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The record is free on Vinspired for everyone. Some programme features are paid for by the organisations that use them, so that the platform never again depends on one funder. Here is why, in plain words.

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Igniter

A crowdfunding platform, launched in January 2013, where young people raised money from the public for their own community projects, from £1 a pledge.

A programme of the vInspired charity, 2013 onwards. Updated on 13 September 2026

What it was

Igniter was the vInspired charity’s crowdfunding platform for young people’s community projects. It launched in January 2013 as a minimum viable product, built with the digital agency Yoomee using a lean start-up approach, so that it could be tested with real projects before anything more was spent on it. Members of the public pledged from £1; funding was all or nothing, so a project only received the money when it reached its target; backers earned badges for supporting projects.

It sat beside vCashpoint, the charity’s small grants scheme, and some of the first projects had previously been funded by vCashpoint or O2 Think Big.

What it did

All eight projects in the first round were fully funded, within three weeks of launch. In spring 2013 Igniter was shortlisted for a Nominet Internet Award, decided by public vote.

From the archive

Coverage

What happened

Igniter closed with the charity in November 2018. The address igniter.vinspired.com is still linked from the coverage of its launch, which is why this page exists.

Do this today

Crowdfunding for a young person's project still works, on platforms built for it. The funding guide lists them beside the grant schemes open now.

See the crowdfunding routes

Other programmes

All the programmes vInspired ran, and the whole story of Vinspired.