The Framework

Innovator Farm provides funding support to Late Prototypes and Start-up projects that aim to alleviate poverty, prevent poverty, and achieve social inclusion. The funding amount ranges from up to HKD 300,000 to over HKD 2 million. For more information, please visit the page about Types of Funding.

You can decide the type/amount of funding you apply for based on the maturity, development stage, actual funding requirements, etc. of your project.

Innovator Farm provides guidance and support such as social innovation knowledge training, social entrepreneurship training, professional coaching, assistance in securing matching funds, cross-sectoral networks, exchange platforms, etc. to help social innovators enhance their Economic Capital, Strategic Capital, Social Capital and Cultural Capital. For more information, please visit the page about Our Services.

IF Programme accepts applications from April 2023 to May 2025 and applications with the requested funding amount of more than HK$500,000 will be accepted all year round. Should you have any questions, please submit a business proposal or concept note of the project via email to if.svb@fses.hk.

The project cannot overlap with other existing public funding programmes. If you have any questions, please contact us during office hours.

After submitting the funding application, it will undergo Pre-screening by Innovator Farm. Applicants will generally be informed of the Pre-screening results within 10 working days after the application deadline. Projects that pass Pre-screening will then undergo a vetting by The Joint Intermediary and Task Force Vetting Committee (JVC). In general, Innovator Farm will notify the applicant of the final result of the application by email within 3 months after the application deadline. The review time varies depending on whether the applicant's submitted information is complete. For more details, please refer to the Application Process. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at +825 9385-5784 during office hours.

Yes, you can apply for more than one project at the same time, but the scope of each project must not overlap.

To apply for a project, you must submit a Business Proposal, Budget Plan, Pitching Deck, Prototype Report, Declaration and Consent Form

If you are applying for a Late Prototype project (up to HKD 300,000), you can apply under your personal name. However, if the project is successfully funded, the relevant agreement must be signed under the name of a limited company or organisation.

Projects that promote poverty alleviation, poverty prevention or social inclusion through innovative approaches, and do not overlap with other existing government funding programmes, are eligible to apply as long as they have a registered limited company or organisation in Hong Kong. For more details, please refer to the Eligibility requirements.

Yes, you must establish a limited company to be eligible for funding from Innovator Farm.

Yes, the disbursement schedule varies for different funding periods. Please refer to the financial budget table for more details.

No, only limited companies or organisations are eligible for funding from Innovator Farm. Sole proprietorships or partnerships are not eligible.

No, you can use an existing bank account. However, the designated bank account can only be used for project-related income and expenses, such as receiving funding grants, matching funds, and handling daily project expenses.

Yes, you can use the funding to pay salaries to necessary team members who are involved in the project.

Matching fund refers to the funding that is not provided by the SIE Fund and other Hong Kong SAR Government funding programmes. The funding can be in the form of cash and/or in-kind support, such as rental subsidies or equipment sponsorship. Applicants are required to submit documents to prove their value, and the matching amount is subject to relevant terms and conditions and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, applicants are required to submit documents (such as invoices and lease agreements) to prove the value of the matching funds. When the application is approved, the applicant must provide written commitment from the matching funder before signing the agreement. When the agreement is signed, the applicant must provide proof of receipt of the matching funds (either in full or in part according to the grant payment ratio) before receiving funding from the SIE Fund. Examples of proof may include bank statements or other relevant documents.

The Joint Vetting Committee will evaluate the project application based on the following criteria: the project's vision and social impact, its business model and sustainability, the innovation and value proposition of the project's product or service, the project management, governance, and team capability, and the effectiveness of the prototype testing. Each of these criteria will be carefully considered and evaluated to determine whether the project is a good fit for funding. For more information, please refer to the page about Vetting Criteria.

There is no age limit for this programme, but the Key Management of the project must be a Hong Kong resident over 18 years old to handle relevant financial and legal documents.

You can apply individually or as a team. In most cases, the team should have not more than 6 members. For more information, please visit the Eligibility page. If you have any questions, please feel free to call +825 9385-5784 during office hours.

We welcome all friends in the social innovation sector to participate in Innovator Farm's activities. However, as places for the activities are limited, priority will be given to Innovator Farm's funded projects.

Phone/WhatsApp: +852 9385 5784 Email: if.svb@fses.hk Address: Flat B, 3/F, Shun Luen Factory Building, 86 To Kwa Wan Road, To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong (For transportation, please click here) Office hours: Monday to Friday 10:00-18:00; closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays