Food Hardship Grant for Community Organisations

The Department for Communities has made available hardship funding to local authorities to support the most vulnerable affected by the cost of living crisis. Council is working with partners in the Anti-Poverty Stakeholder Steering Group to support borough wide services to deal with the increased demand for support through a range of measures.

The purpose of this Grant Programme is to support small localised constituted community and voluntary organisations that are currently supporting residents experiencing food insecurity, and that need additional resources to cope with the increased demand for their services. 

The Programme will assist organisations to support residents through the direct provision of food, hygiene and household essentials through established community food projects such as community food pantries and cupboards.

Applications are invited from constituted community and voluntary organisations that have a track record of working directly with people experiencing disadvantage. These include:

• Food pantries/ cupboards;

• Projects that redistribute food, such as community fridges, to those that need it most in local communities;

• Holiday hunger schemes.

Only those applications which provide a targeted response in relation to food poverty interventions will be considered.

This scheme is for localised food insecurity projects; a separate scheme will operate for larger registered foodbanks that provide regional coverage and so they should not apply through this programme. Due to the one off nature of this funding the grant cannot be used to support the set up of new food projects. That grant is opened on a rolling basis and the fund will close as soon as the available funds are allocated. 

Eligible organisations can apply for grants of up to £3,000 towards 100% of eligible costs. Funded activities can take place up to 31st March 2024. Funding should be used for food items and other household and hygiene essentials. A maximum of 10% of the grant awarded can be used for administration costs.

Projects must demonstrate how they will address all of the following 3 objectives:

• Support residents who are experiencing financial difficulty through the provision of food. This may also include hygiene or household essentials;

• Ensure that the support is targeted at those most vulnerable and in need of support;

• Ensure that any food intervention is linked with other support services by signposting or referral (such as benefits and money advice; energy efficiency advice etc)

You are strongly advised to speak to a member of the Community Development team before applying to ensure that your project is eligible.

The team can be contacted as follows:

Limavady, Benbradagh & Ballymoney -                                                                                                                                        

Catherine Farrimond

07846 099916    

catherine.farrimond@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

Coleraine, Bann, Causeway & The Glens -                                                                                                                                    

Lisa Harris

lisa.harris@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

Neighbourhood Renewal areas in Coleraine & Limavady -  

 Jenni Archer

07892 764937

jenni.archer@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

For detailed guidance notes and application form please apply here:-  https://grants.ccgbcapps.com/

Closing date is 31st August 2023

Cost of Living Grants

Cash for Kids has funds to support 2,800 children across Northern Ireland through the cost-of-living crisis, as part of £1 Million of Help we're distributing across the UK.

In response to the crisis hitting so many families right now we've launched this new fund, to provide emergency essentials that support the physical and mental well-being of children who are struggling.

These could include food, clothing and household energy costs, but we'll also consider anything that helps meet children's most basic needs.

Grants are £50 per child per household, and we aim to get the funds to families as soon as possible.

Please note that applications must come on behalf of a family from professionals within
a governing body (e.g. social services, GP, teacher, charity, community group etc.) - families cannot apply directly.

For more information please visit Grants | Cash for Kids | Helping the children that need it most

UK Youth – Cost of Living Fund

The cost-of-living crisis is having a profound and devastating effect on young people and the youth organisations they depend on as they struggle to keep up with the rising cost of inflation.

Already youth organisations are having to cut back on delivery or staff costs and in some cases, are closing their doors. This will result in a vital part of the youth ecosystem falling apart, unable to provide critical support to young people and impacting the key stages of young people’s lives.

This new fund is a three-year unrestricted grant programme aimed at mitigating the devastating impact the cost of living crisis is having on the youth sector.

The UK Youth Fund in partnership with Pears Foundation will provide targeted funding to youth organisations delivering high quality youth work to ensure doors stay open, bills get paid and youth workers receive the salaries they deserve. This will help to ensure young people continue to be supported at this most difficult of times by the youth organisations and youth workers on whom they’ve come to depend.

