When it comes to shaping our future, we don’t need sci-fi to come to the rescue. Art and creativity have the power to unite, inspire and change behaviour for good - among individuals, communities and society as a whole.

Challenging creativity, inspiring change

Creatives have always challenged the way we see the world around us. Right now at the Barbican, The Art of Change showcases artists’ responses to major global issues. At the Wellcome Collection, Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? tells the story of graphic design and its influence in global healthcare.

Creativity and change are intimately linked – and this can be seen far beyond our major institutions. Step into community arts centres, music festivals, code clubs and makerspaces the length and breadth of Britain and you’ll see how they boost local economies, inspire young people and bring us together. Here at Nesta, we believe in the power of art and culture to transform people’s lives. Our Arts Impact Fund, for instance, has supported many community initiatives from an arts centre in Wigan to a creative hub in Salford. In collaboration with our partners the fund has invested £7 million in loan finance for the arts over the last three years alone.

Making art positive and personal

Engaging with the arts matters. New research has found listening to music during pregnancy can protect against postnatal depression. Visiting museums, galleries or the theatre reduces the risk of developing dementia.

Meanwhile, positive change is all around. From campaigns like the Fearless Girl sculpture in New York – which has become a powerful symbol of female empowerment – to the BBC’s Blue Planet II which surfaced the appalling scale of plastic pollution in the oceans, creative ideas can and do affect change: from increasing female representation in senior management to banning single use plastic.

So if you were creating the future – your future – what would it be? Would you choose a creative place, full of hope, where diversity is welcomed, opportunity is equal and natural resources are protected?

Could creativity change the world? Let’s see.

Today we’re launching Amplified. We’re calling all cultural and creative organisations, not-for-profit or commercial, to come up with a digital idea that addresses a social challenge and produces a social benefit. Your idea can be local or global, as long as it has a real world benefit. Think hands-on results at street level, not clever comms campaigns.

Together with a panel of industry experts we will select the eight best ideas. If you’re chosen, we’ll help accelerate your digital idea, give you £10k in funding to get it off the ground and partner you with a mentor to help guide you through the opportunities and pitfalls as you look to amplify your social impact and get measurable results.

To get started, take a look at the Amplified project page. A few words of advice: your idea will need to be both original and impactful to make it past the first stage of the application process.

Are you ready to start changing our world for the better?