This Frequently Asked Questions page has been ordered as per the One King’s Impact Fund (OKIF) awarding criteria, in the order the criteria is listed in the application form. We hope you find it helpful as you prepare your application.

It compliments the extensive Guidance Document we have prepared about the Fund. 

Throughout this page, we have signposted resources, training and ideas which might support your application. Please note they are not compulsory, but they will likely help you strengthen your application.

If you have a question that is not included here, please contact impact@kcl.ac.uk.

We will continue to update this page with FAQs from the King’s community as they arise.

Where did the five King’s Impact Priorities come from?

Through extensive consultation over two years, the King’s community identified five King’s Impact Priorities to focus our collective efforts. The Impact Priorities represent urgent global issues where we have the expertise, skills and knowledge to create meaningful and lasting change. Explore the Impact Priority pages and see where your project idea might align. The pages include useful signposts to areas of King’s you might want to approach regarding collaboration.

Do projects need to fit clearly into one of the five Impact Priorities?

To be eligible for funding, all applications need to clearly align to at least one of the Impact Priorities. Use your application to elaborate on the project’s alignment to one or more Priority, noting the depth of engagement where more than one area is claimed, and thinking carefully about the order you would rank Priorities in.

Will projects be scored higher if they fit into more than one Impact Priority area?

Projects naming more than one Impact Priority will not automatically score higher than those naming one. The panel will, however, assess whether the project has named the most appropriate Impact Priority or Priorities. They will also assess how well your application supports your named Impact Priority(ies).

Can my proposal intersect across all five Impact Priorities?

Yes, it is possible to submit a proposal that includes all five Impact Priorities. However, a proposal must make clear how impact will be delivered in each thematic area and make clear this is achievable and rank the Priorities. 

What does ‘co-created with the communities involved/benefitting from the proposed initiatives’ mean?

Co-production means getting partners and stakeholders involved at the application stage, before developing the project, to co-design the project with the needs of the core beneficiaries at the heart of the work. This allows for all partners and stakeholders (who may not necessarily be project partners) to participate in the delivery of the impact, ensuring best practice and likelihood of sustainability beyond the project’s funded lifetime. .

Why is collective identification important?

It is important in projects based on models of co-production to set-up clear governance that empowers all participants, monitor the relationships throughout the lifecycle of the project to ensure equitable partnerships, and cost participants’ time into your budget, especially if working with marginalised and disadvantaged groups. You may want to review The Bartlett Manual of Impact for advice on managing trust and care in relationships.

See also the ‘risk and equitable practice’ section of these FAQ’s.

How will my application be affected if my project does not involve all the named participant categories (King’s academic and professional services staff, students, Early Career Researchers, and external partners/alumni)?

To be eligible for the fund, all core teams must include at least two members of staff from King’s, at least one academic/research staff and one professional services staff, plus at least one external stakeholder/partner including other universities, organisations or community groups/representatives.

Additional weighting will also be given to core teams that include at least one early career researcher and/or student from King’s. The amount of weighting given will be based on whether ECR or students are in the core team, and whether their involvement is meaningful.

Staff and students from other universities and King’s affiliate or honorary staff will be considered as external partners. Adjunct appointments however will be considered as academic/research staff.

The roles and responsibilities for each category should be appropriate to the requirements of the project. For example, a project may require academic and professional services staff to be named co-leads, but a King’s student or external community group member as project partners to help deliver the work. Equally, King’s students or external partners may be the named co-leads, and King’s academic and professional service staff may be partners that help to deliver the work. Or all may be co-leads, etc.

In addition, all projects should be collaborative with meaningful partnerships across and beyond King's. Across the King's community includes current professional service staff, academic/research staff and students. Projects should include how they will meaningfully engage with King' students in some way, as well as external stakeholders. Weighting will be given to engagement with King's early career researchers (ECR’s) and the amount of weighting given will be like the core team weighting, based on whether ECR’s are involved and whether their involvement is meaningful.

Consider how your project will be resourced. Whether that is paying for student’s time (for example via King’s Talent Bank, a fellowship model via student grants or via vouchers for contributions to one-off events like seminars or discussion groups). Or ensuring Professional Services staff have the capacity to engage with the project and have inputted how they would contribute. All team members should contribute meaningfully to your project from the start and throughout. 

