Guy Aitchison (London, OK): The government will be rewarding fresh ideas for getting people involved in democracy under a £150,000 scheme aimed at all charities, community groups and NGOs. Launched today, the Innovation Fund will award grants to projects aimed at "developing new ways to help people participate in public discussions and influence government policy."
For any OK readers who think they have an idea that qualifies (and I've certainly read a few in the comments) this has to be worth a shot. Previous winners include Speakers' Corner Trust, which established a speakers' corner in Nottingham, and the South Kesteven District Council, which developed a process for online citizens' juries.
Another successful project was FixMyStreet website which allows people to tell their local authority and others in their area about broken civic infrastructure. Users post photos of the problem on the website and tag a map to provide its location. The website then forwards the report to the appropriate authority.
To get involved go to www.buildingdemocracy.co.uk. And do let us know how you get on. Applications close 26 September 2008.
