Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is at the core of our operations, promoting inclusion both internally and externally. Our comprehensive EDI strategy focuses on closing pay gaps, increasing staff diversity, and fostering an inclusive culture. We’re also committed to embedding EDI in our projects, recruiting and investing in diverse founders, and ensuring our three missions deliver more equitable outcomes for minoritised and disadvantaged communities.

By 2027 we will:

• Goal 1: Have eliminated our gender and ethnicity pay gaps, and our gender and ethnicity progression gaps, at all levels of the organisation.
• Goal 2: At minimum, be representative of the UK on the following characteristics: ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and gender.
• Goal 3: At minimum, be representative of the UK for staff from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Goal 4: Have a culture where all will feel they belong and are included at Nesta, irrespective of their background.
• Goal 5: Have 25 percent of our investees and 50 percent of our suppliers be led by people from minoritised and disadvantaged groups.
• Goal 6: Ensure the majority of our innovation missions’ endowment funding will be spent on activity to improve the circumstances of people from minoritised and disadvantaged groups, and will not widen inequalities.
• Goal 7: Ensure Nesta’s mission work actively contributes to delivering an inclusive transition towards net zero, fairer long-term health outcomes, and equitable early learning for children facing economic disadvantage, and actively mitigates the most important unintended consequences of our work. 
• Goal 8: Be actively using our platforms to raise the voices of minoritised and disadvantaged groups, and contributing to a wider movement for more equitable, diverse and inclusive practices.
• Goal 9: Take an empirical and creative approach to embedding equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our work. By 2025, we will have generated evidence supporting five ways of working that effectively address issues of discrimination and exclusion.

Our EDI strategy is anchored in a data-driven, transparent, and process-oriented framework that drives tangible, measurable progress. We leverage a wealth of data, from our 91% staff self-identification disclosure rate to employee engagement surveys, pay gap analyses, panel diversity, and applicant data. By continuously collecting and analysing these insights, we ensure our decisions are informed and our interventions precise, enabling us to address gaps effectively and make a meaningful impact.

We focus on advancing EDI in nine areas, with clear goals and targets. Each goal is backed by actionable processes that are embedded across recruitment, promotions, and our project lifecycles. Transparency is central to our approach: we regularly publish our progress, share our methodologies and hold ourselves accountable to the goals we’ve set. By integrating EDI into core business functions, rather than siloing it into standalone initiatives, we ensure that equity, diversity, and inclusion are not just goals, but ongoing, sustainable practices that drive change across Nesta.

Davina Majeethia, Christiana Markou, Simona Capogna, Ann Paul, Moria Sloan