We hope any questions you have about ACT funding are answered here but if your query is not covered, please get in touch with us at fundsandgrants@act4addenbrookes.org.uk.
How do I apply for funding from ACT?
All applications can be made through the ACT Funding Portal.
There’s a quick, one-time, registration process the first time you use the portal. Once you’re registered, you can log into the portal to check the progress of your application and you’ll be set up to make more applications in the future.
Who can apply?
Applications are open to:
- CUH staff, as well as those who hold an honorary contract
- Academic staff from partner universities who work in collaboration with CUH
- Charities and organisations who deliver services and offer support to the wider CUH community
What kind of projects are funded?
ACT is proud to support projects and activities:
- that are over and above NHS funding responsibilities
- deliver clear benefit to patients at Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.
Does ACT provide funding for CUH staff?
Yes, ACT can provide funding to staff where there’ll be a direct patient benefit or a contribution to patient benefit. We are committed to supporting CUH staff by offering funding for wellbeing, learning and development, staff recognition and environmental improvements.
While we do not fund social events for staff (including Christmas parties and dinners) we do provide an annual grant directly to CUH instead so that all staff can be celebrated and recognised and to support festivals and days of importance throughout the year – examples of the activities supported by this grant include Diwali celebrations, Christmas hampers for all areas, Black History month, daffodils in the spring and the annual staff awards.
If you are interested in funding for staff recognition or celebration, please contact the CUH Staff Recognition team in the first instance at cuh.recognition@nhs.net. We also encourage staff to contact us to discuss any new ideas!
What types of funding can I apply for?
- ACT Patient Benefit Grants
- ACT Innovation Grants
- ACT Research Grants
- Cambridge Clinical Research Fellowships Scheme
What are the application deadlines and when will I hear the outcome of my application?
| Patient Benefit Grants | – There is no deadline. – Applications under £10,000 are reviewed by the ACT Funding Review Group, which meets once a week. We aim to let you know the outcome within 2 weeks. – If your application is £10,000 or more, it will be reviewed by the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), which meets once a month. The PAC then makes recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – You can find the PAC meeting dates on our Patient Benefit Grants webpage. – Applications can be of any value but if your application is going to be over £25,000, please get in touch with us first to discuss your idea. |
| Innovation Grants | – Applications are considered twice a year by the Innovation for Patient Benefit grant panel. – Typically grants are up to £40,000. – Successful applicants are invited to present their ideas in person to the panel, who then make recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – Visit our Innovation Grants webpage to find the application deadline for each round and details of when you can expect to hear back. |
| Research Grants | – The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meets four times each year to review applications and then makes recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – Typically grants are up to £25,000. – Visit our Research Grants webpage to find the application deadline for each meeting throughout the year and details of when you can expect to hear back. |
| Cambridge Clinical Research Fellowships Scheme | – Applications are considered once a year. – Visit our Fellowships webpage to find the next application deadline and details of when you can expect to hear back. |
Who needs to approve my application in CUH?
| Patient Benefit Grants | – Applications under £1,000 should be endorsed by either your Deputy Operations Manager, Operations Manager, Clinical Lead or Lead Nurse. – Applications of £1,000 require approval from your Director of Operations. – Applications of £50,000 or more require the approval of your Divisional Director. |
| Innovation grants | – Applications should be approved by your Clinical Director/Divisional Director. |
| Research grants | – Applications should be approved by your Clinical Director/Divisional Director. |
| Cambridge Clinical Research Fellowship Scheme | – Your application should be reviewed and endorsed by the academic lead for the directorate or department in which your research will be undertaken. – If you are a non-medical member of staff, your application should be endorsed by your line manager. |
| All ACT funding | – The same approvals process applies as if you were requesting CUH expenditure. Please follow the steps outlined in this diagram before applying to ACT. |
Important: Pre-approval from CUH does not guarantee your funding application to ACT will be successful. We ask that applications are submitted to us before any expenditure is incurred or any payments are committed. We are unable to fund things retrospectively so please ensure you have heard back that your application has been successful before placing any orders, making any bookings or making any commitments to pay suppliers.
