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:
- 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 religious festivals 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?
- General funding from ACT Charitable Funds
- ACT Grants
- Cambridge Clinical Research Fellowships Scheme
What are the application deadlines and when will I hear the outcome of my application?
| Our charitable funds | – 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 Patient Advisory Committee (PAC), which meets four times each year. You can find the PAC meeting dates on our Grants webpage. |
| Patient benefit grants | – The Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) meets four times each year to review applications and then makes recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – Visit our Grants webpage to find the application deadline for each meeting throughout the year and details of when you can expect to hear back. |
| Innovation grants | – Applications are considered twice a year by the Innovation for Patient Benefit grant panel. – Successful applicants are invited to present their ideas in person to the panel, who then make recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – Visit our 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 meets four times each year to review applications and then makes recommendations to the Charitable Expenditure Committee. – Visit our 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. |
I’m not sure whether ACT holds a charitable fund for my department, what shall I do?
ACT holds individual charitable funds for many of the departments in the hospital. Each fund has at least two Fund Advisors who endorse applications before they are considered by ACT. Your divisional management team should be able to let you know whether there’s a fund for your department, who the relevant Fund Advisors are and how you can get your application endorsed by Fund Advisors.
You can also email us at: fundsandgrants@act4addenbrookes.org.uk if you’re not sure.
ACT does not hold a charitable fund for my department or the fund does not have a sufficient balance, what should I do?
We encourage applications for high quality projects regardless of the availability of departmental charitable funds. You do not need a departmental charitable fund or a sufficient fund balance to apply to ACT for funding – please email fundsandgrants@act4addenbrookes.org.uk to discuss your ideas with our team, as we still might be able to help.
Who needs to approve my application in CUH?
| Charitable funds | – Applications of £500 or less should be endorsed by one Fund Advisor. – Applications over £500 should be endorsed by two Fund Advisors. – Applications of £1,000 and above also require approval from your Director of Operations. |
| 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 funding approval from ACT. We strongly recommend that you do not incur any costs, make any commitments to pay suppliers or place orders on the assumption that your application to ACT will be successful. If your application is unsuccessful, we cannot reimburse costs that have already been incurred or committed to.
Does anyone else in CUH need to approve my application?
It is your responsibility to ensure the project you are seeking funding for conforms to relevant CUH compliance requirements, examples include:
| 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 |
| Medical equipment | All medical equipment must be approved by Clinical Engineering. You can contact Clinical Engineering at: cuh.clinicalengineering@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 – James Gingell: james.gingell@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.
ACT holds a charitable fund for my department, why do I have to apply to use it?
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 hope this explains why an applications process is necessary. 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 expenditure is considered to be a core-NHS cost.
What is ACT’s monthly apportionment charge for?
The monthly apportionment charge serves two purposes. Firstly, it provides funding for our grants programme, supporting patient benefit, research, innovation and clinical fellowship grants. Applications for these grants can be made by any staff member in any department.
Secondly, the charge is used as a contribution to ACT’s governance and running costs, helping to ensure the financial sustainability of the charity.
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.