Darwin Tree of Life Enabling Funds
Overview
The Darwin Tree of Life has two public engagement funds open to anyone working within the Darwin Tree of Life consortium. Applications should have Darwin Tree of Life science at their centre, and build relationships with people outside our consortium to exchange knowledge, skills, inspiration and ideas.
The two funding pots are:
Enabling Community Fund for small to medium sized projects involving one or more community partners from outside our consortium. Apply now
Enabling Connections Fund for small, medium or large projects involving two or more Darwin Tree of Life consortium partners. This fund can be used to create new activities or to expand currently funded projects to include additional partners. Apply now
Each fund has a different focus so if you are unsure which to apply to, or you want to talk about your idea before making an application, then please email the Darwin Tree of Life’s friendly public engagement coordinator, Jack Monaghan (jm58@sanger.ac.uk).
Funding should be spent on activities based in the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, that happen before the end of January 2023. Applicants must work or study at one of the Darwin Tree of Life consortium partners.
Enabling Communities Fund
Applications for the Enabling Communities Fund are now closed.
The purpose of this fund is to support innovative public engagement with communities outside our research consortium. Funded activities will involve new ways of exploring our science, and new people to explore it with.
This Communities fund is all about testing out, learning from, and developing public engagement ideas – so all projects will be expected to evaluate their activities and share learning across the consortium. This fund aims to nimbly celebrate your brilliant idea, by giving applicants a way to quickly receive funding for small to medium sized projects. Projects can be new or related to existing engagement activities.
Fund Specifications
Applications must involve: one or more DToL science partners; and one or more community partners (for definition of community partner see FAQs).
Applicants to this fund can request up to £1800. Applications for less than this amount are welcome.
Applications to this fund can be made at any time before 30th Sept 2022, and will be assessed on a rolling basis (i.e. as they come in) to stimulate rapid deployment of engagement projects. Funding will be allocated on a first come first served basis for all suitable projects, up to a maximum allocation of £10,000 in 2021, with all remaining funds allocated in 2022 up to the total fund of £15,000. We expect to fund 10-15 community engagement projects during the programme lifetime.
All spending, engagement activities, and evaluation must happen before the end of January 2023.
Application process
We want this fund to be as open as possible, and easily accessible to those new to public engagement. Applicants can be experienced or new to public engagement. Steps for applying are as follows:
- If you would like to discuss your idea or application, begin by emailing the Darwin Tree of Life public engagement coordinator, Jack Monaghan (jm58@sanger.ac.uk). Include a few sentences describing your idea, and some available slots in your diary, to arrange a time to talk.
- Once you feel ready, download and fill in the short Community Fund Application Form below and submit it for review.
- Once submitted, your application will be reviewed by two public engagement professionals within the DToL consortium. You will receive feedback on your application, and will either be granted the requested funding or invited to reapply. We aim to respond to applications within two weeks.
Funding Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by how they:
Build strong community relationships. Does your activity build a relationship with a new community, or strengthen engagement with someone we already know? How robustly connected is your community partner to the groups you wish to work with? How collaboratively will you work with the community to design and deliver the activities?
Provide opportunities for learning / development. Is this a new activity, or does it involve new kit or content? Will you be trialling an established activity with a new audience? What can other consortium members learn from your activity to inform future projects?
Increase engagement capacity. Does your activity enhance skills and confidence in public engagement within the DToL consortium? Does it encourage and equip people to become involved in public engagement who haven’t done so before?
Priority will be given to applications including:
- Early career researchers or team members;
- Engagement happening before the end of 2021;
- Engagement with communities in the Republic of Ireland, or UK regions not currently served by engagement activities (e.g. Wales, N. Ireland, North of England, West Midlands). Online / virtual activities that can engage multiple geographically diverse communities are welcome, though consideration should be given to how dialogue will be established and maintained in areas not already involved in our online activities.
Note: priorities may change during the programme to best serve both our academic community and public engagement goals.
For further guidance on Darwin Tree of Life Enabling Funds, see our FAQs.
Enabling Connections Fund
Applications for the Enabling Connections Fund are now closed.
