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)

Windfarm Funding

Windfarm Funding

Funding will be available to local community projects that are planned and run for the benefit of the local population within the designated catchment area

Monnaboy Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £3,500.

Dunbeg Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £7,500.

Corby Knowe Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £2,000.

Dunmore Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £2,500.

Cloonty Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £10,000.

Carn Hill Community Benefit Fund

Closing - 31st October. Grants up to £3,000.

For more information and to apply, please visit Available Grants - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Main themed grants

The main aim of the Small Grants Programme is to improve road safety at a local level.

The programme has been designed after reviewing our first four years of funding and listening to the views of stakeholders. This told us that there was a need for funding for smaller, local projects with a practical focus.

We are looking for measurable interventions that link to local priorities and show a proposed link to reducing casualties either directly or through clear interim measures.

We expect the projects funded by The Road Safety Trust to focus on engineering, infrastructure and technological measures, while recognising the contribution of education and enforcement to these measures.

The main objective of any project should always be to help protect vulnerable road users. Funding is available for a maximum of three years.

Eligible projects might include evidence reviews, trials, roll-outs, evaluations and support for the profession through guidance or other resources.

It is essential to download the ‘Fitness to Drive’ Grant Guidance in order to apply for our Main Theme Grant round open until 19 October 2022.

Organisations, public and professional associations, registered charities and university departments in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may apply for grants.

We offer funding towards projects that meet our grant criteria. Grants are available for up to two or three years depending on the programme, and these can range from £10,000 up to £300,000.

For more information and to apply, please visit Our Grant Themes — Road Safety Trust

Voices from the Frontline

Rosa’s Voices from the Frontline fund offers one-year grants of between £500 and £7,000 to support campaigning and influencing work that enables women and girls to use their voice to achieve change.

With the rising cost of living and global pandemic worsening inequalities and threatening to push back women’s and girls’ rights, we need collective action now more than ever.

There is a critical need for funding for women’s and girls’ organisations to deliver activism and campaigning, particularly at the grassroots, and to raise awareness of the issues they face. This enables learning, awareness-raising, momentum-building, and campaigning all rooted in the strength of collective action.

The deadline for applications is 4pm on Thursday 3rd of November 2022.

For more information and to apply, please visit Voices from the Frontline - Rosa (rosauk.org)

Triangle Trust: 1949 Fund

Triangle Trust 1949 Fund offers funding for specialist community and voluntary organisations working with young carers or the rehabilitation of young offenders or ex-offenders within the UK.

Scheme details

Their current primary focus is to help support the needs of young carers and young people caught up in the criminal justice system.

They run two grant rounds each year – one for work supporting young carers/young adult carers and one for work supporting young people with criminal convictions. 

Grant Size

• Grants of from £10,000 up to £60,000 for a duration of 6 months to two years available.

• A maximum of £30,000 per year can be requested.

Who can apply

Registered charities, not-for-profit social enterprises and community interest companies that are working within the UK and have a UK office are eligible to apply.

To be eligible for round two, applicants must:

• Have previous experience of either working with young people with criminal convictions or adults with criminal convictions in an employment context.

• Have an income of less than £1.5 million over the past three years.

• Be a registered charity or an organisation set up with a clear social purpose and appropriate governing documents stating this.

• Be able to start their project by 30 November 2023.

Applicants complete their online application form via the link on their website

Application deadline 12pm (noon) on 28 Oct 2022

Churchill Fellowship

A Churchill Fellowship offers you the full funding to travel anywhere in the world for 4-8 weeks, researching a topic of your choice that can make a contribution to UK society on your return.

Scheme details

Churchill Fellows are funded to spend up to two months discovering new approaches and best practice in their chosen topic, from innovators and leading professionals worldwide. Then they support you to share their global insights with communities and sectors across the UK and turn their ideas into action.

For the first time, Fellows can carry out their international research entirely online from the UK, or by travelling overseas, or through a combination of both.

These are not academic research trips, they are journeys to learn about real-world issues from the leading practitioners in the world. And we want you to make a real-world difference with your learning when you come home.

