Cambridge Social Innovation Prize – United Kingdom

The Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation and Trinity Hall, one of the oldest Colleges in Cambridge, have partnered to celebrate and support extraordinary social innovators creating social impact through business across the UK.

There are many early career and lifetime achievement awards. The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize recognises there is a gap for mid-career social innovators. The award targets extraordinary individuals with a proven track record but who could benefit from support to reach the next level. Often, they have been so focussed on their social impact, they have not had time to invest in their own professional development. The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize aims to help these social innovators grow themselves in order to grow their social impact.

Prize Details

• £10,000 prize
  • The prize money is a flexible award which can be used to support your growth as a CEO and the growth of your business. It is not intended as seed or pilot funding, but rather is to enable outstanding people to learn and develop as leaders. Some examples include:
    • professional development, short courses or further study
    • specialist consulting
    • travel in search of new partnerships or new inspiration
    • sabbatical/research leave
    • childcare/carer’s support to enable you to engage in learning and personal development.
  • The prize cannot be used for salary support or general business funding.
  • The money will be awarded in September following an initial meeting with a business adviser in the summer. Together you will create a plan to best use the prize money, which must be approved by the prize team before being paid.
• Business advice
  • Each winner will get two weeks of expert, flexible, pro bono business advice. The advisors are ready to roll up their sleeves and get into the detail of your business. This might be an intense period of support, or some longer-term mentoring over six to 12 months. Your priorities could include:
    • strategic planning
    • board or team development
    • partnership building
    • governance and legal advice
    • support to raise investment.
• Introductions, networks and connections
  • The prize is an opportunity for you to harness the expertise and prestige of the University of Cambridge. They will dedicate time to help you make useful connections and embed yourself within relevant networks here at the University, in the broader “Cambridge Cluster” and in the social sector across the UK.
  • Some examples of specific opportunities might include:
    • developing consulting projects with professionals and/or students in Cambridge
    • introductions to potential directors, trustees or advisors
    • meetings with experts in your field from the University of Cambridge
    • nominations to other awards and opportunities
    • Cambridge networks in academia, technology, social sector and entrepreneurship.

Eligibility

• The winners will be people with a proven track record (five to 10 years) of social impact through business, as an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, and who are bubbling over with ambitious plans for the future. For example:
  • Founder or senior leader in a social enterprise.
  • Leader of a corporate social innovation project.
  • Leader of a public sector spin-out or trading subsidiary of a charity.
• This award celebrates social impact through business across the UK. Eligible candidates should meet the following criteria:
  • UK-based: This prize supports social innovators whose primary social impact is in the UK. They should be based in the UK or have a strong connection to the UK. You do not have to be a UK citizen.
  • Dedicated to social impact: The winners must show a commitment to social impact and creating positive social change, whatever that means in the context of their work.
  • Businesses (or business-like): This prize is for people making social impact through business and entrepreneurship. That said, the line between charity, corporate and the public sector is increasingly blurry! Leaders of charities, non-profits and public sector organisations are welcome to apply, if their work is driven by self-generated revenue. Organisations or projects which are primarily philanthropic or grant-funded, while important and impactful, are outside the scope of this prize.

For more information, visit University of Cambridge.