Do projects have to include more than one faculty or directorate?

It is not mandatory to include more than one faculty or directorate. However, the spirit of the OKIF is to collaborate and innovate across disciplinary and sector silos. Applications will be assessed on how they consider all possible avenues for collaboration and the appropriateness of named partners.

How is “community” defined for this fund?

Within King’s, we have many communities, including our staff, our students, our alumni, and all the smaller communities within those. Outside of King’s, community can mean a neighbourhood, an organisation (from the public, private or third sector), a group of interested citizens, and any other way of bringing people together to work towards a collective goal. The term “community” should be used to name the group of people that need to be included in your project to deliver impact. Think creatively about what those communities may look like but make sure to clearly articulate how they fit into the overall project in your application.

What additional developmental support is there for London-based projects?

Thinking about London through four lenses (a village, a centre for business, a centre for culture, and a seat of government) means that London itself operates at the interstices of the local, regional, national, and international. Projects are encouraged to think about King’s in the heart of London as a starting point for impact. The King’s London Team is a great first stop for information on engaging with London community partners.

Can student partners be postgraduate research students?

Yes – we welcome undergraduate, postgraduate and postgraduate research student participation, as is most appropriate to the project. However, students need to be partners in the proposed projects and integrated into the project plan in meaningful and collaborative ways.

How established do my partnerships need to be to apply to the fund?

It is expected that projects will be in different stages of relationship-building upon application and where some will have already co-produced their collective identification of a problem statement, other projects may need to use project funds to begin work. It is important for applications to be clear about plans for engagement and coproduction, as equitable relationships established in responsible ways are more likely to generate transformative impact. Please note, we do expect that those named on the application have been approached about their involvement in the project.

Do Professional Services staff need to be co-applicants on the project?

No, PS staff do not need to be Co-I’s/Co-Leads but do need to be part of the larger team for the proposal to be eligible. PS Staff can act as Co-I’s/Co-Leads if that is appropriate to the project. In all cases, their involvement should be agreed via the Head of Department (or equivalent for central staff) confirmation of support.

I am a Visiting Researcher – can I still apply to the fund?

For Visiting Researchers to be eligible to apply, they need to partner with a permanent member of staff for the project.

How do you define early career researcher?

We recognise that there is no consistent definition of an Early Career Researcher, both within and external to King's. However, we also recognise that research staff at the beginning of their career are still establishing themselves as an independent research lead and may not have had the same opportunities as more established research staff. For the purposes of the One King's Impact Fund we are defining PhD students as students and Early Career Researchers as those within 10 years of starting their research career post-PhD and exclusive of career breaks.

This is why we are giving additional weighting to projects that include Early Career Researchers and/or consider how to meaningfully engage Early Career Researchers in project teams, including drawing on their expertise and supporting their development.

Do you require statements or letters of support from external partners?

No, statement or letters of support do not need to be submitted. However, applications should only name external partners who have agreed to collaborate on the project, even if it is in principle. No speculative collaborations should be included.

I am an early career researcher and my contract is due to end before the end of the funding period – can I still apply to the fund?

Yes, we encourage early career researchers to apply to the fund and will provide additional weighting to core project teams that include early career researchers. Early career researchers whose contracts are due to end before the end of the funding period, should contact the One King’s Impact team for advice by emailing impact@kcl.ac.uk.

Why is it important to integrate research, education and service?

King’s believes that our research, education and commitment to service results in positive change and value for people, planet and society. The OKI approach to uniting education, research and service brings together a holistic approach to impact, creating meaningful change across multiple domains instead of primarily academic outcomes.  

Who is my faculty Research Impact Lead?

Research Impact Leads play an important role in transforming the culture of impact at King's. They work with faculties within their specialist areas, to boost the profile of impact around King's. Research Impact Leads have expertise in planning and evaluating impact at all stages. Find out who the Research Impact Lead is in your area. 

How is “impact” defined for this fund?

Impact is defined as “the positive change and value our research, education, and commitment to service has for people, planet, and society”. OKIF is not meant to be proscriptive, but aspirational, working across disciplines and communities to tackle problems at local, national, and global levels. Ask yourself what change you hope to see, and if it requires a whole-King’s approach to working with external partners to co-create innovative solutions. If the answer is yes, you have already begun your impact journey. 

