HMPPS Small Grant Scheme - Digital Media Skills workshops
London Probation Region is offering a small grant of up to £15,000 to deliver a pilot digital media skills workshop for people on probation from the Southwark Probation Delivery Unit. The programme will provide participants with an introduction to and hands-on experience in digital media techniques, aiming to develop new digital and creative skills, support pathways into employment within the creative industries, and promote mental health and wellbeing through creative engagement. We invite proposals from VCSE organisations with a proven track record of delivering similar programmes to comparable cohorts and strong links to the creative industries to help participants progress toward future employment opportunities. The project will run for approx. 3 months in the first half of 2026.
- Opening date: (Midnight)
- Closing date: (Midnight)
Contents
Summary
MoJ and HMPPS recognises that VCSE organisations are a huge contributor to the running of the prison and probation service. The empowering legislation for this grant is section 6 of the Offender Management Act 2007
London Probation are keen to fund an innovative pilot project that harnesses digital media skills to create meaningful opportunities for people on probation. This initiative aims to provide hands-on experience in digital media techniques, supporting participants to develop practical skills while engaging in creative expression.
The pilot will focus on three key objectives:
Skills development: Enabling individuals on probation to learn and apply digital media skills that could open pathways to employment within creative industries.
Desistance Support: Offering transferable skills and purposeful activity that promote positive change and reduce reoffending.
Creative Expression: Encouraging self-expression and critical reflection on identity and personal journeys through creative digital content.
The proposed activities will consist of a practical digital media skills programme delivered through a series of workshop sessions for a group of up to ten service users. The programme will cover key areas such as storytelling, production
techniques, and editing, with the goal of enabling each participant to complete a creative piece and develop a clear plan for future career progression within the creative industries.
Structure of the activities
The digital media skills programme will be delivered to up to ten service users from Southwark Probation Office with some elements of joint delivery with London Probation staff.
It should consist of a series of interactive workshops designed to combine group learning with individual support, providing group activities, individual guidance, and hands on practice.
Sessions should be interactive and designed to combine group learning, individual support and hands on practice. Sessions should be structured to balance technical instruction with creative exploration ensuring accessibility and engagement for participants
Ideally participants should leave the completed course with a developed product or project which could form part of a personal portfolio to support future employment opportunities, and a tailored plan for further career development.
There are no restrictions on the content of materials created however Providers may, choose to encourage projects that offer added value—such as creating resources that could benefit future individuals on probation by sharing key information from a lived experience perspective.
All materials, documents, communications, or content created, whether in physical or digital form, must not bring the London Probation/HMPPS, its employees, partners, or stakeholders into disrepute. This includes, but is not limited to, content that may be considered defamatory, discriminatory, offensive, misleading, or otherwise damaging to the organisation’s reputation.
There is an intention to evaluate this pilot to measure impact and inform future decision making and wider learning.
Requirements for the service providers
· Resources and Equipment: Providers will be responsible for supplying all necessary materials and equipment required for the workshops.
· Proven Experience: Providers must demonstrate a track record in delivering similar services and activities, with established connections to the creative industries and experience in supporting participants toward employment pathways within this sector
· Inclusive Delivery: Learning methods should be accessible and adaptable, incorporating flexibility to maximise participant engagement and ensure the success of the pilot.
· Experience with Vulnerable Groups: Direct experience working within the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is preferred but not essential, however, providers must have experience and ability to engage and work with vulnerable and complex individuals, as well as the ability to manage group dynamics and assess risk in order to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment
· Compliance: All staff involved in delivery must hold valid DBS checks and the provider must have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place.
The grant scheme delivery window is 12 months from 1st March 26 to 28th February 27.
The total available of the grant is £15,000
The total grant amount will be paid in advance, provided that the grant recipient has given sufficient assurance that the grant will be used for the stated purpose.
Eligibility
The award is open to VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations)
The voluntary sector organisation(s) or consortium receiving the grant from HMPPS, should be a registered charity or social enterprise.
Any organisation applying for funding must demonstrate that it meets the due diligence criteria before any award is made. The funding will only be given to organisations where their annual turnover is at least twice the amount of the funding that they are seeking.
Grant funding cannot be used to deliver core services which HMPPS should be delivering.
