- Innovativeness of project design and execution
- Additional credit will be given to the projects that are market-first
Zero to Hero Fund
Thank you for your enthusiastic support to Zero to Hero Fund! The application period for the Year 2021-2023 has ended. Joining hands with St. James’ Settlement, a programme that equip Youth’s future work skills will be launched in March 2023. Stay tuned!
What is Zero to Hero Fund?
If you’re a Social Profit Organisation (SPO) and happen to have exceptionally creative ideas that can help a great many youths – Zero to Hero Fund is perfect for you! We’re teaming up with SPOs to launch two-year social projects to help youths level up work skills, resilience and technological capabilities via ground-breaking (and preferably new-to-the-world) methods. Everything goes, so long as it can be scaled up for positive, social-wide impact for youths – or even beyond. Let’s be the powerful Hero together from Zero!
Available for application biennially, Zero to Hero Fund will choose one project to fund each time. The maximum funding support for each project is HK$2 million.
How to apply?
Application is open for SPOs that create social benefits and value, including but not limited to non-profit organisations, charities and social enterprises. Do note we accept only organisation applications – not individual ones!
Who are the service targets of the project?
Youth aged between 6 and 29 (valid Hong Kong Identity Card holders)
What are the project requirements?
- Executed in a way that’s innovative and out-of-the box – hit us with your imagination!;
- Improves at least one of the following youth skills : 1) work skills and/or 2) resilience and/or 3) technological capabilities;
- Creates large-scale and positive social returns/value (with KPIs and systematic impact assessment methods to measure effectiveness);
- Includes comprehensive publicity and promotion strategies (with KPIs as well, preferably to reach a greater audience!);
- NOT purely for donations, fund-raising or profits;
- Be politically and religiously neutral;
- Priority will be given to projects that have never received any grants from other funds.
What will the applicant organisation be responsible for?
1
Project management:
- Plan and execute the whole project
- Leverage its own strengths, other networks and resources to enhance the specific skills of youths
- Develop a set of impact assessment methods to collect data for measuring the impact of the project on youths
- Communicate with us regularly for timely adjustment of the project when needed
- Submit a project progress report every half year, and a completion report upon project closing
2
Project promotion:
- Identify eligible youths for the project
- Design and implement a comprehensive promotion strategy (from recruitment of youths to project implementation highlights and impact promotion)
- Promote the project through effective and innovative methods and channels
- Leverage the effectiveness of the project to influence more youths and raise public awareness about youth issues
How the project will be evaluated?
Project Innovativeness
Project Social Impact
- Project scale and potential impact on youths and the community
- Employ KPIs and systematic evaluation methods to measure performance and social impact
- Sustainability and possibility of attracting other funding support
Project Promotion Strategy
- Comprehensiveness of publicity and promotion plan
- Innovativeness, market sensitivity and reachability of publicity strategy
- Develop KPIs for publicity effectiveness to communicate project impact
Execution by the Organisation
- Experience in youth project management and promotion
- The organisation’s network and resources, power of mobilisation, human resource allocation and synergies expected to be generated
- Commitment to the project, accountability and execution capability
- Innovative culture and flexibility of the organisation
Note: Special credit will be given to projects that can draw on HKBN’s corporate expertise (such as Talents or company business) for positive chemistry.
When will the project start?
For a period of two years, starting from 20 September 2021
What is the project budget?
- The total budget limit is HK$2 million (Annual expenditure is capped at HK$1 million)
Points to note:
- Annual KPIs should be set for the project. Whether the project can be renewed for the second year depends on the performance in the first year.
- All expenses, including production, promotion, impact assessment and administrative costs, etc., are disbursed on reimbursement basis.
- Any non-consumables purchased by the organisation concerned must be returned to us upon project completion. If you would like to keep them for future use, simply talk to us in advance about your plans!
What is the role of the Fund?
As the “co-organiser”* of the project, the selected organisation will work with us to get the project off the ground – and into the stratosphere! In addition to funding support, we’ll offer timely advice or identify appropriate resources to facilitate project execution.
*The copyright of all materials co-created by co-organiser and the Fund shall be owned by both parties. The Fund reserves the right to publish, exhibit, print and distribute the entries through any media, and use such materials for production of promotional materials for promotion and publicity.
Inquiry
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@csifund.org.