Who can apply

Fellowships are open to all UK adult citizens regardless of their age, qualifications or background. They prioritise applicants and projects that would not receive funding from any other source and welcome applications from those with lived or learned experience of the issue they wish to address.

The Fellowship experience is life-changing for many. In their annual survey of Fellows’ impact, the majority report significant growth in their knowledge, networks, confidence and standing – and projects that may have started with local aspirations have often grown to national scale. In the 2021 survey, 100% of Fellows said they would recommend applying for a Fellowship.

Applications made this year are for projects to begin from August 2023 onwards.

Eligibility

They fund UK citizens from all parts of society to research a practical topic overseas that can make a real difference to their community or profession when they come home. And award 150 of these Fellowships each year and selection is made on the potential of the applicant and the strength of their idea.

Application Deadline 5 pm on 22 Nov 2022
You can apply online here.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

The programme aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people by engagement in high quality arts. Grants up to £10,000 are available. You can apply for up to 100% of the eligible costs of the project. Projects can be up to 1 year duration.

OBJECTIVES

• To improve emotional, physical and social wellbeing of participants

• To enable participants express opinions or feeling using an arts-based methods

• Realise an improvement in wider services for young people with mental health issues

• Empower communities to take a more pro-active role in promoting mental health and wellbeing

• Reduce stigma associated with mental health and wellbeing through improved education

• Support and promote help seeking behavior amongst participants

Projects should aim to include young people experiencing higher levels of disadvantage or exclusion and may include more vulnerable groups such as those living with a mental health condition, eating disorders or addiction. 

STRATEGIC THEMES OF THE PROGRAMME

Projects must meet one or more of the Strategic Themes identified for the programme:

1. Improving and maintaining mental health and wellbeing for young people;

2. Raising awareness of mental and emotional wellbeing issues facing young people;

3. Providing a voice for young people;

4. Address stigma and challenge prejudice and discrimination associated with mental health and help seeking behavior.

THEY ARE LOOKING FOR PROJECTS WHICH:

• Have been developed through consultation with young people;

• Support best practice in working with young people through creative activities;

• Consider legacy and sustainability;

• Consider scale of impact;

• Consider advocacy;

WHO CAN APPLY?

The programme is aimed at constituted community and voluntary groups who are working at a local level to support young people and can demonstrate strong partnership working with relevant groups working with young people.

This programme is also open to non-governmental organisations, Local Authorities and arts organisations who can clearly demonstrate partnership working.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU APPLY FOR?

Grants up to £10,000 are available.

You can apply for up to 100% of the eligible costs of the project. Projects can be up to 1 year duration.

Application Deadline 12pm (noon) on 11 Oct 2022
You must apply using their online system on their website. They will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.

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

The Ann McGeeney Fund

The fund is open to organisations with charitable purposes only.

Funding will be available to local community organisations that are planned and run for the benefit of refugees and asylum seeker communities in Northern Ireland to support integration into society.

The Fund welcomes applications from community and voluntary groups that address the following areas:

• Integration of ethnic minorities into communities with special emphasis on women within these communities

• Initiatives can include providing support to host communities in building social connections with arriving refugee families and refugees already residing within the areas above.

• And/or providing activities to arriving families and refugees already residing within the areas above, helping them build social bridges with the host community.

The fund will prioritise refugees and asylum seekers from Syria and/or Ukraine

Community organisations involved

It is envisaged the organisations will be ‘host community’ organisations i.e. predominantly run or attended by long term UK residents. It is also possible for organisations to be ‘refugee community’ organisations with an aim to include ‘host communities’ in their activities.

The funding will help those organisations support long-term integration, develop opportunities to contribute to community by reducing barriers and creating social connections.

What we will fund

Funded activities will:

• Be open to, and of interest to, reunited refugee families and refugees residing in Northern Ireland

• Community activities such as those listed below will be funded (for guidance only):

  • Joint activity workshops leading to a co-designed event

  • Family cooking sessions

  • Parent and child groups

  • Sports (including women only)

  • Arts and performing arts

  • Music

  • Hobby classes

  • Women’s wellbeing groups.

