Promoting the value of design in the economy
Design bodies and networks can now promote the value of design with a little help from us. We’ve launched a £100,000 fund to get the message about the value of design across to business.
By helping to boost some of the design promotion initiatives that design bodies and networks are already undertaking - or planning in the near future - we’ll help them reach a wider audience of design buyers and users. We’ll be awarding small grants (mostly of between £1,000 to £5,000) to help these organisations provide opportunities for designers to communicate the value of design and improve the reach of that message locally, regionally and nationally.
Applications are now closed. An announcement about the grants awarded will take place at the UK Design Alliance event on 21 September 2010, during London Design Festival.
Why is this important?
We know that design has a vital role to play in translating ideas into brands, products, services and systems, and is at the heart of some of the world’s most successful businesses. For the UK to overcome recessionary pressures, build an innovation nation and maintain a leading position among the world’s growth economies, we need to nurture our creative skills and capabilities. The design industry has an essential role to play in achieving this vision and part of our work therefore is focused on supporting it. The UK Design Alliance and this new fund is a key part of that support, providing design organisations with the resources necessary to develop their activities. By supporting the industry in this way, we are facilitating knowledge sharing and helping to build the capability of designers and design organisations to promote themselves and their services to a wider range of design clients and buyers. David Kester
What is the Design Council grant?
We’ll be awarding small grants of around £1,000 to £5,000 as part of a new £100,000 fund for not-for-profit design organisations.
What can the grant be used for?
Grants will be given to boost the impact of existing projects that are targeted at design buyers and users.
Who qualifies for the grant?
Any not-for-profit organisation based in the UK whose work drives demand for design nationally and/or regionally.
How many applications can I make for a grant?
You can submit as many applications as you want (to arrive by July 30 and fulfilling the criteria below), though a maximum of £10,000 will be awarded to any one organisation. We anticipate that most grants will be between £1,000 and £5,000.
Is this award for designers?
The award will be granted to not-for-profit design organisations rather than to individual designers. The strongest entries will be from organisations that are able to demonstrate how the award will give direct benefit to designers within their network.
When is the deadline for applications?
Applications were due on 30 July 2010.
How do I apply?
This year’s round of applications is now closed and applicants will be notified by September 2010 whether their bid was successful or not.
What sort of project could be awarded the grant?
Some examples:
“X design network in the North East of England has set up an interview with Jonathan Ive, in front of a small invited audience, to talk about the role of design and how design is managed at Apple. At present the event will gain some PR but otherwise will only reach the 50 people in the room. The Design Council Grant will help expand this audience by enabling a 10 minute promotional video to be recorded, edited and webcast to business managers in conjunction with the IoD.”
“Y design body is developing a new professional development programme for designers and design managers. The grant enables an additional module to be included about ‘convincing clients about the benefits of design - selling your services and winning more work’.”
“Z organisation is running a series of seminars for designers and businesses as part of their programme for members. The seminars include designers and their clients giving great case studies about the value of design. The Design Council grant enables the organisation to subsequently produce a series of briefing papers for designers to use when talking to future clients and businesses to use to make the case for design in their organisations.”
What are the entry criteria?
The criteria for awarding the grants:
- Applications must be for funding towards a project/activity that the organisation is already undertaking or committed to and to which it’s contributing its own funding and resources. The grant must be used specifically to increase impact of the activity by enhancing and extending its reach and effectiveness, and achieving as big an impact as possible.
- The activity must focus on communicating the value of design to design buyers and clients. It can also be about supporting designers to do this by enabling them to sell their design services more effectively.
- Applicants must be able to deliver the proposal and evaluate the outcomes, and have the necessary experience and knowledge in place to do so.
The grant will be payable between October 2010 and March 2011 and applications must be for activities that take place during this period.
What sort of project wouldn’t qualify?
The Design Council Grant is not for:
- new projects that don’t have other funding in place
- projects that don’t fit with the core objectives of the organisation applying
- activities that an organisation can easily undertake already - the purpose of the fund is to address gaps in current capability.
Who decides which projects will receive a grant?
A selection panel, chaired by a Council member of the Design Council and including design industry representatives will review the applications and select the successful ones. The panel includes:
- Chair: Chris Wise, Expedition Engineering, RDI and Design Council member
- Ingrid Baron, London Location Leader, IDEO and UK Design Alliance Advisory Board member
- Max Broadhurst, Head of Business Development, London Development Agency.
- Joe Ferry, Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Design Council member and UK Design Alliance Advisory Board member
- Chris Hewitt, Deputy Director for Innovation, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The panel will reserve the right to offer less than the amount applied for.
What dates do I need to be aware of?
- 1 July – application available on this page of the Design Council website
- 30 July – applications are due
- 1 September – successful applicants will be notified
- 21 September – grants announced at the UK Design Alliance event during London Design Festival
- Between September 2010 and December 2011 – grants issued and winning projects take place.
Is this an annual grant?
This is the first time the Design Council has created this sort of fund. We hope that we will be able to build on this and offer further funding in the future; this will be entirely dependent on the availability of funds and success of these initial activities.