Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund
Apply for grants from the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support digitally excluded people.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund 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:
- innovative interventions to produce new knowledge on ‘what works’, building the evidence base on effective digital inclusion interventions
- 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.
Who can apply
- local authorities (LAs)
- combined authorities (CAs)
- charities
- research organisations
- consortiums (with a lead organisation that is a combined authority, local authority, charity or research organisation)
What can the funding be used for
This 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:
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Improving digital skills
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Improving access to digital services
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Improving data and device poverty
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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:
- community engagement – how can digital inclusion support greater social cohesion and strengthen local communities?
- financial services – are there ways to improve access to financial services and economic empowerment through digital inclusion interventions?
- employment – how can expanding engagement with digital society help people to access and pursue employment opportunities?
- education and skills – how can increasing digital inclusion support greater access to education and skills including media literacy?
- safety and security – what interventions can support greater understanding of how to be safe and secure in a digital society?
- health and wellbeing – what are the opportunities to support greater understanding of and control over personal health and wellbeing through digital inclusion?
How to apply
You can apply on the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund application page. The competition is open until Wednesday 10 September 2025.
All funded activities must be completed by 31 March 2026.
Background
The Digital Inclusion Action Plan – First Steps highlights the need for locally delivered, highly tailored and targeted interventions that meet the needs of digitally excluded people, and commits to building on the strength of existing local support.
The Action Plan also highlights that while the evidence base on digital inclusion in the UK is significant, it is also fragmented. The complex nature of digital exclusion, and the diverse barriers that people face, means that understanding the underlying drivers of digital exclusion and designing effective interventions remains a challenge.