Grants will be available ranging from £1,000 to £2,000 for projects taking place within a 12 month period

This round of funding will close at 1pm on Monday 17 October 2022.

For more information and to apply, please visit The Ann McGeeney Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Small Grants Programme – October 2022 – March 2023

The Small Grants Programme has been set up to allow young people from Education Authority Youth Service (EA-YS) registered (& Verified) groups to apply for grants for projects in order to Support the Growth and participation of young people.

The Small Grants Programme for October 2022 – March 2023 will enable young people to apply for funding to support young people in their communities to:

• promote youth participation, leadership, and volunteering

• build and develop life skills

• promote positive mental health, wellbeing, and self-care

• explore issues for young people such as relationships & sex education, suicide awareness and risk-taking behaviours

• demonstrate care and concern for the environment

• promote equality, diversity, and inclusion within the programme

Applications should show how they have been able to contribute to one or more of these aims.

All applicant organisations must be both registered with the EA Youth Service and have received a verification visit. To find out how to do this visit EANI Funding - Register with EA

Applications for Round 2 are open from the 5th September – 16th January 2023. Those applications received by 5th October 2022 will be assessed at an earlier date. Any applications after the October deadline will be assessed in January.

The Programme is open to groups of young people aged 4 through to 25 years. A group applying should be made up of no less than 3 young people, with the application being filled in by those young people in the group.

A group can apply for a grant of between £300 and £1500

Applications for grants are assessed and moderated by other young people on the Small Grants panel, to strengthen the participation of young people as decision makers within the local and wider community.

A number of projects will be visited by Young People from the Small Grants Funding Panel for the purpose of showcasing achievements and quality assurance. 

£250,000 in grant funding available from The Prince’s Countryside Fund

The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 from community projects across the UK, with up to £250,000 available.

The PCF is interested in projects that will make a difference in rural communities across the UK and clearly demonstrate the need within the community.  Applications from Wales and Northern Ireland are particularly encouraged, but communities from across the UK are eligible to apply.

If you have an idea for a project in your community, you can discuss this with the team by completing the form on the website to arrange a phone call. It is also advised that you read through the guidance, FAQ and ‘Grants top tips’ which provide essential information and assistance with the application process:  www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants.

Applications for grants close on 11th October 2022 at midday.

Commissioning Programme

The purpose of the Commissioning Programme is to enable organisations to commission new work.

The finished work should be in a form capable of being presented, exhibited, published, performed and/or disseminated in its entirety at the point of completion in Northern Ireland (if applicable abroad) either live or online.

This programme prioritises applications that:

• Propose commissions of high artistic quality;

• Are planned to reach significant audiences primarily in Northern Ireland through live performance, exhibition, publication, broadcast, recording, and/or other audience channels;

• Provide for an extended life and/or extended public reach and impact for the work or project that has been created;

• Demonstrate a strong collaborative-engagement process between the commissioner, performers and the commissioned artist(s) in the development of the new work; and

• Demonstrate innovation and deepen the experience and understanding of the artform.

All awards and programmes are informed by the Arts Council’s 5-year strategic framework (2019–24), Inspire, Connect & Lead (see here).

Commissions may be applied for across all artform areas supported by the Arts Council. Proposals may also be cross-artform.

Who can apply?

The Arts Council welcomes applications from the widest possible range of organisations. You will be required to provide proof that you have a legal constitution.

Who Cannot Apply

• Individual artists or sole traders applying to commission themselves
• Commercial trading companies
• Companies that exist to distribute a profit
• Broadcasters (excluding community service broadcasters)
• Central Government Departments
• Organisations applying to commission an artist who is a serving Board member or Trustee of that organisation.

You must apply using our online system by 12 noon on 31st October 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit Commissioning Programme | Arts Council of Northern Ireland (artscouncil-ni.org)

The ESB Community Benefit Fund is open for 2023

The ESB Community Benefit Fund aims to support community projects which clearly address current and emerging local issues, needs and opportunities, while also seeking to develop and build upon existing initiatives. From equipment to refreshments for activities; from painting lessons to science books, you can apply for items that will help you address at least one of the following themes:

• Education and skills

• Health, safety, and wellbeing

• Environment and habitat conservation

• Energy efficiency and sustainability

• Culture and heritage

• Recreation, sport, and social inclusion

Who can apply?

