Co-op Foundation's Future Communities Fund

Our funding will aim to bring our Future Communities Vision to life for young people.

We provide flexible and unrestricted funding to people working to build the fairer, more co-operative communities of the future imagined by young people. This will help us deliver on Co-op’s vision of ‘co-operating for a fairer world’.  

We listen to, invest, and learn from:  

• A diverse range of young people who’ll be the leaders, co-operators, organisers and activists in these future communities.

• Organisations working to bring future communities to life.

• Organisations that need support when unpredictable events in the ‘here and now’ threaten their ability to build communities of the future.

Learn more about our Future Communities Vision

How we fund

We’re Co-op’s charity. We believe co-operation is at the heart of strong communities and this makes us a different kind of funder. 

Co-operative values are reflected throughout our funding, from applications and grant-making, to learning and celebrating. This builds on work we’ve already started to become a more flexible funder, and to develop more equal and trusting partnerships 

We will follow these seven principles as we build communities of the future together: 

1. Participatory

We will involve people from the communities we work with in decisions about how to use our funds. We’ll draw on the co-operative values of democracy, self-help and self-responsibility to help address the power imbalance present in traditional grant-making. 

2. Unrestricted

We invest in organisations that can bring our Future Communities Vision to life. We make unrestricted funding available, giving organisations the power to decide how best to use these funds to build their communities’ future.  

3. Looking to the long-term

Building the communities that young people want to be part of takes time, so we invest in organisations over longer timeframes.  

Long-term funding is a way we can demonstrate the co-operative value of solidarity with our partners and communities and help encourage social responsibility. Our funds may vary in the length of grants we make, but all would be designed to support long-term work to build communities of the future.  

4. Trusting

We focus on understanding partners and their work in a positive, transparent and trusting way. We are as flexible as possible with our funding, creating maximum freedom and control for our funded partners, so they can choose how best to ensure their community is ready for the future. 

5. Accessible

The size, background or leadership of an organisation should not be a barrier to accessing funding. We don’t exclude anyone based on how we ask them to apply for funding, how they report back to us or how they evaluate their work.  

We proactively encourage applications from small and traditionally less funded groups, particularly those that face systemic barriers. We strive to enable organisations to access funding, for example, video applications via smartphones. 

6. Supportive and strengthening

In addition to funding, we provide partners with other kinds of support. We’re developing a funder-plus model that provides partners with access to an enhanced range of support, such as organisational development opportunities.  

7. Facilitate co-operation

No person or organisation can build their community’s future alone. Where we see opportunities for organisations and people to build together, we do what we can to foster co-operation. We actively support new partnerships, encouraging local connections and collaborations, and links between local and national organisations 

Please visit How we fund | Our co-operative approach to funding (coopfoundation.org.uk)

Shine Bright

Criteria

Shine Bright funding enables charities across the UK to purchase items and resources to protect and support the children they serve through the cost of living crisis.

Charities are asked to provide details of how our funding can assist, and which items would be purchased through an award. Grants are available up to £1,500 per successful application.

Please note, we are only able to fund charitable organisations with a turnover below £1.5m.

Requirements

Please note we offer funding to registered charities only. Please be advised that this application process requires you to provide details on your project, charity, finances, and other details relevant to delivering the project. This form works on mobile devices but you may prefer to do this on a desktop so you can prepare and upload the requested information and files more easily.

To apply, please visit Shine Bright Funding Application – the7stars foundation : the7stars foundation

Community Festivals Fund 2023/24

A community Festival is a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period. It is developed from within a community and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents. Community festivals are about participation, involvement and the creation of a sense of identity and are important in contributing to the social well-being of a community. They must be initiated and led by a community organisation or a community led partnership. It is not enough to run a festival for a community, the community must play a strong part in the development and delivery of the festival and have ownership of it.

The following are the Community Festival/Events key criteria;

• Promotes social inclusion and improving community relations

• Has strong community participation in the design and delivery of the event

• Provides opportunities for your community to express and celebrate their cultural heritage

• Provides opportunities for development - this includes capacity building, links with other organisations and diversity of activities

• Attracts visitors to the area

• Demonstrates how it will ensure that hard to reach groups will engage with your festival as volunteers, participants and audience

• Demonstrate how it will complement and contribute to the existing calendar of events

• Maximises non-public sources of income (e.g. through commercial sponsorship, donations, ticket sales, advertising revenue, etc)

• Demonstrates value for money and good financial governance

The fund opened for applications on 21st November 2022 and will close on 12th January 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit Community Festival Fund 2023/24 (LIVE) - Derry City and Strabane District Council (smapply.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)

T:BUC Camps Programme 2023/24

The T:BUC Camps Programme is one of the seven headline actions in the T:BUC Strategy. Good Relations learning is at the heart of every T:BUC Camp and it provides opportunities for young people aged 9 to 25 from all backgrounds to come together, try new experiences, have fun, and build longer term relationships.

The Education Authority (EA) act as Programme Administrator for the T:BUC Camps Programme on behalf of the Executive Office (TEO).

You can apply via the link below, where you will also find more detailed information about the T:BUC Camps Programme:

www.eanifunding.org.uk/tbuc

Completed applications must be returned to the Education Authority no later than 4pm on Tuesday 31st January 2023.

EA are also hosting Funding Application Workshops, you can find more details on these and register through the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/education-authority-funding-workshop-events-18191285824

Update on the Dormant Accounts Fund Northern Ireland

From 5pm on 3 March 2023, The National Lottery Community Fund will not be accepting applications to Phase One of the Dormant Accounts Fund Northern Ireland from individual organisations. If you are thinking of submitting an application to the fund, we encourage you to get your applications in as soon as you are ready. You don’t need to wait until 3 March. 

