Welcome to the Carl Ellson Clinical Innovation Fund Awards 2025!
Grants of £250-£1000 are available for anyone who wants to make a big difference through small changes in Herefordshire and Worcestershire! All you need is a good idea and a few minutes to fill out our simple application form.
Your idea doesn't have to be clinical or technical, and neither do you... but it does have to be a new one, with the aim of contributing to the health and wellbeing of people in the two counties. Best of all, the bidding process is quick and easy. No big application form. No big business case. Just a big opportunity to make a difference, with as little fuss as possible.
In total, there is £20,000 for the CECIF Awards 2025, split into micro grants, ranging from £250-£1000.
We are happy to hear from people in the NHS or public sector organisations, voluntary organisation, charity organisation, community interest or not for profit organisation in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. People from unregistered organisations or smaller community groups are also welcome, but we may need to check a few things first!'For profit' companies aren't eligible to apply.
Carl Ellson believed that small actions and little innovations had the potential to make a big difference. He also thought it paid to be bold. So if you have good idea that can help shape your community for the better, but need a bit of money to make it happen, we'd love to hear from you!
Applications open on Tuesday 7 October and closes on Tuesday 18 November. Have a look at our FAQs, watch our helpful video and then click the link to let us know about your idea in 6 simple questions and submit your proposals. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
In these FAQs you can find out everything you need to know about the Carl Ellson Clinical Innovation Fund Awards 2025!
What are you applying for?
- You are applying for a one-off grant of between £250-£1000 and this will need to be spent within 6 months of receiving the funds and on your project/idea
Who is eligible to apply?
- We welcome applications from all NHS, public sector, and VCSE organisations that are registered charities or CICs. However, we are also keen for applications from unregistered individuals and smaller community groups, but we may need to follow-up with a brief phone call to understand more about who you are.
- “For private profit” organisations are not eligible to apply
- If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact: hwicb.
cecif @nhs.net
What can the funding be used for?
- The funding can be used to undertake a new activity/project or enhance an existing activity/project.
- These must take place in, and benefit the health and wellbeing of the population of, Herefordshire and/or Worcestershire
- You must make sure you comply with any relevant policies and procedures set by your employing organisation when using the funds
- We will not fund:
- Purchases prior to funding being confirmed
- Activities where funding has already been secured (or should normally be funded by an NHS organisation or other public sector organisation)
How will applications be assessed?
- We want to support as many ideas for small innovative changes in Herefordshire and Worcestershire as we can. We will assess the information you provide to ensure your ideas fits within the remit and the spirit of the award.
- If we have more eligible applications than we can fund our steering group will select innovative applications based on the aims and values of Carl Ellson and Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS.
What happens if I do receive a grant?
- Funds will be paid to your organisation to be directed to your project
- You will be offered the opportunity to access some optional support via a member of our transformation team to help guide you in how to complete your project and capture its impact.
- We will ask you to complete a short feedback form where you can share what you did, how it went, any next steps and lessons learned. Whether you you’re your project was a success or not, we are keen to understand your experience of trying something new.
- We appreciate things change. If after receiving the award your circumstances change and you are not able to progress your idea, we will work together to try and resolve, or arrange transferring the funds back to fund an alternative project.
