UnLtd - Closing the Disability Employment Gap | UnLtd the foundation for social entrepreneurs |

Backing enterprising people with ambitions to improve the job market

Unemployment has been steadily falling in the UK, yet not everyone who wants to work can gain appropriate, meaningful work. According to Scope, disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people. They face multiple disadvantages into work and can then experience discrimination in the workplace.

We know that people have enterprising ideas to change this and transform employment for disabled people. We have partnered with Scope, to back social entrepreneurs across the UK with support to start and grow their ideas, projects or ventures.

How can we support you?

We're offering you two levels of support, our Do It awards for those starting up and our Grow It awards for those looking to expand their impact.

Cally Munchy at the City Hall

Do It

Our Do It awards offer up to £5,000 of funding, alongside a tailored package of support so that you can create a social venture to tackle any social problem you’re passionate about fixing.

SoFab Sports printing merchandise

Grow It

For those at the right stage, Grow It awards offer up to £15,000 of funding, also alongside a tailored package of support to help your social venture grow to the next level.

Criteria

To be eligible your idea must:

Have a real social impact
Be focused on improving employment or employability outcomes for disabled people
Fulfil a clear need and demand
Have clear outputs and goals
Provide a learning experience or opportunity
Beneficiaries must be UK based

What do we mean by disabled?

We use The Equality Act 2010 as a reference. That defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

‘Long-term’ is defined as lasting or expecting to last for at least 12 months.

Ideas and ventures are not eligible for an award if they:

Are part of your paid employment
Involve political or religious campaigning
Involve activities outside of the law or against public policy, or anything that encourages ethnic, religious or commercial disharmony
Are mainly for people to achieve academic qualifications
Are to fund living expenses

Apply for support

To start your application please submit an expression of interest.

Should your expression of interest pass our initial assessment you will be sent further application documents to complete along with a detailed breakdown of the application process. Below are the key dates for 2018:

Application deadline 16th Aug 2019

Final decision meeting week commencing: 28th Oct 2019

Apply here

Other support

If you're social idea doesn't specifically transform the job market for disabled people we can still help you. We provide three levels of early stage support, designed to match your growth as a social entrepreneur. Many of the people we support progress through different stages of awards as their venture grows.

Try it

Our Try It award will help you on your first steps of testing...

Do It

Our Do it awards help make your idea for social change a...

Grow It

The Grow It award is for social entrepreneurs looking to grow...

Events

We host a series of events throughout the UK each year. From classes and conferences, seminars and workshops to networking events and training sessions.

Upcoming events

Learning area

Looking for financial guidance? Want to sharpen your marketing skills? Access our range of guides in the learning area..

Visit our learning area