Motability: Research Grant Programme

Overview

Through this grant programme they hope to help charities and organisations to undertake research to help them better understand the problems that disabled people face in the transport system and to how they can be solved.

Through an extensive programme of research and engagement the Motability Foundation has identified three Routes to Impact in the research sector which they are seeking to support with grant funding. The framework identifies these Routes to Impact, and outlines how improvements in these areas can benefit disabled people. The framework looks to address

• Evidence generation and influencing
• Replicating good practice
• Improved services

They believe that research in these areas has the greatest chance of delivering meaningful change for disabled people, and supporting the Motability Foundation’s key outcomes of:

• Access – Increased ability to access people and places using transport
• Choice and Control – Improved independence and control to make decisions
• Connect – Increased social connections and relationships
• Education – Increased ability to access education and training
• Work – Increased ability to work and pursue a career
• Wellbeing – Improved sense of health and wellbeing

Who can apply?

Through their research grants, they will help charities and organisations to develop, expand and improve transport related research for disabled people, and produce data and findings that can be freely accessed by all.

They ask that Applicant organisations meet the following criteria:

• You are a registered charity or an incorporated not-for-profit organisation identified as being able to deliver impact for disabled people and their transportation needs. This includes incorporated charities, companies limited by guarantee, community benefit societies, or CICs. If your organisation is a different structure outside of those listed here then please contact them before applying.
• You have been active for at least three years.
• You have had an annual income of at least £150,000 per annum over the last three years.
• You hold free reserves equivalent to at least three months of operating costs. Please contact them before applying if you do not hold three months of free reserves. The Motability Foundation will not generally award a Grant to Charities or Organisations holding more than 12 months of operating expenditure in reserves.

Examples of areas where they are focussing their grant making include but are not limited to:

• Grant funding for research into barriers and challenges faced by disabled people when accessing or using transport.
• Grant funding for transport related research that identifies good practice and evaluates solutions.
• Grant funding to conduct research to inform and improve new or existing transport related programmes and product design.

Priority will be given to organisations who:

• Evidence a clear need for the area of research
• Use creative, ethical, and appropriate research methods
• Provide a good value for money
• Have a plan to share research, whatever the outcome, after the project is complete

Examples of work has been funded or may be funded under this programme

• A grant was awarded to look at independent journeys taken by people with sight loss, the challenges during these journeys and the fundamental changes which could be made to improve the experience.
• A grant could be awarded to evaluate the work you are currently running in order to scale up provision or evidence need for to upscale work nationally.
• A grant was awarded to help understand the end-to-end experience of disabled people when travelling by taxi.
• A grant could be awarded to look at the challenges and solutions of disabled people in rural communities.

The Motability Foundation is willing to support proposals seeking match-funding for an activity or service that supports disabled people, however for the sake of simplicity it is recommended that your application be limited to an area that can be supported in its entirety by the Motability Foundation.

Funding

Charities and organisations can apply for grants from £50,000 to £1 million.

You can apply for one, two or three years’ funding in any year of the programme. For example, you could apply for £51,000 in total over three years, which would be £17,000 per annum.

They are pleased to say the final payment date can be beyond 31 March 2025 this can be split over one, two or three years and can be applied for in any year of the programme.

What can be funded?

• Full cost recovery grants
• Research work which fits within the three routes to impact.
• Staff Costs to undertake research or evaluation
• Revenue costs to support the research or evaluation
• Costs to engage the skills of an independent research or evaluation organisation
• Partnership working. The lead applicant should be a charity who meets this criteria however funding can be shared between partners

Why are they doing this?

Disabled people make 38% fewer journeys than non-disabled people – a figure that hasn’t changed in the last decade.

This “transport accessibility gap” tells them that there is much more that transport providers need to do to make sure that disabled people can travel across road, rail and air like non-disabled people, but to do it right, they need to know what disabled people want and need.

Investment in user-centred research and development can make a large impact for many disabled people.

It opens doors and makes tangible differences to how they access transport in the UK.

That is why they have identified research as a priority investment area.

Over the last year, Motability Foundation has grant funded a number of research related projects, including:

• User research carried out by disability charities to better understand the problems that disabled people face in the transport system - and how they can potentially be solved.
• Supporting a PhD scholarship programme at Coventry University for disabled people and people with lived experience of disability.
• Recently launching the National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat) which we are funding.

From these projects they established that research is a key area in which they can help other charities and organisations to inform their work.

That could be to support a business or investment case for a new product or service for disabled people, or to influence business, decision makers and Government to do something differently.