Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund

Our new Equality in Higher Education funding scheme will distribute up to £2 million for collaborative projects to support new ideas and innovations in delivering equality of opportunity.

Aims

The Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR) identifies 12 sector-wide risks that may affect a student’s opportunity to access and succeed in higher education.

This funding aims to support the sector in addressing risks to equality of opportunity and contribute to our objective that all students, from all backgrounds, with the ability and desire to undertake higher education, are supported to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.

This funding scheme aims to:

• support organisations to undertake new collaborative work or projects that will reduce risks to equality of opportunity
• catalyse new practices and innovations that will benefit the sector
• provide opportunities for learning and knowledge dissemination on 'what works'
• increase the sector’s capacity and capability to address risks to equality of opportunity.

We aim to support insights and learning that can be shared across the sector.

Who can apply?

We will only fund collaborative proposals. This is because we know that the challenges identified in the national equality of opportunity risk register are substantial and require joined up, coordinated approaches.

The proposed activities must deliver clear benefits to equality of opportunity in higher education. The successful bids will be able to demonstrate a track record of policy, intervention, data or impact evaluation related to equality of opportunity in higher education.

Collaborations could be with, for example:

• organisations that provide services with higher education providers
• charities and third sector organisations
• or between groups of higher education providers.

Successful proposals must have at least one higher education provider in the approved (fee cap) category as a partner in the bid.

Uni Connect partnerships are also eligible to bid for this funding, but proposals must demonstrate how these funds will be used for new, additional projects separate from the delivery of the Uni Connect programme as defined in programme guidance and operating plans.

How can the funding be used?  

This funding should be used to catalyse new practices and ideas that could support equality of opportunity in higher education.

Initiatives should have the potential to generate impact, inform future work and benefit the sector (this may be through evaluation or other routes of sharing learning).

Bids will be considered for work to address equality of opportunity across any area of the student lifecycle from accessing, participating in or progressing from higher education.

Successful projects will involve:

• the collection, use or interrogation of data on equality of opportunity
• facilitating partnership and collaboration across the sector and with relevant organisations
• innovative approaches to addressing risks to equality of opportunity
• a focus on what works and knowledge dissemination.

Activities that are not in scope for this funding include:

• student recruitment and marketing activity
• grants and/or loans to students
• programmes or initiatives already funded, or which could be funded, by the OfS or by other organisations through different schemes
• activity that is already underway
• capital investment and/or capital works (physical infrastructure)
• initiatives that do not directly relate to equality of opportunity in higher education.  

Evaluation

We intend to appoint external evaluators to support the funded projects in assessing their impact and the production of materials for wider learning and dissemination. Funded projects must work with any evaluators we appoint.

We will publish more information on evaluating the scheme alongside the bidding guidance.

Timeline and next steps

• 25 October 2024: deadline for proposals
• mid December 2024: funding decisions announced
• early 2025: projects commence, with OfS funding available to July 2027.

If you have any questions for us about this funding opportunity please contact [email protected] and our team will be happy to respond.