Ideas Fund

Background

The Ideas Fund was launched in 2016 to enable local community initiatives to ‘test’ an idea and ‘learn’ from the experience to create meaningful impact locally for 0-4s and their families.

Funded activities were delivered in one or more of the four SSBC wards and were aligned to at least one of the SSBC child development outcomes or community engagement.

Project applications were evaluated by a stakeholder panel, which included local parents, representatives from Nottingham’s Early Years and Public Health teams, 0-19 Public Health Nursing Service and Voluntary and Community Sector organisations.

The projects supported through the Ideas Fund were small scale and funded for between 1-3 years with grants of £3K to £6k for one year and £10K per year for the three-year projects. Subsequent funding was available for projects to adapt their offers further, expanding to other areas for instance or developing the offer in response to feedback and evaluation.

Forever Notts provided administration of the fund including due diligence checks. The FN fund manager provided independence, expertise and reduced SSBC administration.

In 2021, a focused ideas fund project manager was employed by SSBC to offer a single

SSBC’s multidisciplinary sub teams supported projects collectively and individually in areas including data analysis and reporting, marketing and comms, and engagement.

The first round of funding was announced in 2016 with the final funding round taking place in 2023.

Why Nottingham?

One of the aims of the A Better Start programme was to create approaches, relationships and services which better support people and communities to thrive.

One of the key outcomes of the programme was to bring about ‘systems change’ through test and learn approaches, supporting local health, public services and voluntary and community sector work together with parents to better improve outcomes for babies, children and families.

The ideas Fund provided an opportunity for SSBC to meet these objectives through community-based commissioning and asset-based approaches.

SSBC also saw the Ideas Fund as a vehicle to engage diverse communities, build community capacity, influence future commissioning, contribute to public policy debate around community-commissioning and develop learning around the impact of funding early intervention initiatives.

Who benefitted?

Organisations

Local grassroots organisations, Nottingham based charities, Community Interest Companies and local service providers have been the main beneficiaries of the funding.

91 projects have been funded, several receiving repeat funding, and in total SSBC awarded £1,004,414 to projects (2016 to 2025).

Between 2016 and 2020, 162 new volunteers supported Ideas Fund projects.

Between 2021 and 2024, five learning and networking events were held to support shared learning and advice, and build collaborative networks.

Families and Communities

‘Nottingham Deaf Children has made a huge difference to me and M.  As a hearing parent, I had very little previous Deaf awareness before M was diagnosed.  To me, it’s opened up a whole new world and a wonderful community.  For M to be able to socialise with other children and families just like her is invaluable!  Being able to hear other families journeys and get advice is also so important for me’

Parent attending Nottingham Deaf Children Group

Through funding local organisations to deliver projects, more families – including new audiences that may not have traditionally engaged –have been supported to access local support.  The skills, learning and changes to behaviour will continue to benefit families and wider communities for years to come.

Green spaces have been developed to reach a new demographic and to ensure sessions are child and family friendly. These sites include – The Toy Library and Twigglets at Barker Woods in Bulwell. STAA and New Shoots at St Ann’s Community Orchard, Windmill Community Gardens based on the border of Aspley and Hyson Green and Lily and Co.’s Community Forrest School based at their My Start Nursery in Aspley. Achieving robust project planning, data collection, impact evaluation and long-term sustainability require organisations to have technical and financial resources.

 Overall, the Ideas Fund sought to:

• ‘Test and learn’ from new ways of working.

• Promote community-based commissioning.

• Support asset-based approaches.

It achieved all of these. Furthermore, specific areas of learning included:

• Investing in grass roots organisations allows them space to experiment to see what works best, and why.

• Funding longer-term activity supports organisations to be more sustainable, develop and embed activities and helps build trust with local families.

• Being flexible within the funding model allows for a quick response to both emerging and urgent needs in the community.

• Strengthening links between community organisations and statutory services takes time and mutual benefits to be acknowledged, and community-based commissioning is a positive approach toward delivering this.

Next Steps

Several projects, for instance Ignite Futures’ ‘Curious Tots’  have already received new grants from other funders that will sustain the continuation of their projects.

Transition funding of £42,833.00 has been awarded directly to 16 organisations to support capacity building and help project sustainability or organisational development post SSBC.

The Ideas Fund is also linked to the following projects:

Coproduction

Improving Access to Diverse Communities

SLA insight

SSBC Early intervention conference – September 2024