• If you are a current recipient, you should submit your last claim by Tuesday 1 November. Unfortunately, we will not be able to take your application forward if this is not the case.

• If you have been unsuccessful before to the ESB Community Benefit Fund, an application from your organisation/group is welcome.

• If you are a group/organisation applying for the first time to the ESB Community Benefit Fund, your application is welcome, please note the criteria below and for further information, visit our website.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must meet all the following criteria:

• Your project must address at least one of the above themes

• Your project must be located within the Area of Benefit.

OR the primary beneficiaries of your project must be drawn from one of the above areas of benefit.

• You must be a registered charity; voluntary/community sector organization; sports or recreation club; or school with a constitution or article of association.

Workshop

Join us for an online workshop which will cover the application form and criteria for this fund. Register here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsf-qqqj0oGdVyN0uQl0aNmFuh7rWX-zIc

If you have any queries about your application, please send us an email at esbcommunityfund@groundworkni.co.uk

Co Op Foundation Future Communities Grants

The Co Op Foundation has developed the Community Future  Grants Programme in recognition of the commitment in communities, and the opportunities to unlock the potential of community assets and build a vision for the future.

The total budget for the fund is £75,000 and the Co Op Foundation is offering grants of between £3,000 to £10,000 to enable communities to develop assets that are important to them, and ideas for communities that will help enable a better future.

To be eligible, your organisation must:

• Deliver activities aligned to the aims of the programme

• Deliver activities in Northern Ireland

• Have a clear vision for the future of your community/community of interest

Through this fund we want to support organisations who have a focus on developing communities for the future.

We are particularly interested in, but not limited to, drawing on the voices of young people and developing young people to be the leaders, co-operators, organisers and activists in and for these future communities.

We want to support organisations that are working to bring their vision for future communities to life.

We want to see cooperation, leadership, and people working towards the kind of communities they want to live in, building on the assets within their communities to support that vision.

We will be looking for a compelling vision for geographical communities, and/or communities of interest. We want to see what can be done to help ensure a fair community, built upon co-operative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity.

We encourage you to think about partnering with other members of the community e.g. to share costs and solutions if you have similar needs. However, we  recognise this may not always be appropriate depending on your planned use of the grant.

We want to support what groups and communities need, rather than what we think they might need. You can apply for a grant from £3,000 up to £10,000 to support your organisation. Uses of the grant may include, but are not limited to:

• Contribution to core costs, including staffing costs

• Equipment

• Investment that helps you scale

• Project costs

The Fund will close for applications at 1pm on Tuesday 11 October 2022.

For more information and to apply, please visit Co Op Foundation Future Communities Grants - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

The People’s Projects is back!

The National Lottery Community Fund, ITV, UTV and the Sunday Mail are today launching The People’s Projects – a National Lottery funding programme that not only delivers vital funding support to the heart of UK communities, but also raises awareness of the incredible work of community groups across the land.

The popular funding programme returns after a 3-year break and is making a share of over £4 million of National Lottery funding available with applications accepted from today. Groups and projects can apply for grants of up to £70,000 to help their communities and make a real difference to people’s lives.

The People’s Projects also offers an exciting opportunity for the general public to have a say in how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area.

In May 2023, 95 shortlisted groups will take part in a national campaign, with the winners being decided by public vote. Shortlisted groups will be featured on regional TV news in their area (ITV or UTV) or in the Sunday Mail (in Scotland) where they will be able to tell the wider public about their great work and appeal for their vote.

Since it started in 2005, The People’s Projects has awarded around £45 million to over 1,000 good causes.

For more information and to apply visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk. Deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 7th October 2022, although interested groups are urged to apply early as the programme may close sooner depending on the volume of applications.

Building Confident Rural Communities

Too often, rural communities are without access to transport, jobs, housing, shops and community spaces. The Prince’s Countryside Fund powers community-led solutions through our grants and resources to ensure that they flourish, now and in the future.