The Cost of Living grant programme is open to youth organisations based and delivering high quality youthwork in the UK, with an annual turnover of £500,000 or less. The grant programme will offer 3-year unrestricted grants, of approximately 10% of current turnover of applicant organisations to reflect the current rate of inflation. However, applicants will have an opportunity to explain why they might need funding above and beyond this.

We are looking to identify and support youth organisations delivering high quality youth provision whose work is being hindered, curtailed or cut back due to rising core costs or a need to address unprecedented demand.

The application process is now open – and will stay open whilst funds remain to be distributed.

For more information and to apply please visit The UK Youth fund in partnership with Pears Foundation - UK Youth

RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Impact Grants Fund

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal was established in 2020 to raise funds for Irish children’s charities through the televised Late Late Toy Show. Since then, more than €17 million has been raised to support these charities.
The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal mission is: Inspired by children, we work to bring the magic of the Late Late Toy Show to every child in Ireland. By funding essential support, health, wellbeing, play and creativity we aim to change children’s lives for good.

In the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, increased number of refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere in the world, and the climate crisis, the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal is more important than ever.

Last year over €6,600,000 was raised and distributed in 154 grants to support more than 1.1 million children and their family members all across Ireland. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Irish public, this year the Appeal raised over €3,800,000 which will be distributed through two open grant rounds:

·        Impact Grants Round

·        Community Grants Round

Children and family focused charities working at local, regional and national level can apply for a grant under one of the following thematic pillars:

·        Addressing Essential Needs

·        Improving Health and Wellbeing

·        Creativity and Play

The Impact Grants Round is now open and is for children and family charities with an annual income of £500,000 or more and will close at 1pm on Friday 10 February 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Impact Grants Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

***The Community Grants Round is due to open mid February and is for children and family charities with an annual income of less than £500,000.***

Organisations can apply only once to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal this year. Where multiple applications are received from the same organisation, none will be considered for assessment.

Crighshane and Churchill Community Benefit Fund

Purpose of the Fund

This local community benefit fund was originally set up by Energia Renewables, and has now been taken over by Greencoat Capital.

The fund has been established to ensure that the Crighshane and Church Hill wind farms, whilst having obvious environmental benefits, also provide significant social and economic benefits to the local community.

Funding is available to local community projects that are planned and run for the benefit of the local population and are within 6km of the Wind Farms.

 Crighshane-Church Hill  Map

The fund will support projects addressing issues within the following theme areas:

• Energy efficiency and sustainability

• Social, cultural or sporting benefit for the local community

• Educational issues with a sustainability angle

• Environmental benefit or economic benefit

Examples of who can apply:

• Constituted voluntary organisations and community groups

• Faith organisations (if the funding is not to promote religion)

• Local youth groups

Funding available:

• Grants from £1,000 to £5,000

Closing dae is 13th January 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit Crighshane and Churchill Community Benefit Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Foodbank Fund

The Foodbank Fund has been established in response to the cost of living crisis and evidence that many foodbanks are facing the combined challenges of increasing need, escalating running costs, and food donations failing to keep up with demand.

The Fund is open to applications from foodbanks for funding to help meet costs such as the purchase of additional food items and increased running costs.

The definition of a foodbank for the purposes of this Fund is a venue which regularly gives out emergency food parcels at least once each week and has been running for six months or more.

Key applicant information

• You must be a not-for-profit organisation established before 1 January 2020

• Your annual income is between £25,000 – £1,000,000

• Applications accepted until 6 December 2022

Before applying you must read the Applicant Guidance which provides full details of eligibility and guidance on how to apply. It also tells you what other documents you may need to have ready to submit with your application. Also, see the FAQs for any questions you may have.

Follow the link below when you have read the Applicant Guidance and FAQs and are ready to submit an application.

Please visit Foodbank Fund - The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust (juliahansrausingtrust.org)

BHSCT ‘Carer Support Service’ – invite to their Information Sharing Session and launch of grant

The Carers NI State of Caring (2022) report found that 40% of carers said that they had not had a break within the past 12 months, 27% reported their mental health as bad or very bad, rising to 31% for those caring 50+ hours a week and to 32% for those who had been caring for 10 years or more, and almost a quarter - 23% said that they were cutting back on essentials like food and heating to help them cope. Against this backdrop, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) want to ensure that ‘unpaid’ carers are supported and provide a range of services including a small grant set to be launched in December to provide services for carers to the Voluntary & Community. Find out more about the grant and other services at their Information Sharing Session, Thursday 8th December from 12 noon to 1.00pm.

