THE DIGITAL INCLUSION INNOVATION FUND
Grants of between £25,000 and £500,000 are available to registered charities, local authorities, combined authorities and research agencies In England for activities that support new, locally delivered and targeted interventions that meet the needs of digitally excluded people. Applications from consortiums are available.
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o Application deadline: WEDNESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2025 at 3pm for projects to begin by the start of November 2025.
o Funder: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) (DSIT is a UK government department is responsible for helping to encourage, develop and manage the UK’s scientific, research, and technological outputs).
o Who can apply: registered charities, local authorities, combined authorities and research organisations in England. Applications from partnerships/ consortiums are welcomed.
o Key words: IT, Digitally Excluded People, Increasing Digital Participation, Innovative Projects, England.
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The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, which has a budget of £9.5 million, is one of the First 5 actions from the Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps to support digitally excluded people. The fund aims to support:
o Innovative interventions to produce new knowledge on ‘what works’, building the evidence base on effective digital inclusion interventions, and
o Best practice with the ambition to scale and replicate successful activities across England to increase digital participation
Grants of £25,000 to £500,000 are available to fund projects of different sizes.
The Fund will support diverse projects addressing digital exclusion and promoting innovative interventions and best practice in England. Funding is for eligible activities that meet the application criteria including aligning with at least one of the focus areas in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan:
o Improving digital skills.
o Improving access to digital services.
o Improving data and device poverty, and
o Improve confidence in the use of digital services.
Applicants are encouraged to consider a range of topics relevant to digital inclusion, including but not limited to:
o Community engagement – how can digital inclusion support greater social cohesion and strengthen local communities?
o Financial services – are there ways to improve access to financial services and economic empowerment through digital inclusion interventions?
o Employment – how can expanding engagement with digital society help people to access and pursue employment opportunities?
o Education and skills – how can increasing digital inclusion support greater access to education and skills including media literacy?
o Safety and security – what interventions can support greater understanding of how to be safe and secure in a digital society?
o Health and wellbeing – what are the opportunities to support greater understanding of and control over personal health and wellbeing through digital inclusion?
Applications can be made on the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund application page.
The competition is open until 3pm on Wednesday 10th September 2025.
All funded activities must be completed by Tuesday 31st March 2026.
Contact details for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are:
The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
22-26 Whitehall
London
United Kingdom
SW1A 2EG