The Community Knowledge Incubator Fund supports you to explore and research what matters to your community. It is for community organisations and people who care about community-led research. The fund helps you develop local ideas and solutions, and collaborate with university researchers when this adds value. 

We recognise that communities hold deep knowledge and lived experience. This fund exists to help that knowledge shape research, guide decisions, and create positive change. 

The fund supports community-led knowledge exchange* and research by giving communities the resources to explore their own questions, challenges, and ideas. It also creates chances for communities and University of Cambridge researchers to work together and test new approaches. 

We believe research has more impact when people with different backgrounds and expertise help shape it. By supporting community led projects, the fund helps ensure research reflects real experiences and brings meaningful benefits to the communities involved. 

 

Aims of the Community Knowledge Incubator Fund 

The fund aims to: 

  • Support projects that create positive social impact 
  • Bring community members and university researchers together 
  • Build fair, trusting, long-term relationships 
  • Encourage a culture of collaboration across the University 
  • Ensure community knowledge and lived experience is valued within research 

 

Terms 

General terms 

  • Projects must show genuine collaboration, with community members involved at every stage — shaping the question, designing the approach, participating in the work, and sharing the results. 
  • Timelines should be realistic for the funding. We expect projects will run for 3–6 months between June 2026 and June 2027 
  • Projects must be ready to share at the annual Community Knowledge Incubator Fund showcase hosted by the University of Cambridge in June 2027. 
  • We will provide a collaboration agreement and support you to complete it. 
  • Applicants must explain how their project addresses equity, diversity and inclusion. We will give priority to projects that build inclusion into their design and delivery. 

 

Themes 

Untold Stories theme 

Grants up to £5,000 

  • Open to community groups and individuals who want to: 
  • Explore untold stories and hidden knowledge within their communities 
  • Ask questions that need community-led research 
  • Build relationships with University of Cambridge researchers and explore shared interests 
  • We welcome creative ways to explore early ideas, especially those that bring in voices not often heard in research. 

 

Collaboration theme 

Grants up to £10,000 

  • Open to community groups and individuals who want to explore gaps in knowledge and create community-led research questions with University of Cambridge researchers. 
  • Projects must be built through direct collaboration with a University of Cambridge researcher or research team. 
  • If you do not yet have a research partner, you may apply to the Untold Stories theme first to explore a partnership. 
  • You may also apply for a ThinkLab collaboration, which brings together researchers from different subject areas. Up to two ThinkLab collaborations are awarded each year. 
  • Projects must respond to your community’s research question or challenge. We expect applications to demonstrate how they respond to the community's research question or challenge and how they know this issue is important to the community. 
  • Projects should aim to create meaningful change. 
  • We suggest budgets prioritise community time, resources, and needs, with a smaller share for research time. As a guide, we recommend projects apply a three-quarters to one-quarter split. If you want to discuss your budget, please contact us at least one week before the deadline. Budgets should be realistic and deliverable. Consultancy fees should follow market rates, and staffing costs should follow the living wage. 

 

Eligibility 

To be eligible, the community member or organisation must be: 

  • A constituted group, or 
  • Led by someone who is self-employed and registered with HMRC 

University researchers or staff are not eligible to apply for this fund. 

The lead community partner must be UK-based. Global community representatives may apply if partnered with a UK-based University of Cambridge research partner who can receive the funding on your behalf. 

Priority is given to organisations with an annual income under £1 million. 

 

What the Fund Can Support 

Funding can be used for: 

  • Community research or knowledge exchange projects 
  • Workshops, activities, or events linked to the research 
  • Staff time 
  • Materials and equipment 
  • Venue hire 
  • Reimbursing community participants (travel, time, refreshments) 

If you are unsure whether a cost is eligible, please contact us. 

 

Conditions of Funding 

You will be expected to meet with members of the Engagement, Knowledge Exchange and Impact team to initiate your project and at key intervals throughout your project. 

Reporting 

  • Interim report due six months after the start date 
  • Final report due twelve months after the start date 
  • Commitment to contributing to the University of Cambridge’s evaluation of the Community Knowledge Incubator Fund. We use a variety of methods and approaches including surveys and interviews. 
  • Participation in the annual Community Knowledge Incubator Funding showcase 

 

Sharing learning 

  • Successful applicants will be asked to share information, quotes, and images so their project can be developed into a case study. This will be created with you. 
  • Awardees must acknowledge CKIF support when presenting or sharing their work. Materials will be provided. 

 

Activities Not Supported 

1. Activities not connected to research 

  • General community events 
  • Outreach with no knowledge exchange link 
  • Awareness campaigns without research 
  • Core organisational costs 

2. Research without community participation 

  • Traditional research where communities are only “subjects” 
  • Consultation only models 
  • Engagement added as an afterthought 

3. Activities that mainly benefit the researcher or institution 

  • Staff posts unrelated to engagement and knowledge exchange 
  • Core research institutional costs  
  • Activities with no community benefit 

4. Capital or infrastructure costs 

  • Building work 
  • Large equipment 
  • Longterm infrastructure 

5. Commercial, political, or advocacy driven activity 

  • Political campaigning 
  • Lobbying 
  • Commercial product development not linked to participatory research 

6. Work that duplicates existing research without added engagement value 

  • Projects must add something new 

 

Timeline 

23 January 2026 — Fund launch 

19 February 2026 (12 midday) — Application deadline 

March–June 2026 — Collaborations confirmed, funding awarded 

April–July 2026 — Activities start 

December 2026 — Interim report due 

June 2027 — Final report due and showcase event 

 

How to apply 

Applications must be submitted via our online form Community Knowledge Incubator Fund – Fill in form. Please see full list of questions here if you would like to draft your responses offline first.   

 

If you need any support submitting your application please get in touch with the community Engagement Coordinator as soon as possible and no later than a week before the submission deadline on communityengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Judging Criteria 

Your applications will be assessed and awarded by our Community Engagement Advisory Board. 

Projects will be assessed on: 

  • Quality of the plan — clarity, feasibility, innovation, and expertise 
  • Community focus — clear need, community benefit, and long-term value 
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion — how these shape the project 
  • Knowledge gaps addressed — and how the project supports wider knowledge exchange 
  • Value for money — realistic budget within fund limits 
  • Evaluation — clear aims and a suitable evaluation plan 

 

Definitions 

*Knowledge Exchange 
Knowledge exchange means people sharing what they know and learning from each other. It is when researchers and communities work together so research can help people in real life. 

 

Research 

Research is the careful study of a question or problem. It involves gathering facts, examining evidence, and using transparent methods to reach new understanding or solve an issue. 

 

For examples of previous projects please see our blog: Connecting communities