Community and Voluntary Sector Information Sharing Session - 8th December 2022 12 - 1pm (office.com)

Keystone Fund

Sharply increased demand for services, economic pressures and an ongoing decline in public donations is putting many smaller charities across the UK under heavy strain.

The Keystone Fund aims to enable locally and regionally-focused charities working towards social equity to become more agile in their support for their communities. It provides a programme of unrestricted grants, networking and access to advice webinars and toolkits.

The legacy of the fund will be greater opportunities for those who need it most, along with charities that are in a stronger position to continue to support them, thereby accelerating progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all.

CAF intends that through these grants and access to additional resilience building resources, small charities will be better positioned now and for the future as keystones in their communities.

Grants available

• Unrestricted grants, intended to enable charitable organisations in the UK to adapt ways of working, strengthen capacity or build resilience, according to identified needs.

• Grants will be awarded between £5,000 and £50,000

• Approximately 120 grants will be awarded over 2-3 rounds during 2022-23.

• Grant funds must begin to be spent within 6 months of grant payment, but can be carried forward into the following financial year if required to enable flexibility. They should be fully spent within 24 months of grant payment.

Grants will not normally be restricted to specific projects, but we will ask you to tell us how you would like to use the funds. We intend that charitable organisations can use a grant to become more agile in their support for their communities. This might include the costs of leadership time to develop strategy or organisational capacity, or to access additional external expertise, support and advice to develop their resilience plans. Grants might also be used for staff costs, digital costs, overheads, delivery costs or equipment, according to your identified longer-term needs.

In addition, building on CAF’s advisory opportunities for charities across the UK, all grant holders will gain access to webinars, toolkits, and networking opportunities to accelerate their impact.

Priorities for the Keystone Fund

We will support eligible charitable organisations to:

• Adapt their ways of working (eg digital capability, staff and volunteer training, operational challenges)

• Bolster their core building blocks (eg governance, strategic planning, capacity building)

This fund is not designed to support direct service provision or capital projects.

How and when can we apply?

A two-stage online application process aims to provide the smoothest possible process for small charities to apply:

• Stage 1: You will complete a small number of eligibility questions, and provide a short overview of your work

• Stage 2: Selected organisations will then be invited to complete a more detailed application

We will offer a short webinar for any organisation which is invited to Stage 2 so that you can ask questions about the application process.

Timelines

• Stage 1 applications open: 9 November – 23 November

• Webinar for further information: 2 December (recording also available)

• Stage 2 applications open: 7 December – 9 January

• Decisions communicated: February 2023

There will be more than one round of funding. Further rounds will be announced and are likely to take place in Spring/Summer 2023.

For more information and to apply, please visit Keystone Fund (cafonline.org)

The ARN Foundation Tackling Isolation for older people Fund

The ARN Foundation is an independent Charitable Trust set up with the intent of supporting good causes across Northern Ireland.

The ARN Foundation’s Tackling Isolation for older people Fund will support organisations to deliver projects in support of older people affected by the cost of living crisis; and will be managed by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

In June 2022 the Community Foundation met with a number of key stakeholders and called for the formation of an Executive to address the cost of living crisis. As part of the Foundation’s commitment to being flexible and responsive we have agreed to review some of our funds with a view to supporting communities at this time.

Among the hardest hit by the cost of living crisis are older people. Older people are often on fixed income, and the rising cost of food and fuel has often led to having to choose between eating or heating.

To be eligible to apply your project must target at least one of the key priorities detailed below:

• Supporting older people to keep warm.

• Supporting older people to access a nutritious meal.

• Reducing isolation and vulnerability of older people through supporting participation in activities, particularly those living in rurally isolated areas.

• Enabling older people to access technology, and to potential benefits and entitlements that they may not be aware of.

• Projects supporting older people in rural communities.

We are particularly interested in prioritising older people aged 60 or over, however, we define older people as anyone aged 50 or over.