Supporting Rural Communities is our flagship grant programme, awarding £500,000 each year to support projects that enhance the viability and sustainability of rural communities.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund remains one of very few funders focused on rural communities across the UK, and our experience shows that, by working with local organisations, we can help to address the challenges faced by those who live and work in rural areas. 

The PCF is inviting applications for grants of up to £25,000 over two years, for projects that will create a long-term difference in rural communities across the UK. Applicants must be from properly constituted, not for profit organisations with an income of less than £500,000. We particularly welcome applications from groups and organisations with projects in hamlets, villages and small market towns. 

We receive many more applications than we can fund. Unfortunately, this means that even if your work matches our areas of interest, we may not be able to make a grant. 

Autumn 2022 grants timetable

1st September Applications open
Midday, 11th October Applications close
Beginning of December Applicants informed of decision
January 2023 First payment

For more information and to apply, please visit Rural Communities - The Prince's Countryside Fund (princescountrysidefund.org.uk)

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

Up to £1000 available for local community projects!

Two years ago, a very successful project called Tak£500 awarded 66 different community organisations funding to the tune of £33,000, allowing them to deliver some wonderful projects to benefit their local residents.

This project is now back for 2022 – and bigger and better than ever! Called Tak£500+ Participatory Budget Fund, community groups within the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area can now receive up to £1000 for a project that they think will have a positive impact on their community!

So, if you have an idea in mind of something that would bring value to your area and your community, look no further!

So how does it work? A Participatory Budgeting initiative basically means that local people get a direct say in how public funds are used to address local needs.

Both constituted groups and non-constituted groups can apply for funding to help bring an idea to life. All ideas must be based around the ‘Take 5 Ways of Wellbeing’, which are five simple steps to help maintain and improve your wellbeing on a daily basis.

They are: ‘Connect’ with people around you; ‘Be Active’ in some way each day; ‘Take Notice’ of the world around you and how you are feeling; ‘Keep Learning’ by trying something new and ‘Give’ by doing something nice for someone else.

To help you with stage one of the process and filling in the initial application form, there are a number of information sessions taking place both in person and online:

Monday 12th September, 7pm – 8pm: Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre. Register here.

Wednesday 14th September, 7pm – 8pm: Chamber at the Palace Demesne, Armagh. Register here.

Thursday 15th September, 7pm – 8pm: Banbridge Leisure Centre. Register here.

Tuesday 20th September, 10am – 11am: Online via Zoom. Register here.

Stage one is where you fill out the application form and send it in. If you meet the simple criteria, you will then move onto Stage Two, where you will be asked to attend the Market Stall and Decision-Making Event.

Groups will be asked to showcase their idea to the community by putting together a ‘market stall’ detailing their idea and asking for support. Everyone aged eight and over can then vote to support the project ideas they want to see happen.

The projects with the most public votes will be awarded up to £1000 to make their idea happen!

For more information please visit TAK£500+ - YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR SAY, YOUR WAY! - Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk)

National Garden Scheme - Community Gardens Award

In 2011 the National Garden Scheme set up an award scheme in memory of Elspeth Thompson, the much-loved garden writer and journalist who died in 2010. Elspeth was a great friend and supporter of the National Garden Scheme; she also wrote an admired ‘Urban Gardener’ column in the Sunday Telegraph. Her column often celebrated community gardens and so the awards support gardening projects carried out within local communities.

Previously managed in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, from 2019 the scheme became wholly managed by the National Garden Scheme.

In 2022 we gave out awards to 75 projects bringing the total number of projects supported to-date to almost 200, with the total amount donated just shy of £400,000.

Grants will only be made to bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The following bodies are not eligible:

· Local authorities (including parish councils)

· Schools Applications from any such bodies will not be considered.

Applicants must be a fully set up community group or CIC with a functioning non-personal bank account.

Individual grants are between minimum £500 and maximum £5000. Each application must itemise the details of the costs they are planning to cover.

Applications for 2023 will open on Monday 17 October. Please read the Application Guidelines before applying - Community Garden Grants - National Garden Scheme (ngs.org.uk)