What are Theirworld's Education Innovation Awards
The Education Innovation Awards support pilot-stage grantees to make their innovations scale-ready, by building their skills and capacity through introductory classes, masterclasses, mentoring and scale-ready grants. We are currently recruiting for the fourth cohort of the Awards, following three outstanding cohorts supported between 2021 and 2024.
How does the Education Innovation Awards application process work? / How do I apply?
The process is simple:
- Apply here.
- If you are eligible, you will receive a link to the online application form.
- Complete the application form, budget and short video. Applications must be submitted by 16:00 GMT on Sunday 31 March 2024. We estimate that the form will take around one hour to complete.
We expect to notify the selected organisations in or around May 2024. Shortlisted applicants may be invited for a short online interview.
The application form should take around five minutes to complete, and you will be asked to accept our privacy policy and terms and conditions (including a safeguarding policy). You will also be asked to submit a detailed budget and supporting documentation including your latest annual report and audited accounts.
Apply now
Who can apply? / What are the eligibility criteria?
To apply for the Education Innovation Awards 2024, your innovation should meet the criteria outlined in this document.
How does the selection process work?
Once applications have closed, a Theirworld selection panel will evaluate the eligible applications. They will use the eligibility criteria and programme objectives to select the Awards winners, which will be reviewed and approved by Theirworld Trustees.
What will I/my team/organisation learn from the programme?
The masterclasses and bespoke mentoring will set up your innovation for a successful scaleup through capacity and skills building.
The masterclasses are intensive workshops to prepare your team to create and deliver a strong, thoughtful and focused scale-up strategy, providing an in-depth understanding of organisational development, stress-testing solutions, partnerships and other core building blocks for successful scale-up.
The masterclasses will be complemented by one-to-one mentoring for each team, designed according to the team’s needs.
The CEO or leader of each organisation will also receive leadership coaching from our coaching partner, BTS Spark. This programme will develop your leadership mindset and skills through a flexible curriculum where you identify areas you want to work on.
What can we spend the £50,000 scale-ready grant on?
Theirworld aims to award the scale-ready grants to non-profits looking to scale up their promising pilot-stage innovations and reach their full potential.
The scale-ready grants must go towards getting the winning innovation ready to grow and the costs directly associated with increasing the reach of this project.
The costs will differ between organisations, but during the application process and scale-up strategy you will be asked to define what your organisation would like to spend the scale-ready grant on.
You will submit a budget outline when you apply. You can also change the budget during the programme, with our experts’ guidance.
Why should I apply for these Awards?
Overwhelmingly, innovation teams and leadership in our first three cohorts have enjoyed and learned from the programme. One year after the programme began, all teams in Cohort 1 were on track to meet their scaling goals. Some in Cohort 2 have even exceeded their projections.
Organisations we work with highly value our collaborative approach, flexibility and our shared purpose.
We believe these Awards help to fill a global gap in support and financing that is holding back big change in education. We want to unleash your potential and help you grow.
How will this programme help me to secure future scale-up funding?
We see these Education Innovation Awards winners as a critical investment in your scaling journey and the future impact that the innovation can have.
Through being involved in this programme, Awards winners will benefit from exposure via Theirworld’s public communications and internal networks. Award Winners will also have the opportunity to present their innovations and scale-up plans to an audience of supporters and potential funders at the end of the programme.
When you graduate from the masterclasses and mentoring, you will have a clear case for fundraising to grow your innovation.
How does the mentoring work?
Our scale-up expert and a monitoring and evaluation specialist will be your main mentors. They will work with you regularly to review how your plans are progressing and identify further support needs. Where you need specialised support in particular areas, we will explore how any of the members of the Theirworld and Global Business Coalition for Education networks might be able to help us support you. We will guide you to get the most out of the mentoring opportunity and ensure high quality.
Do I have to be physically based in one of the priority countries?
While projects can come from any country, we will prioritise applications that have impact in, or intend to scale to, one or more countries where we have existing projects (see map: https://theirworld.org/projects/).
- We prioritise applications from Community Led Organisations. A Community Led Organisation is:
- Registered in the country of activity
Staffed mainly by people who are citizens of, or living in, the country of activity
- Governed by a board made up of members who are citizens of, or living in, the country of activity
How will the masterclasses, coaching and mentoring be delivered?
These programmes will be delivered online. Resources will be made available to participants in advance of the sessions. Recordings of all masterclasses and mentoring sessions will be provided afterwards. (Coaching is confidential.)
Who can I contact if I have any further questions?
If you have any questions about the Awards or the application, you can reach out to Theirworld’s Innovation Team at innovation@theirworld.org.