Objectives
· To enable individuals on probation to learn and apply digital media skills that could open pathways to employment within creative industries.
· To offer individuals on probation transferable skills and purposeful activity that promotes positive change and reduction of reoffending.
· To encourage self expression and critical reflection on identity and personal journeys through creative digital content.
· To improve our knowledge about what activities, work to support people and to encourage rehabilitation and desistance.
Dates
How to apply
In order to submit a compliant application, applicants must complete all questions in the Apply for a Grant application form. Please note and do not exceed the word counts for each answer. Any information that is included once the word count is exceeded will not be evaluated and will not count towards the evaluated score. Responses must not include diagrams, tables, images or similar.
Applicants are permitted to submit clarification questions via email to HMPPSGrants@justice.gov.uk. For transparency, this advert will be updated throughout the competition to include any responses to questions asked by applicants.
Further information from clarification questions:
To be eligible for funding under this grant applicants must achieve the minimum threshold score of 3 averaged across all technical questions otherwise they will be removed from the competition process. The scoring criteria is outlined below:
Score Interpretation
5 Exceeds the requirement. Exceptional demonstration shown for the proposal, how the project will be delivered, and extensive past experience detailed.
4 Satisfies the requirements and has minor additional benefits. Above average demonstration across all questions.
3 Satisfies the requirements. Demonstrates understanding and ability to a satisfactory standard.
2 Satisfies most of the requirements with some minor reservations relating to the experience, understanding and/or ability. Whilst mostly the question has been answered in a satisfactory way, one element has been omitted/offers insufficient evidence.
1 Major reservations about the experience, understanding or ability demonstrated, with little to no evidence to support the questions. More than one element has been omitted.
0 Does not meet the requirement. Does not comply or offer sufficient information to demonstrated experience, ability of understanding. Significant elements of the question has been omitted or not addressed to a satisfactory standard.
The Authority reserves the right to ask clarification questions about any elements of an application. These questions will not give applicants the opportunity to expand on the response and may only be used where applications contain minor errors or to clarify where the information presented is unclear.
The grant, if awarded, shall be awarded to the Applicant(s) who:
has submitted an application in compliance with these instructions
meets the eligibility criteria
meets the minimum quality threshold of 3 questions
achieves the highest technical score
Due diligence checks will be carried out before the award can be made. These checks may include, but are not exclusive to, financial, brand, assurance, and charitable status.
Supporting information
Conflicts of Interest
The Authority is required to prevent conflicts of interest occurring in this competition and may disqualify applicants if an actual or potential conflict of interest occurs in connection with the competition which cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated. The Authority may disqualify any applicant which attempts (or whose advisers attempt) to influence the competition in any way.
MoJ Disclaimer
The Authority shall not be committed to any course of action as a result of:
• issuing the competition documents
• communicating with an applicant or an applicant’s representatives or agents in respect of this competition exercise; or
• any other communication between the Authority (whether directly or by its agents or representatives) and any other party.
All applicants accept and acknowledge that by issuing the competition documents the Authority is not bound to accept any bid and reserves the right not to award or conclude a grant for all or any of the costs for which bids are invited.
The Authority reserves the right to apply its discretion on the amount of funding that is to be awarded to the successful applicant(s). If only part of the application is acceptable, in terms of the stated deliverables, then the Authority may only award funding on that basis.
The Authority reserves the right to amend, suspend or terminate all or any part of the competition or its documentation at any time during the ITT.
The instructions in this advert, together with any other tender documentation are designed to ensure that all applicants are given equal and fair consideration. Applicants should read the instructions carefully to ensure they understand them and the conditions of participation before submitting their applications.
Failure to comply with these instructions regarding submission of the application response may result in its rejection. The Authority may reject Tenders which are substantially and materially incomplete, non-compliant, inconsistent, or vague.
Applicants should answer all questions as accurately and concisely as possible. Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that their applications are free from error and accept that these cannot be modified after the submission deadline.
Costs incurred in submitting applications will be borne by applicants and will be defined as ineligible expenditure under the terms of the grant.
All information supplied by the Authority to applicants must be treated in confidence (unless already in the public domain) and must not be disclosed to third parties other than as is necessary for the purposes of preparing a Tender.