Examples of projects could include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting older people through delivery of services to live an independent and well-nourished way of life in their own home and as part of the community.

• Providing opportunities for older people to be involved in the design, delivery and ongoing management of community-based initiatives.

• Overcoming social isolation through social contact with other older people building on food activities, such as cooking from scratch and sharing meals, and other activities involving the wider community.

• Promoting intergenerational activities by involving older and younger people in food-based and social activities.

• Providing choice in meeting nutritional needs, including delivery of shopping by volunteers or accompanied shopping, and befriending support.

• Increasing affordability of, and access to, basic foodstuffs and/or fuel.

What can be supported?

• Running costs, such as sessional costs for tutors, support costs, venue hire, transport.

• Food costs for luncheon clubs, meals on wheels, community fridges.

• Capital costs are eligible if they address at least one of the key priorities.

• An end of grant monitoring report must be submitted upon completion of the project.

The Fund will close for applications at 1pm on Monday 24 October 2022

For more information and to apply, please visit The ARN Foundation Tackling Isolation for older people Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Building the Community-Pharmacy Partnership Programme

The Building the Community-Pharmacy Partnership (BCPP) Programme is led by CDHN and funded by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), with strategic direction provided by a multi-agency Steering Group. BCPP supports communities and community pharmacists to work in partnership to address locally defined needs so that people make connections, listen to and understand each other better and work together to address the social determinants of health and health inequalities.

We recognise that health is impacted by much more than the everyday lifestyle decisions that we make, important as they are. Research shows that social isolation can be as damaging for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. With this in mind, our projects aim to address these wider issues and tackle the root causes of poor health. These vary greatly for different groups of people and may include mental health issues, housing issues, low educational attainment, poverty or debt. Group work and relationship building is at the core of all our projects. By sharing our assets, our lived experiences and supporting each other we can achieve great things.

For information on the Programme or for some support with your application, please contact a member of the BCPP team on 028 3026 4606 or visit Building the Community-Pharmacy Partnership Programme | Community Development and Health Network (cdhn.org)

Closing dates - Level 2 - 17/11/22

Applications for the Cost of Living Boost are now open

The rising cost of living is putting extra strain on individuals, communities and the causes that support them. The need is greater than ever, and funding isn’t stretching as far. Many organisations are working tirelessly to meet this challenge, but they need help to keep their doors open.

With our additional £2 million Cost of Living Boost, the Aviva Community Fund will bring people together to support those who need it most. We’ll match every individual donation up to £250*.

1. Projects need to be entered into the Financial Wellbeing category to qualify for fund matching: i.e. “Helping people take control of their wellbeing by giving them the tools to be more financially independent and ready for anything.”

2. Organisations with core missions aligned to the Financial Wellbeing funding area can also apply to cover their usual operational costs.

For more information and to apply, please visit Aviva Cost of Living Boost | Aviva Community Fund

Sense Cost of Living Support Fund

Sense has launched a fund to provide financial support to people with complex disabilities who live in the family home and are facing financial hardship. Here’s how it works and how to apply.

In response to the cost of living crisis in the UK, we’re distributing grants of £500 to people with complex disabilities who are on low incomes and who are living in the family home.

Your application must be completed on your behalf by a social care professional nominated by Sense. You must be accessing a Sense service or one of the services provided by our nominated partner charities. If you want to apply, get in touch with the professional who works with you or your family to discuss your application.

If you’re unsure of who to speak with, contact our Information and Advice service.

Here’s an easy read version of this page.

To apply, you or the person in your family must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• You or a person in your family must have a complex disability.

• You live in your family home.

• You live in England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

• You have a household income of less than £30,000 (excluding PIP and other benefits that are not means-tested).

• You have household savings of less than £1,500.

• You’re currently accessing either one means-tested benefit and/or carers allowance.

• You are not on a Debt Relief Order (DRO) or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).

• You must be accessing a Sense service – or one of the services provided by the list of our nominated partner charities.