Does anyone else in CUH need to approve my application?
It is your responsibility to ensure the project or activity you are seeking funding for conforms to relevant CUH compliance requirements to ensure value for money, that health and safety regulations are adhered to, and that guarantees and warranties are in place. We hope you find this list of some of the key CUH contacts helpful:
| Arts | All projects that incorporate art in any way should be discussed with the CUH Arts Team. You can contact the Addenbrooke’s Arts Team at: cuh.arts@nhs.net |
| Digital Communications | If you have an idea for a website, video or app, please contact CUH Communications to discuss your idea and get their approval before submitting an application to ACT. You can contact CUH Communications at: cuh.communications@nhs.net |
| Equipment | All medical equipment must be approved by Clinical Engineering. You can contact Clinical Engineering at: cuh.clinicalengineering@nhs.net Purchases of any other equipment must be approved by CUH Procurement. You can contact CUH Procurement at: cuh.procurement@nhs.net |
| Estates and Facilities | Any project that affects the material structure of the hospital estate must be approved by the Estates and Facilities department. To contact Estates and Facilities, please email Rachel Northfield at: rachel.northfield3@nhs.net If you are seeking funding to improve a patient or staff area, please contact both Estates and Facilities and ‘Our Place’ in the first instance to make them aware of your ideas and to see what CUH funding might be available. To contact ‘Our Place’ please get in touch at: cuh.ourplace@nhs.net |
| Fire Safety | All projects must be compliant with CUH fire safety requirements. If you have any queries about fire safety requirements, please contact the Fire Team at: cuh.firesafetyteam@nhs.net |
| Infection control | All charitable expenditure must be compliant with CUH infection control requirements. If you have any queries about infection control requirements, please contact the Infection Control team at: cuh.infectioncontrol@nhs.net |
| IT | If you are seeking funding for IT hardware, you should first contact the eHospital team to ask for their approval and to check that the hardware cannot be CUH-funded. The contact details for the eHospital team are: – Claire Tolliday: claire.tolliday1@nhs.net – Ari Ercole: ari.ercole@nhs.net |
| Staff Recognition | If you are interested in funding for staff recognition or celebration please contact the CUH Staff Recognition team in the first instance at cuh.recognition@nhs.net. |
This is not an exhaustive list so if you need any guidance on CUH compliance requirements, please speak to your divisional management team.
I would like to apply for funding for an individual patient or family member, is this possible?
Regrettably we cannot provide funding for an individual patient or family member. To ensure we are abiding by charity law, our funding must result in benefit to a group or section of patients and not give rise to more than incidental private benefit to an individual.
Why are some applications for ACT funding unsuccessful?
ACT is a registered charity dedicated to supporting Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie hospitals to provide a level of patient care beyond that which can be delivered by NHS funding alone and make projects happen sooner, or to a greater degree, than might have otherwise been possible. This is all thanks to the immensely generous support of our donors and we have an obligation to ensure that funds are spent in line with charity law and our charitable expenditure policy. We are audited every year and must publish our accounts on the Charity Commission’s website.
We love hearing your ideas for making Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie even better and supporting you in providing the best patient care possible – we approve the majority of applications, but some are not approved if the patient benefit isn’t clear, or if the application is for something that is not considered to be over and above NHS funding.
What types of income can ACT accept?
ACT only accepts voluntary income. This means income that has been fundraised or freely donated. We are not able to accept:
- any direct payment for services, including the provision of training and other educational events, report-writing, the completion of DVLA forms and examinations. These payments should be paid to the organisation that employs the person who has provided the service.
- any monies received in lieu of the provision of a service (for example, speaker fees) – again, such payments should be paid to the organisation that employs the person who has provided the service.
- sponsorship income – sponsorship is not classed as a freely given donation and creates legal, tax and administrative implications for the charity.
All donations to ACT, regardless of their origin, become the responsibility of the charity and can only be spent in line with charity law and our charitable expenditure policy.