I’m not eligible to submit a Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 impact case study – should I still apply?

While “impact” is often used as a synonym for “REF impact case studies,” OKI brings together a holistic approach to impact not covered by the REF. While OKIF may fund potential impact case studies, applications should work to be more aspirational, thinking not about research assessment frameworks, but about change that operates across research, education, and service, plus includes the work of students and staff alongside community partners/alumni. This means that OKIF both resonates with and extends beyond REF and other external reporting requirements like KEF. 

Should projects be local, national or global?

Applications for OKIF can have impact goals that reach locally, nationally, and globally (or a mix of any of these). What is important is that partners, no matter their location, are included in the development of the project and that the application clearly articulates why these are the most appropriate partners for their work. 

Does my application need to include King’s academic and professional services staff, and King’s students? 

To be eligible for the fund, all core teams must include at least two members of staff from King’s, at least one academic/research staff and one professional services staff, plus at least one external stakeholder/partner including other universities, organisations or community groups/representatives.

Our King’s community includes all staff and students, so King's students should be included in projects in some way. Weighting will be given to applications that involve current King's students in the core project team, and all projects need to engage King's students in a meaningful way as part of their collaborative project. This could involve students from other institutions too but as external stakeholders.

Weighting will be given to applications that involve current King's early career researchers (ECR’s) in the core project team and to projects that engage meaningfully with King's ECR’s as part of their collaborative project.

All team members should contribute meaningfully to your project from the start and throughout.

Can my application include staff and or students from other universities?  

To be eligible for the fund, all core teams must include at least two members of staff from King’s, at least one academic/research staff and one professional services staff, plus at least one external stakeholder/partner including other universities, organisations or community groups/representatives.

Projects may wish to involve staff and students from other universities in their core team or engage with them meaningfully as part of their collaboration, but they will be considered as external partners.

What does One King’s Impact mean by meaningful student engagement? And why is this weighted?

New answer: For the purposes of the One King's Impact Fund, we are defining King’s UG, Masters and PhD students as students. Projects may wish to involve student(s) from other universities in their core team or engage with them meaningfully as part of their collaboration, but they will be considered as external partners.

We encourage project teams to include King’s student(s) within their core project team and weighting will be given to projects that do this and whether their role(s) are meaningful and appropriate. Strong examples from previous rounds have included research assistantships and direct project support.

All projects are also expected to engage King’s students in meaningful ways. This may take a variety of forms, so we have developed guidance to help applicants consider what student engagement in projects could look like, and the support available through King’s Edge. For example, we encourage applicants to think creatively about the range of roles King’s students might inhabit, the variety of activity formats, the ways students can contribute, and the opportunities to broaden reach so that more students benefit, while still supporting deeper roles for a smaller number.

We are weighting teams that include King’s student(s) in core teams because by doing so they are enacting the One King’s approach in bringing the King’s community together, providing students with opportunities to develop key skills and contribute their existing skills and experiences to enhance projects.

Please do refer to previously funded projects to see a variety of examples of engagement in practice.

How is “community” defined for this fund?

Within King’s, we have many communities, including our staff, our students, our alumni, and all the smaller communities within those. Outside of King’s, community can mean a neighbourhood, an organisation (from the public, private or third sector), a group of interested citizens, and any other way of bringing people together to work towards a collective goal. The term “community” should be used to name the group of people that need to be included in your project to deliver impact. Think creatively about what those communities may look like, but make sure to clearly articulate how they fit into the overall project in your application.

What additional developmental support is there for London-based projects?

Thinking about London through four lenses (a village, a centre for business, a centre for culture, and a seat of government) means that London itself operates at the interstices of the local, regional, national, and international. Projects are encouraged to think about King’s in the heart of London as a starting point for impact. The King’s London Team is a great first stop for information on engaging with London community partners.

Can student partners be postgraduate research students?

Yes – we welcome both undergraduate and postgraduate student participation from King's, as is most appropriate to the project. However, the students need to be partners in the proposed projects and integrated into the project plan in meaningful and collaborative ways.

How established do my partnerships need to be to apply to the fund?

