If you think you have a project that Nominet Trust would be interested in funding, then you can apply using our online application process. We have a two-stage application process. Stage 1 allows you to describe the key features of your project and what you hope to achieve via a relatively short and straightforward online form.
We aim to review all Stage 1 forms within two weeks' of receipt. The projects we feel align closely with our aims and objectives will be shortlisted and invited to complete the Stage 2 form - also online.
The Intellectual Property (IP) rests AND REMAINS with the applicant for projects supported by Nominet Trust. THIS INCLUDES IP GENERATED WITH NOMINET TRUST FUNDING. The only restrictions we have around IP are part of our funding agreement and state that projects we support are BOUND not to infringe the copyright or other intellectual property rights of any third party as part of their work.
As a learning organisation, we are not looking for projects that have limited ambitions for the use of digital technology; for example if you are wanting to add digital to existing services in order to make them more efficient or cost-effective, we are not the funder for you. Instead, we seek social innovation with technology, particularly projects that make imaginative use of technology to re-think a specific social challenge.
Evaluation is about learning about what works from your project and the model of change you are using. It focuses on understanding what change has happened for the beneficiaries and why. Nominet Trust focuses on measuring ‘outcomes’, the changes that your project has effected, rather than just what the project has produced.
A Theory of Change is a way of creating a step-by-step map of the changes your project will make. It identifies the overall goal of your project, and breaks down all the changes that need to happen to achieve it.
At Nominet Trust, we harness new possibilities presented by the internet to seek out, galvanise and nurture the untapped potential of grass-roots social action that empowers people to change the world and their own lives in beneficial ways.
If you are at risk of not meeting your objectives, we need to be informed as soon as possible. We will ask you to identify the project risks and how you intend to mitigate these. We will offer support and advice where possibled. We believe all projects are a learning process and innovation carries risk.
If appropriate, there are sanctions for non delivery in our Funding Agreement, which we could invoke.
There are a variety of ways you could evaluate your project and what you choose will depend on the type of project you are running. It could include using questionnaires, interviews or specific evaluation tools. You may conduct the evaluation yourself or choose to use external evaluators. The development research team at Nominet Trust can support you to design your evaluation strategy.
Our evaluation approach focuses on measuring ‘outcomes’, the changes that your project has affected, rather than just what the project has produced.
It can be helpful to try to step away from the specifics of project delivery for a moment and ask yourself: what changes do I want this project to make? How will be the participants (or wider community) be changed by this project? Outcomes should relate to the original need your project is trying to satisfy.
