The closing date for applications is looming for the latest round of funding from the TDS Charitable Foundation. On 20th January 2020, the charity will close the current bid to review proposals before deciding which will be awarded grants of up to £10,000 per project.
To date, the Foundation has awarded £753,375 to fund different ventures, all with a core focus to advance education about housing rights and obligations.
Funding award-winning ideas for the PRS
A previous recipient of the Foundation’s funding, Stuart Pearson, Chief Digital Advisor at the Citizens Advice Manchester, urges people to put forward their ideas.
“We found it hard to sell the idea for innovative technology, it was difficult to convince investors to support us in something they didn’t fully understand. The TDS Charitable Foundation was different – they saw the potential. They took a gamble on us, which really paid off. Our project has since won the National Citizens Advice Innovation Award!” says Stuart.
The Foundation awarded Stuart’s branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau £21,000 in 2018, which was rolled out in incremental amounts.
Their idea was an Advicebot on Facebook Messenger, to make access to advice easier at Citizens Advice Manchester, via a platform they were already comfortable using.
“The Advicebot plays an important role in allowing people to find out answers to questions quickly, with a seamless handover to human advisors when the automated Advicebot can no longer assist. This frees our advisors to respond to enquiries that require urgent attention or deeper expertise, much faster and more efficiently than before,” added Stuart.
The application has proved so successful that the Citizens Advice is considering a rollout across the country.
Kelly Wallace (left), TDS Charitable Foundation Co-ordinator, added, “The TDS Charitable Foundation exists to raise standards in the private rented sector. We are so inspired by projects like Stuart’s and others we have funded so far. They are making a real difference in our industry. We encourage others to submit their initiatives before the January deadline to be part of this great initiative.”
It’s easy to apply. Visit tdsfoundation.org.uk to complete the form.
Read how £293,000 of funds was spent in the 2018/19 TDS Charitable Foundation Annual Review.
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