British Council’s Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICES) Fund 2018 for creative & social enterprises.

Application Deadline: 23.59 UK time on 1 June 2018.

Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE), an ambitious programme that will support the development of creative and social enterprises in the UK and five key emerging economies: Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, and South Africa.

UK and foreign organisations will work together through DICE to develop and deliver innovative actions that support the growth of social and creative enterprises in the UK and five emerging economies. These interventions will aim to empower women and girls, foster youth employment or support people with disabilities or other marginalised groups.

Aiming to foster inclusive growth and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals , DICE will take an innovative, cross-sectoral approach which draws on UK expertise in the creative and social economies.

DICE will operate at policy, institutional and individual levels. It will be co-designed and co-delivered by UK enterprises and sector support organisations such as impact hubs, accelerators and universities working in partnership with counterparts in these countries.

Through DICE, we will engage with policymakers and key influencers to help participating countries identify systemic barriers and promote legislation, strategies and funding that enable social and creative enterprises to flourish.

The British Council will offer grants to qualified UK organisations working with compatible foreign partners to support the development of creative and social enterprises in the DICE countries through a £2m DICE Fund. (Grant applications must be submitted on this portal.)

Research

The programme will be informed by new research on the social and creative economies in each of the participating countries. These surveys will enhance our understanding of the contributions these sectors make to sustainable and inclusive development as well as the challenges and opportunities before them.

DICE Fund

In addition, DICE will offer two types of grants that will enable UK intermediaries and social/creative enterprises to collaborate in delivering interventions with like-minded organisations in the five partner countries. Investment will focus on the development of creative and social enterprise and initiatives that are designed specifically to empower women and girls, foster youth employment and support people with disabilities and other marginalised groups. (See About the DICE Fund for more info and use this portal to submit a grant application.)

Two types of grants are available.

1. Scoping and Business Development Grant

From 3 April 2018, the British Council will solicit applications from UK organisations for Scoping and Business Development grants worth £3,000-5,000 each. Up to 50 UK organisations and intermediaries will receive such grants.  The application deadline is 1 June and the results will be announced in the week commencing 18 June.

The grants will support recipient organisations to conduct site visits to one of the five overseas DICE countries (Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and South Africa) in order to scope opportunities and build partnerships with interested, compatible local enterprises or intermediary organisations. Two visits will be organised to each overseas DICE country and will be held during two designated weeks in the summer and autumn of 2018. Successful applicants will be invited to take part in one of the two visits.

2. Collaboration Grant

Collaboration Grants will be jointly awarded to organisations in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and South Africa working in partnership with a UK organisation to deliver interventions that they have co-developed.

These interventions will strengthen creative and social enterprises in the participating countries and focus on enterprises that empower women and girls, foster youth employment and support people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

Application Procedure:

• Please download the DICE — Scoping and Business Development Grant — Application Guidance and DICE Timeline below for details of the timeline, applications and assessment criteria for both types of grants.
• Applications can be filed directly on this portal. You will first need to register and create an account on the system and then access the DICE application site. Once you have filed an application you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging receipt of your application.
• If you have any clarification questions about the grants, please submit them to DICEteam@britishcouncil.org. We will respond to you within three business days, and will also share replies with all other prospective applicants ahead of each application deadline (e.g. we will share replies to all queries received about the Scoping and Business Development grants on 1 May).

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the DICES Fund 2018