It is expected that projects will be in different stages of relationship-building upon application and where some will have already coproduced their collective identification of a problem statement, other projects may need to use project funds to begin work. It is important for applications to be clear about plans for engagement and coproduction, as equitable relationships established in responsible ways are more likely to generate transformative impact. Please note, we do expect that those named on the application have been approached about their involvement in the project.

Do Professional Services staff need to be co-applicants on the project?

No, PS staff do not need to be Co-I’s/Co-Leads but do need to be part of the larger team for the proposal to be eligible. PS Staff can act as Co-I’s/Co-Leads if that is appropriate to the project. In all cases, their involvement should be agreed via the Head of Department (or equivalent for central staff) confirmation of support.

I am a Visiting Researcher – can I still apply to the fund?

For Visiting Researchers to be eligible to apply, they need to partner with a permanent member of staff for the project.

Do you require statements or letters of support from external partners?

No, statement or letters of support do not need to be submitted. However, applications should only name external partners who have agreed to collaborate on the project, even if it is in principle. No speculative collaborations should be included.

How do I evaluate impact?

Applications will be assessed on the robustness of their impact evaluation method and its appropriateness to the project. Impact evaluation can be managed by the team, or an external evaluator can be budgeted in. If the evaluation will be managed internally, evidence of the team’s experience with impact evaluation methods should be provided. Potential impact evaluation tools are logic frameworks like “Arts for Health and Wellbeing: An Evaluation Framework” or the “Social Impact Toolkit How to Measure It.”

What is a “Theory of Change?

A Theory of Change maps out the planned change(s) that you co-produced with your partners and stakeholders, moving backwards from the end goals to the processes that need to be put in place to deliver those goals (and the smaller goals that move you through the project). A documented Theory of Change helps all participants easily understand the objectives of the project and the stages of work between the application and the impact. Some Theories of Change can also work as creative communication tools with images as well as text, hosted on webpages and used as a reminder in project meetings. For more information on Theory of Change, check out the Centre for Theory of Change or TASO’s Theory of Change overview.

How much of the budget should I spend on staff time? Community partners? Other project costs?

The budget should be developed according to the needs of the project and clearly explained within the application. There is no preferred budget structure, although we encourage you to provide a detailed breakdown of your project budget using the WorkTribe Standalone budget system (more information on this in the Guidance Document). Keep in mind that the budget will need to cover all costs necessary for the implementation of the project and that all costs must be incurred in accordance with King’s Financial Policy & Procedures. 

Can the fund be used to fund buy out of permanent staff?

Funding cannot be used to fund business as usual activities nor permanent roles. Temporary hires – including through King’s Talent Bank – who are working on the delivery of contained projects are acceptable, and the fund can also be used to extend FTEs of temporary/part-time staff members to allow them to dedicate time to the funded projects.

Can I pay student partners as part of the project?

Paying students for their time is encouraged as this supports equitable opportunities and may fall into the category of temporary staff if students are paid via King's Talent Bank or through a fellowship model via student grants. There are also ways to pay or recompensate students for contributions to one-off events like seminars or discussion groups, such as vouchers or one-off payments.

Temporary staff are an eligible cost for the fund and can be costed into project budgets, if their role is clearly dedicated to project development and not to sustain wider capacity in the team. King’s is an accredited London Living Wage employer and uses King’s Talent Bank (KTB) to pay non-permanent staff. Please see more details below under ‘Are there any spending timelines or restrictions?’

Can I partner with another university for this Fund? Is there any limitation on eligible costs?

 Yes, cross-university partnerships are eligible for OKIF. Other universities are eligible as an external partner. Funding for a university partner may be requested for consideration but may not be approved. A directly allocated cost (i.e. permanent academic time) would be ineligible, as directly allocated costs at King’s are ineligible.

Does the fund cover DI (Directly Incurred) or DA (Directly Allocated) staff?

The fund will support DI (Directly Incurred) costs only.

How will the funds be sent to successful applicants?

The funding will be allocated and transferred to a new TS activity code. These are used because they do not have academic year restrictions in the same way as other activity codes, and therefore provide more flexibility, if needed.

Are there any spending timelines or restrictions?

