Social Engagement and Enterprise Awards

Fund Total: £50,000
Full proposals: £10,000
Starter proposals: £2,500 (to scope new collaborations)
Deadline: 28 November 2025
Duration:  up to 12 months

Aim of the fund

The SEEs will fund community-led initiatives, in collaboration with a Goldsmiths academic, to undertake a small piece of research, pilot study, or seed project to generate new ideas and collaborations locally, nationally, and internationally.

Projects must align with at least one of the MFI’s core concerns:

• Amplifying migrant voices and recognising new forms of migrant knowledge, research, and organisation
• Furthering conversations on migrant identity, resilience, aspiration, welcoming, and belonging
• Co-creating or promoting arts and media work
• Supporting enterprise and training for migrant communities
• Reflecting on and influencing host cultures’ policies and organisation towards equitable change

What we fund

Funding is intended to support collaborative projects rooted in participation and co-production at local, national or transnational levels.  Examples of activity include, but are not limited to:

• Hosting events to bring together new groups around intersectional interests (e.g. youth, media, race, climate change), to plan further outcomes and actions
• Creating/curating arts and cultural activities to widen participation and stimulate debate
• Assessing responses of host communities around diversity, integration and welcoming; and challenging the ‘hostile environment’ narrative
• Therapeutic projects that support well-being and good practice
• Support in evaluating organisations’ achievements and impact, plus reflect on future goals
• Supporting active campaigning across the migrant sector for the upholding of human rights, e.g. in labour, housing and law

Projects which cut across more than one priority/action area, or academic approach, to better respond to complex societal issues, are welcomed.

Eligibility

• Lead applicants must be registered Charities, Community Interest Companies (CIC) or Social Enterprises that meet the 5 criteria outlined by Social Enterprise UK 
• Projects must include an external partner group or organisation, plus at least one Goldsmiths permanent academic staff member [at lecturer level or above, who can be either Teaching and Research (T&R) or Teaching and Scholarship (T&S); there is no restriction on sector or research discipline]
• Academic staff time is not an eligible cost for FT Goldsmiths staff.  Goldsmiths staff, including ALs, on fractional contracts may be employed as researchers on specific projects but no more than £2000 may be used to fund researcher time through Goldsmiths

If have queries about your organisation’s status, or if you are an overseas organisation, you can contact us at mfi (@gold.ac.uk) to discuss this.

Funding

Funding will be split between the academic (internal) and the organisation (external) applying, with the majority of funds go directly to external partners.

Eligible costs

• Staff time – both the academic and applicant’s time (inc. non-permanent researchers as collaborators)
• Student time (inc. PhDs, postdocs, and associates as collaborators)
• Participant payments
• Travel
• Development of resources or toolkits
• Event costs (e.g., catering)
• Equipment
• Professional fees (e.g., facilitators, performers)

Match funding (cash or in-kind) is welcome.

Application

Full Proposals

• State the issue that you are aiming to address and how the idea has the potential to bring about insights and actions for positive change for migrant futures
• Explain how the project with be participatory and co-produced, including clear evidence of foundational collaboration in design, delivery and decision making
• Produce a tangible output (e.g., toolkit, film, report, creative work or practical and impact interventions such as campaigning.)
• Outline additional support/contributions you can bring to the application (financial or otherwise)
• Potential next steps for the collaboration, and how these might be resourced

Starter Proposals

• Same questions as Full Proposals but with smaller scope
• Focus on scoping new collaborations or underexplored intersections

Project delivery and evaluation

• Payment in two instalments: start of project and on completion
• Midway check-ins available
• Outputs remain the property of the grantee, with acknowledgement of support from MFI where appropriate. We’d love to feature your work on our website and in public communications
• You will submit an End of Award Report and share materials for agreed dissemination

How to apply