

Projects can begin from 1 November 2026.

Yes, there will be an induction event in London towards the end of January 2027. We also expect to convene regular gatherings as needed by the group.

We are unable to provide detailed feedback to every applicant. However, we aim to explain the main reasons why we have not taken forward your application.

Yes, you can use AI to help you apply but we recommend you do so cautiously. AI tools often produce generic content, and your application will be assessed on the strength of your specific idea and on your potential as an individual (or group).

An Activate grant can support salaries and fees, travel in the UK, training and consultancy, equipment and resources, caring costs, and the costs associated with engaging participants in your project.

We will offer you a check-in call every three months. We’ll work with you 1:1 to create learning opportunities that meet your needs and those of your project.

We’ll ask you to reflect on how your project is going every six months. And at the end of the project, we’ll ask you for a final report in a format that suits you and your project.