OKIF runs in line with King’s end-of-year spending deadlines, meaning that Round Three projects are expected to have finished the main phase of work by August – September 2027. There might be some possible flexibility regarding project timeline. For example, proposal will still be considered if the evaluation of the project’s impact extends beyond the above date.

King’s is also an accredited London Living Wage employer. Therefore, all wages must be at least the LLW hourly rate. Typically, temporary staff are paid through King’s Talent Bank (KTB), the system used at King's to advertise jobs and pay non-permanent staff such as students, temporary staff, alumni, visiting lecturers and contractors. The minimum KTB pay rate is higher than LLW. The actual employer cost includes on-costs in addition to the amount non-permanent staff receive as a wage (on costs are additional costs to the employer such as national insurance, plus the administrative cost of using KTB), so please do take these into account when budgeting & allocating wage costs. Please see details below on how to input temporary staff costs into the WorkTribe Standalone budget template.

What is WorkTribe?

Worktribe is King's research grant management system, bringing together information about research applications, contracts and Research funding and accurate costing tool, into one central repository. There is a wealth of online resources to get you started via the Worktribe Support Hub.

How do I access Worktribe?

Worktribe can be accessed via https://kcl-research.worktribe.com/.

Who can access Worktribe?

Staff with an academic or researcher contract:

• You should be able to login using your King's credentials via the Multi Factor Authenticator.
• If this is the first time you visit Worktribe you will be redirected to a Terms & Conditions page.
• Once you have signed the T&Cs, the system will take a couple of hours to process this before you will be able to gain full access.
• If you have a staff and student login, please ensure you login via your staff account.

Staff with a professional services contract, or new King’s staff:

• Please contact RMID-Help@kcl.ac.uk to get your account set up.

King’s Student or Affiliate accounts:

• If you have a student or affiliate account only, you will not be given access to Worktribe.
• Please arrange for one of the staff members on your team to complete the budget.

What is a Standalone Budget?

The Standalone budget function can be used solely as a simplified budget costing tool. It is ideal to use for costings that are not part of a submission to an external funder and/or are outside of Research Grants and Contracts remit. Please see the OKIF Guidance Document for step-by-step instructions. For further queries about populating your budget please check the Worktribe Support Hub, or contact RMID-Help@kcl.ac.uk.

How do I include King Talent Bank costs?

Within the budget tab, there is a budget line ‘Temp Staff’. Once you have agreed an hourly rate (with on costs, not the salary per hour), please multiple this by 1.2 before adding this rate to Worktribe. The multiplication is due to Worktribe using TRAC hours which differ slightly from King’s hours. This calculation is a work around to ensure the correct costing breakdown is included. Please see the Temp Staff quick card for worked examples and step by step guidance.

How can I share costings from my standalone budgets?

When you create a Standalone budget, this will be visible only to you in Worktribe. Please ensure to add “Abi Robertson,” “Emma Hardy,” and “Laura Hollywood” from the One King’s Impact Team as ‘Editors’. You may add as many additional staff as Editors as required, only those with Editor access will be able to view your budget in Worktribe. Once the costing is finalised, please export the budget which will download the costing in an Excel spreadsheet. Please upload the budget export in the ‘Budget breakdown’ section of your application.

I have other finance questions and need guidance?

If you have questions about King's Finance Policy, including expense claims for non-registered suppliers, please contact impact@kcl.ac.uk and we will support you to liaise with the the King's Finance team directly - expenses@kcl.ac.uk. 

How do I take care to shape my project with input from impacted communities?

King’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team have created useful resources about stakeholder consultation and how to seek feedback from a range of people to build a clearer picture of the potential impact a policy or operational activity could have.

Community organising may be a useful approach to consider, as this brings people together to make positive change using community-led solutions. This means creating positive working relationships between different stakeholders and creating equitable partnerships that empower all parties. For more information, read up on community organising at Citizens UK and their approach. Or sign-up to attend community organising training being run through the Impact Changemakers network and open to all King’s staff and students.

What do you mean by adverse effects on protected groups?

It may be that a project working with a specific community might benefit another, either for this project, or in the future. Take a moment to also think about whether your project might have unanticipated negative consequences on another marginalised community. If this is the case, think about how you will mitigate or prevent.

