Awards

Frequently asked questions

Am I eligible to apply for an Award?

To find out if you are eligible to apply for an Award, you must use our eligibility checker. This is a required first step to accessing our application form. You must meet all the eligibility criteria to make an application; we are unable to make exceptions.

I registered my social venture more than four years ago but started trading less than four years ago. Can I apply?

We check the date of registration on Companies House/Charity Commission during our assessment. If your social venture has been registered for longer than four years at the time of your application, you are ineligible to apply for Award. This includes any changes of legal structure, which are seen as continuation of existing activities.

How do you determine whether activities have been running for four years or more?

We do not fund activities that have already been running for more than four years. When assessing this, we look beyond your current legal structure and consider the history of the activity itself.

This may include, but is not restricted to:

• Activities that have been running for four years or more, even if they have changed legal structure

• Ventures that were incorporated more than four years ago

• New ventures that are an extension of an existing organisation

• Ventures created through a change in legal structure (e.g. moving from a sole trader to a company)

We recognise that some new ventures are developed from previous work or experience. In these cases, we will look at how the new venture is meaningfully different from the activities that came before it.

Does the legal structure of my social venture matter?

No. You can apply to us even before identifying the right legal structure and may wish to seek support from us on the right one for your social venture. If you have already incorporated your social venture, it must be registered in the UK.

Can I apply to fund a franchise?

Applications to fund franchises are not eligible for our support as the applicant is not the founder or leader of the original venture.

Does my idea/social venture sound like it could get support from UnLtd?

We aim to support people who are creating or developing social ventures which have the most potential to create positive social change. You can watch our video on the Awards page to help you to decide if applying for an UnLtd Award is right for you. The first step to applying is taking the eligibility checker.

Can I use AI tools (like ChatGPT) to help write my application?

Yes — AI tools can be really helpful for structuring your ideas, improving clarity, or reducing the stress of getting started. We encourage you to use them if they make the process easier.

Are there any limits to using AI?

Yes. We’ve seen more applications that sound very similar or rely heavily on generic AI-generated text. When that happens, it’s hard for us to understand your real story, motivations, and what makes your idea unique.

What’s the best way to use AI in my application?

Use it as a support, not a substitute. Let AI help you polish your writing — but make sure your responses still reflect your own voice, values, and vision. Personal, genuine answers always make a stronger impression.

Can I speak to a member of staff about my social venture?

Our focus is on assisting those with additional support needs to access our application process. We aim for our Award making to be as equitable as possible, so while we are unable to advise you on your idea/social venture or tell you if your application would be successful, we can provide 1:1 assistance with making an application to people who have additional support needs and/or are facing barriers to applying. You can access this support through our Awards page.

Do you accept social venture plans or proposal documents in place of an application or in addition to an application?

Currently we can only accept applications via our online application form and we do not accept additional documents such as business plans unless agreed in advance by us. This is to ensure that we provide an equitable experience for all applicants. If you have additional support needs, we can provide 1:1 assistance with making an application.

What support can you offer if I have additional needs, or I am facing barriers to applying?

To accommodate different accessibility needs you can ask us to make changes to our process to give you the best chance of communicating with us. This could be arranging a conversation with a member of the team to provide clarity on the questions and process, providing information in accessible formats or working with you to make available a BSL interpreter, for example. We will consider any requests for accessibility that will reduce a barrier to applying.

How do I access the application form?

If you successfully complete the eligibility checker, you will be sent a personalised email which contains a link to the application portal. You cannot access the application portal without completing the eligibility checker.

Can I access application guidance?

Application guidance is built into the application form, click the orange arrow underneath each question to view the guidance.

Can I work on my application offline?

If you successfully complete the eligibility checker, you will be sent a personalised email which contains a PDF version of the application form so that you can work on it offline. Once you are ready, you will need to create or log into your account on our application portal to complete the application online. Please ensure that you take note of the character counts for each question so that you can copy and paste your full answers into the online form.

Can the application form be provided in other formats?

If you need the application form in alternative format, such as plain text, please email us at awardapplications@unltd.org.uk

Can I save my application and return to it later?

Use the save and close button to save your progress. You can return to the application to complete it when you are ready. Take note of the date you will need to submit your application if you want it to be reviewed during the next round of assessments.

Why can't I paste my answers into the online form?

The most common reason for not being able to copy and paste answers into the online form is exceeding the character limit. All questions which require a text answer are limited to 2000 characters (this is the number of characters used rather than the number of words and includes spaces). If you have used too many characters, your answer will not paste into the online form. You may also need to ensure that you are using the latest version of your web browser.

When will I receive the outcome of my application?

We approve Awards quarterly to provide the best support to our Award Winners, so we understand that it can feel like you have been waiting a while for the outcome of your application. During the assessment period you will receive updates from us via email. You can find the timeframes on the Awards page.

Can I apply for more than 1 award?

If you have received a Starting Up Award, you can apply for a Scaling Up Award when your initial Award is complete. You cannot apply for more than one Award at once, or the same Award type for the same social venture. If applying for a different social venture, we will prioritise new applicants.

Will I receive feedback if my application is unsuccessful?

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot provide any more detail on why your application was unsuccessful beyond the information given in our decision email. If you are unsuccessful we will share a list of other funding and support available for social entrepreneurs.

Can I appeal or make a complaint if my application is unsuccessful?

You may be disappointed if we turn down your application for funding, however you cannot use the complaints procedure to appeal against a decision if we have followed our decision-making process correctly. Please review our complaints policy for further information.

Can I reapply if I have been unsuccessful?

You may reapply however we would encourage you to carefully consider any feedback we gave you on your previous application. If you have been unsuccessful multiple times, please get in touch with us before starting a new application.

Do I need to have the right to live and work in the UK to be eligible to apply?

You must have the right to live and work in the UK for at least the duration of the Award period if successful which is 12 months from the application result.