The purpose of this fund is to strengthen public engagement links within our research consortium. Funded activities will involve multiple Darwin Tree of Life consortium partners sharing knowledge, resources, and skills – coming together to deliver engagement in ways that we could not individually.
This Connections fund is all about developing cross-consortium networks and teams for public engagement – so all projects will be expected to evaluate both their activities and any new networks or ways of working together, and share learning across the consortium. Projects can be new or related to existing engagement activities. The funding process is a little slower than the Community Fund, but the amount you can apply for is greater.
Fund Specifications
Applicants must involve staff/students from at least two DToL consortium members.
Applicants for this fund can request up to £3000. In special cases applicants may apply for larger sums, however applications for larger amounts will be expected to provide additional planning, budget, and evaluation information. Larger Connections Fund projects are also expected to involve a greater number of consortium partners.
Applications to this Connections Fund must be made to specific deadlines (see below), and applications will be judged after each deadline to allow for the fairest allocation of resources.This fund has a total budget of £15,000 and we expect to fund 5-8 activities.
All spending, engagement activities, and evaluation must happen before the end of January 2023.
Application process
We want this fund to be as open as possible, and easily accessible to those new to public engagement. Applicants can be experienced or new to public engagement. Steps for applying are as follows:
- If you would like to discuss your idea or application, begin by emailing the Darwin Tree of Life public engagement coordinator, Jack Monaghan (jm58@sanger.ac.uk). Include a few sentences describing your idea, and some available slots in your diary, to arrange a time to talk.
- Once you are ready, download and fill in the Connections Fund Application Form below, and submit it for review.
- After the deadline for applications, your project will be reviewed by a panel of public engagement professionals within the DToL consortium. You will receive feedback on your application, and will either be granted the requested funding, granted a smaller amount of funding, or will be invited to reapply in the next application phase.
There will be two funding phases, structured to allow for the fair allocation of connections funds.
Phase 1 Deadline: 30th September 2021. Will allocate up to £12k of funding.
Phase 2 Deadline: 31st March 2022. Will allocate a minimum of £3k, and remaining funds not allocated in Phase 1.
Funding Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by how they:
Strengthen cross-consortium networks. Who are the people and what are the skills that your project will bring together? How can this benefit those involved, and enhance the public engagement they deliver?
Expand what is possible. How does your project build on the consortium network to deliver something different to what partners would or could deliver individually?
Increase engagement capacity. Does your activity share skills and expertise in public engagement across the DToL consortium? Will it encourage and equip people to become involved in public engagement who haven’t done so before, or in new ways that had not been open to them previously?
Priority will be given to applications that include:
- Activities led by consortium members not currently involved in engagement projects;
- Projects that link with established science engagement events such as science festivals;
- Expanding current projects to include more partners, particularly where this means an increased engagement capacity (e.g. spreading engagement geographically, or improving accessibility); or increased engagement legacy after the funding period ends (e.g. training / materials for independent delivery of activities by teachers).
Note: priorities may change during the programme to best serve both our academic community and our public engagement goals.
For further guidance on Darwin Tree of Life Enabling Funds, see our FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Community Fund
Do I already need to have a community partner on-board?
You do not need to have a community partner to begin talking with us. We can help you to identify and contact an appropriate partner. However, you will need to have a community partner involved before submitting a written application, as they will help you to shape any engagement you are planning.
How do we define ‘community partner’?
Community partners come in many shapes and sizes. They may be government bodies such as councils or school authorities; they may be charities who have relationships or experience working with certain groups; they may be community leaders or representatives who have knowledge and access to relevant networks. Their role in your engagement project is to work with you to ensure that any activity is appropriate for the community you are engaging with, and to help you to build strong two-way relationships within those communities. These partners do not need to be formally recognized – the application reviewers will be looking for the knowledge and networks they will be bringing to your project.
Connections Fund
Do I already need to have two consortium partners on-board?
If you have a public engagement project that you think would be suitable for this fund, but don’t already have a second partner please make contact with Jack. He can help match-up partners to suitable projects.
Can the project include non-consortium partners?
Yes it can. As long as there are a minimum of two consortium partners involved then additional partners are welcome.
If you have additional questions please email the DToL Public Engagement Coordinator Jack Monaghan (jm58@sanger.ac.uk).