FAQ

You should identify the outcomes and impact you expect to see as you develop your Theory of Change. There may be long term impacts (5 years +) which go beyond the timeframe of the grant. Where this is the case, you will need to tell us what the early indicators of those impacts will be that are identifiable within the funding period (12-18 months)

There is no set proportion of the budget that must be allocated to evaluation. We require an evaluation plan as part of the submission, if you are commissioning external evaluators these costs should be included in the project budget.

A Theory of Change is a way of describing how a programme has an impact on its beneficiaries. It defines the change that the stakeholders experience as a result of the programme, and the activities and outcomes that lead to that change, it identifies assumptions inherent in the project and key risks. We have created a Theory of Change template which you will need to use and include with your application.  

These awards are not calculated on the basis of full economic costing (FEC). Costs cannot include indirect costs such as overheads, retrospective work or overseas travel (this list is not exhaustive).
Allowable costs include those directly related to the development and delivery of the proposed project. Salary costs will only be reimbursed if a full-time salary is not already in place. However, Diversity Impact programme funding can be used to cover the costs of staff needed to replace those who are taking part in project activities (for example, to cover teaching costs). If funding for salaries is requested you will need to make it clear in the budget if it is for a new post, backfill or other.

You can use the funding to pay for external expertise when required.

You can apply for grant funding of between £40,000 and £100,000. There is no advantage to applying for funding at either end of the spectrum and the reporting requirements are the same for all projects. Value for money will be a consideration in all cases.

We expect to award funding to between five and ten projects this year. The final number depends on the budget available, and the amount of funding shortlisted projects bid for.

There is an expectation of support from institutions, but this doesn't have to be matched funding, it can be support in-kind.

We do not provide any guidance on this. There are many variables that affect the size of a team, and teams may change size and makeup during the project's lifetime.

We can't advise on how to involve students, but you should factor in the time-pressure and other pressures that students face when considering their engagement. We encourage you to find out from them (directly or via networks/student union) how they want to be involved and what their capacity is.

Potential beneficiaries (students) should be involved in the development of the project. It is not possible to complete the application form without input from students.

There are no restrictions on the focus of your project. You can focus on one diversity characteristic, take an intersectional approach or consider ways in which your institution could become more inclusive to all minoritised groups. Each of these approaches brings its own challenges in terms of establishing benchmarks and evaluating success. These challenges need to be addressed in your project and evaluation plans.

Yes, belonging is an important measure of inclusion and has an impact on student outcomes.

Very! The funding can only be used to benefit students/departments with a clear engineering focus.   Please refer to the CAH lists here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos/cah-list  and the codes for CAH10 and CAH11

The programme is not designed to address any specific gap in funding or knowledge as we recognise that there is a wide range of needs. We encourage institutions to identify their own priorities for their context. Your priories may align with current national trends or they might be unique to your institution, but we expect some of the learning derived from your project to be applicable to other contexts.

We have not set a limit on the number of applications per institution. We encourage collaboration within departments/across faculty where this strengthens the project. Where different faculties have project ideas that they feel are sufficiently strong to stand alone then they can be submitted on an individual basis. Your institution might decide to restrict the number of applications it wants to endorse so it is worth having this conversation internally first.

Whilst we cannot fund activity that takes place overseas, you can use evidence from projects in other countries to inform your project development, collaborate with a partner from outside of the UK or buy in advice from a specialist attached to an international institution.

A partner can be any organisation/institution/individual/department in your own institution etc. who is a legitimate stakeholder in your project. Working with partners is not a requirement.

This programme addresses a specific area not previously covered by Academy's work to support a more inclusive profession. It is informed by our activity over many years in partnership with universities and employers and contributes to Academy's D&I Action plan 2020-2025 .

We are open to innovative ways of managing the project and the grant. We do require one person as a liaison and where there are multiple leads the project plan must provide clear lines of responsibility.

The assessment criteria are laid out in the essential guidance document [hyperlink] (page 11). The applications will go through three rounds. Round one is an expert review (proposal reviewed independently by two reviewers with specialist knowledge), round two is a panel review, round three is an interview. Reviewers will include EDI specialists, academics and education leaders, current students and recent graduates, and Academy fellows.

The potential beneficiaries of this programme can be university students at any stage of their journey. We will also consider projects which focus on potential students (i.e. post-16 attraction into engineering degrees/apprenticeships) and post student support (i.e. transition into careers in industry or academia).