Tech For Good Hub

Comic Relief's Tech for Good programme for charities and social enterprises etc

Tech for Good Learning

Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation are keen to document and disseminate key learnings from the Tech for Good programme. We use our learning to strengthen our approach to social tech funding for future programme development, as well as to understand what is needed to grow the Tech for Good ecosystem.

Underpinning the programme is the Theory of Change which maps out the challenge, what we will do to address this challenge, the outcomes we anticipate as a result of these activities and any assumptions we have made behind all of this. The longer ToC narrative provides more detail on the elements of the Theory of Change. The ToC was developed in 2017 with support from InFocus Enterprises Ltd. It is a living document that we will revisit and refine as we learn more from the programme – watch this space!

Evaluations

Since 2017 Comic Relief and PHF have commissioned evaluations of each funding round, building on the learnings and recommendations each year.

Tech for Good 2019 Evaluation

The evaluation for the current funding round (Tech for Good 2019) is being delivered by Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR), and seeks to answer some of the programme’s current strategic questions and interests, ensuring that we build on, rather than replicate, findings. The main priority areas for this evaluation are:

  1. What does it mean to be ‘tech-ready’? What do organisations need in order to embrace and embed a digital approach into their work and their organisations where suitable?
  2. Exit support and pathways for funded-partners: thinking about the sustainability of the support provided through the Tech for Good programme, what happens next?
  3. Common threads across the current cohort: are there similar experiences, potential collaborations or areas that Tech for Good participants could work on together?
  4. Developing a deeper understanding of Tech for Good’s ecosystem: thinking about the contributions of the different layers that make up the Social Tech space, including funders, support agencies, grantees etc.
  5. Organisational learning: for Tech for Good participants, Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation, contextualising the fund within the wider discussions and debates taking place within the funding sector around ‘learning-led grant-making’.

IVAR will also work with Comic Relief and PHF to revisit and review the Theory of Change, and consider whether any adaptation or development will be required.

To check out the eight organisations funded through Tech for Good 2019 and the products they’re working on, please see this page.

Watch this space for the final report!

Evaluations from previous years:

Tech for Good 2018

This was a 14-month evaluation, delivered by inFocus and built around 3 key questions which were based on the Tech for Good Theory of Change, these questions were:

  1. To what extent has the Tech for Good programme been successful in generating the intended outcomes for participating not-for-profits?
  2. Have changes made to the Tech for Good programme in 2018 led to increased efficiency and effectiveness compared to 2016-17?
  3.  How can the Tech for Good ecosystem be strengthened and what role could Comic Relief and Paul Hamlyn Foundation play in this?

Have a look at the full Tech for Good 2018 Evaluation report, or the Tech for Good 2018 Executive Summary (extracted from the full report), for more information.

Tech for Good 2017

This was the first year we commissioned an evaluation of the Tech for Good programme and was when the aforementioned Theory of Change and longer ToC narrative were developed by inFocus.

Tech for Good 2017 Evaluation Summary

Blog Posts Relating to Learning

Since the fund started in 2016 we have published blog posts in the Tech for Good hub, sharing and responding to the ongoing learning emerging from the programme, these include: