Our replication and innovation work supports new solutions to old problems and scaling up tried-and-tested solutions. Learning underpins all of our replication and innovation work. As well as testing new approaches (innovation) and funding and promoting what works (replication), we are developing approaches to support more effective learning by voluntary and community sector organisations.
Replication
Funders and policy-makers are increasingly interested in replicating best practice. As we come to terms with limited public funding and growing pressure on budgets identify and measure impact, the potential of replicating proven approaches has become more attractive.
The term ‘replication’ means different things to different people and in different contexts. At BIG we use the term to mean a funding approach based on the idea that we should be able to improve outcomes for beneficiaries by carefully copying approaches that have proven to be successful. To qualify as ‘successful’, those approaches should have undergone a good evaluation that demonstrates quite why the approach works.
Our first funding programme dedicated to replication, Realising Ambition, was launched in 2012. The programme aims to replicate approaches that support young people to fulfil their potential and avoid pathways into offending and anti-social behaviour. We have invested in a thorough evaluation of Realising Ambition to help us and others understand the processes and impact of the replication model.
In response to growing interest in replication, we organised “Getting to grips with replication”, a series of three seminars.
Innovation
Improving Futures offers intensive support to vulnerable families.
Wider learning
We are helping to fund the first social impact bond, in which St Giles Trust are working with a cohort of offenders once they leave Peterborough Prison to help reduce the likelihood of their re-offending within two years.
We funded the Third Sector Research Centre and the British Library to set up a single entry point for all research relating to the voluntary and community sector. The Knowledge Portal is open for use now, and is fast becoming the key library of published material on the VCS for use by researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders.
We have looked at how we might replicate effective projects that deal with life transitions in Scotland.
What next?
Peer Learning Online, in which we will help VCS organisations share learning online and have easier access to the host of resources and opportunities that already exist in the virtual world.
Learning for Impact is a small grants programme that will support collaborative learning between VCS organisations.
Research for Impact, which will build on our earlier research grants funding by supporting better use of research by the VCS. This initiative will focus on a limited number of themes and support action-oriented research, synthesis and skills-building.
Please contact us if you have any comments or questions.