For more information and to apply, please visit Sense Cost of Living Support Fund - Sense

The Cancer Charities’ Support Fund

The Cancer Support Funding award will enable charities to provide a wide range of support services for cancer patients throughout NI, and will cover key areas in the cancer pathway; from pre-diagnosis, through to palliative and end of life care. These services are key support mechanisms towards the implementation of the Cancer Recovery Plan and the Cancer Strategy, and important in working towards the Department’s aim of building cancer service capacity in communities.

The Cancer Charities’ Support Fund will provide support of between £5,000 and £1 million for cancer charities.

The three categories of grant values are:

• £5,000 to £30,000 – Small Grant

• £30,000 to £500,000 – Medium Grant

• £500,000 to £1million – Large Grant

In exceptional circumstances higher awards to charities working together to deliver a proposal, may be considered.

Applications are welcome for projects that must have all the funds spent by March 2024. You can, however, apply for projects over 12 months or up to March 2024.

You should clearly outline in your application the duration of the project and costs associated for each year you are applying for.  This will be used for reporting purposes and you should therefore be as accurate as possible when outlining your application costs.

Fund outcomes:

Specific outcomes that the Fund should deliver are:

• Prevention such as awareness raising sessions and campaigns

• Psychological support/counselling

• Palliative care

• Improved access to information and support services including financial/welfare/ benefits advice, and support available through new technologies

• Enhanced provision of, and access to, practical support for people with cancer

• Services to support physical and mental health and wellbeing

• Specific research into the experience of patients with cancer

• Provision of screening services, and

• Delivery of cancer rehabilitation programmes.

For an application to be successful, it must contribute to at least one of the above outcomes, depending on the level of funding applied for.

Who can apply:

• The charity must be providing or funding services in Northern Ireland. These services should be focused predominantly on people living with cancer, or their support structure

• Charities must be registered or awaiting registration with the Charity Commission

What can be supported:

• Projects which support delivery of at least one of the outcomes above

• Costs associated with project delivery only

• Proposals will be particularly welcome which focus on supporting those living in rural communities, and from the lesser heard/excluded or marginalised communities

• Delivery of Departmental objectives as outlined in strategic frameworks

• Funding for research linked to cancer patient experience will also be eligible, and

• Consideration of other sources of funding may be applied, for example: if the applicant is applying and/or in receipt of funding from any other DoH fund, or support from a Trust, the Foundation may prioritise funding for other applicants who have not accessed other such sources of funding

• Costs associated with IT equipment, providing it will support service delivery and enhance a particular service

• Volunteer expenses, including training

Closing date for applications is 7th October 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit The‌ ‌Cancer‌ ‌Charities’‌ ‌Support‌ Fund‌ ‌ - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Displacement Education Fund

Grants are available for UK registered charities, community groups and schools to support projects working with displaced children and young people both in the UK and internationally.

The following funding is available:

UK projects

• £10,000 to £60,000 for up to two years (maximum £30,000 per year) for registered charities or educational establishments.

• £10,000 to £20,000 for up to two years (maximum £10,000 per year) for organisations which are not registered charities or educational establishments.

For registered charities and education establishments, annual grant payments cannot exceed 50% of an organisation's three-year average income.

BFSS will fund between 25% to 100% of the total project costs.

Applications are accepted from UK registered charities, not-for-profit community-based organisations, schools, academies, colleges and other educational establishments.

Registered charities must:

• Have UK charitable status and be registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

• Have an annual income less than £2.5 million.

• Be financially sound and have at least three years of continuous financial accounts submitted to the relevant UK Charity Commission or regulator.

Schools, academies, colleges and other educational establishments must:

• Be able to demonstrate a network effect beyond one individual school.

Funding is available for new or pilot projects which have started within the past 12 months to meet a newly arisen need.

The fund will support work which aims to:

• Improve access to educational opportunity (including further education or employment opportunities for those aged 16-25).

• Reduce barriers to achievement, for children and young people living in the UK who are refugees or asylum seekers, unaccompanied children or children of undocumented migrants.

Stage one applications can be made at any time for UK or international projects. These will be assessed on a rolling basis and shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a stage two proposal.

Stage one application forms are available to complete on the BFSS website - Grant Giving Organisation Giving Funding for Educational Projects - The BFSS