We encourage you to complete an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) and upload this as part of your application. You may also wish to undertake Equality Impact Assessment Training, delivered by the EDI team at King’s and/or to help identify the positive and adverse impact(s) on groups and learn how to complete an EIA.

What do you mean by adverse environmental damage?

Your project might have unanticipated negative consequences on the environment. It’s useful to consider whether this will or could happen and any steps you can take to mitigate or prevent. King’s Climate and Sustainability polices may help you to think through your approach and ways to mitigate or prevent.

How do I know if I need ethical approval?

Please refer to King’s guidance on ethical clearance. You may also wish to speak to your Research Impact Lead.

How do I match fund for a project?

In advance of submitting your application, please consider all other possible avenues for funding the work, including research-focused funding like the UKRI Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs) and King’s Together Fund, which provide relatively large-scale financial support to research-led initiatives each year. Additionally, there is funding for other types of impactful projects with smaller budgets, like Public Engagement Small Grants, Sustainability Project Fund or King's Global Engagement Partnership Fund. If you find that your project fits into more than one scheme, you should contact the administrators of those funds and inquire if match-funding is possible. This would allow you, for example, to use research funds for research and OKIF for the education and service elements of the project.  

Do I need to include match funding in my application?

No. However, you are encouraged to think about which funding stream is most appropriate for your project and to engage with that/those scheme(s) as appropriate.

How much do I need to consider next steps for the application?

Plans for next steps should be clearly articulated even at the application stage, as future life and sustainability are incredibly important for this fund. The plans will be assessed proportionately to the project’s current stage of impact – for example, newly created projects may need to build sustainability planning into the work, while more established projects are expected to have external funding or partner take-up already in train.

What if my project does not meet all the assessment criteria?

All applications will be scored against the eleven criteria named in the guidance document and all applications will need to be able to articulate how the project meets each criterion to be eligible. However, different projects will have different approaches to these criteria and while some requirements will be equal (e.g. all applications require a budget and to embrace equitable practices), the articulation of those requirements will be project-specific (e.g. collaboration plans may diverge significantly). Projects will be assessed on the appropriateness of plans against each criterion. 

Do I need to have my application approved by my department or faculty?

Yes, as is standard practice, applications must be agreed and approved by the lead applicant’s head of department prior to submission. 

I hold an Affiliate, Honorary or Adjunct position at King’s – can I apply to the fund? 

Individuals who hold Affiliate or Honorary or other non-contracted positions at King’s are not direct employees of the university. As such, they are eligible to be involved in OKIF projects as external partners, rather than as internal applicants.

However, individuals with an adjunct appointment, are an exception and do count as King’s staff. Even though they are not a direct employee of the university, the King’s faculty hosting them has appointed them to this position and granted them permissions in-line with a King’s role so that they can act as a Principal Investigator.

Projects must still meet the fund’s eligibility requirements, including having at least one King’s academic staff member and one King’s Professional Services staff member as part of the core project team. An individual with an adjunct appointment would be considered a King’s academic staff member. A King’s staff member must complete the online application form, manage budgets through Worktribe, and receive the internal funding transfer to the relevant faculty or directorate.

Those holding Affiliate, Honorary or Adjunct titles may play a significant and meaningful role in the project where appropriate, and their responsibilities should be clearly articulated in the application.

What is community organising and where can I learn more?

Community organising brings people together to make positive change using community-led solutions. This means creating positive working relationships between different stakeholders and creating equitable partnerships that empower all parties. For more information, read up on community organising at Citizens UK and their approach. Or sign-up to attend community organising training being run through the Impact Changemakers network and open to all King’s staff and students. 

Do I have to do engage in community organising to be eligible for the fund?

Community organising will not be appropriate for all projects funded through this scheme, however, it is useful for all applicants to understand how and when community organising would be useful when collaborating with external organisations and driving forward change. 

Will all applicants receive personalised feedback?

The small One King’s Impact team will work as hard as possible to provide some feedback and insights, particularly regarding which aspects of project proposals were successful and where unsuccessful projects could be improved. It is also important to note that there is only a finite funding pot for each round, so the strongest applications will be selected for funding. 

The deadline for applications is 10am on Wednesday 1 April 2026. 

Still have questions?

Contact One King's Impact and we will be happy to help: impact@kcl.ac.uk