The team will continue to assess applications and to announce the new awards that are made, but no new applications will be accepted from 5pm on 3 March.   

The National Lottery Community Fund are expecting Dormant Accounts Fund NI to remain highly competitive, so before you apply please read through the information on their website for guidance and to find out about the projects they have already funded. You can also contact their team in Northern Ireland if you would like advice. 

The National Lottery Community Fund always said that they would take a test and learn approach to the Dormant Accounts Fund NI. They have awarded just under £13m through 147 grants. This is helping organisations to develop new skills and build resilience and sustainability, creating a strong voluntary and community sector which can continue to support people and communities across Northern Ireland.  There is lots to learn about the models that are working well, and the challenges faced, that they want to share with the sector. You might like to read the first learning report on Dormant Accounts Funds NI which they published in June 2022 to find out what they’ve learned to date.

The Dormant Accounts Fund NI will continue to remain open for strategic applications. Discussions will still take place with organisations who are interested in developing strategic projects that enable collaboration and develop new and creative approaches to the sustainability of the sector.  

New legislation was passed in June 2022 expanding the UK-wide scheme to include a wider range of Dormant Assets.  This means that additional funds will be made available to Northern Ireland through the scheme in the future, as announced by Finance Minister Conor Murphy on 25 October 2022.   

The Department of Finance has confirmed its policy direction that the Dormant Assets scheme should continue to support the sector to build capacity, resilience and sustainability in the future.  

The National Lottery Community Fund will take some time to reflect on how they have delivered against policy directions and engage further with the sector to identify and address gaps. In doing this, they will continue to work with the Department of Finance and ensure that feedback from stakeholders informs the development of the next phase.   

Their National Lottery programmes will remain open to applications and you can find out more about these here. 

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)

Community Solutions to Housing and Homelessness

The programme supports the development, testing, and delivery of new ideas and collaborations. Addressing the root causes of housing issues and homelessness, by working with a range of organisations and giving voice to individuals with lived experience across Northern Ireland.

Expressions of interest are now open! We also have a number of online information workshops so you can find out more about the programme and ask your questions. Sign up here. 

Expected outcomes:

• New collaborations emerge amongst organisations working on housing issues and homelessness

• New solutions to specific challenges within housing and homelessness are developed and tested, placing the insights and voices of people with lived experience at the centre

• New opportunities to influence decision making and public services relating to housing and homelessness

• Enhanced knowledge and skills in creative problem solving for participating individuals and organisations

For more information please visit Community Solutions to Housing and Homelessness - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Community Arts Fund supported by Ulster People’s College

Fund objectives:

• To support grassroots communities and those most marginalised, through engagement in community arts, culture and heritage projects and creative industries.
  To support community education and development that is aimed at tackling the challenges of social and economic disadvantage and overcome cultural and political division through the arts

• To help organisations and communities supporting vulnerable people, to use arts, culture and heritage, to #build back better; ensuring organisations and individuals thrive and continue to provide longer-term support to communities in need

Projects should be seeking £2,000 towards community led responses that will:

• Enhance existing community services and activities that support engagement in arts, culture and heritage for marginalised communities and communities of interest

• Support innovation and creativity for those community organisations who support vulnerable people through engagement in the arts, culture and heritage

• Encourage collaboration and strengthen collaborative responses to issues affecting those most marginalised in Northern Ireland, in particular those with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, black, asian and ethnic minorities, and those most at risk, including those suffering from domestic violence, and those living in poverty, rural communities, through arts, culture and heritage activity

To celebrate Giving Tuesday 2022 the Community Foundation intend to make 8 awards of £2,000 and will hold a draw on Giving Tuesday, at an event to be held at The Playhouse Derry, Tuesday 29th November, 11am. The draw will see the first 8 projects selected receive an award each. We encourage those applying to the fund to join us as at the event where we will celebrate and recognise the generosity in NI. Register for the event here.

Closing date for applications is 21st November 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit Community Arts Fund supported by Ulster People’s College - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Tyrone Three Community Benefit Fund (Gortfinbar, Eshmore and Altamuskin)

This local community fund has been set up by Energia Renewables, working in close partnership with local groups from the areas surrounding the Tyrone 3 Windfarms. The Tyrone 3 Windfarms comprises three farms, which are:

- Altamuskin (6 wind turbines / 14.1MW)
- Eshmore (3 wind turbines / 7.0MW)
- Gortfinbar (5 wind turbines / 15.0.MW)

The windfarms are situated in close proximity to each other between the town of Ballygawley and the villages of Carrickmore, Sixmilecross and Beragh in County Tyrone. They are located in the Mid Ulster District and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council areas respectively.

Energia has set up the fund to ensure that the wind farm, whilst having obvious environmental benefits, will also provide significant social and economic benefits to the local community. The Tyrone 3 Windfarms Community Benefit Fund will be administered by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

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 projects that the fund might support:

• Local cultural projects recording and researching history

• Establishment of a “Men’s Shed” or other similar initiative

• Small capital works to a community facility

• Environmental awareness projects

• Activities supporting young people, the elderly, those with disabilities

• Community wide events

• Strategic projects that will benefit a number of communities, including partnership applications

Grants size are up to £5,000

Closing date for applications is 9th December 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit Tyrone Three Community Benefit Fund (Gortfinbar, Eshmore and Altamuskin) - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Grand Choice 2022

Grand Choice is a Participatory Budgeting initiative which means that local people get to decide how public funds are used to address needs in their area. Community Planning Partners have pooled their resources to fund community projects.

Local people with a valid email address and Lisburn South postcode can apply for up to £1,000 for a project they think will benefit their area of Downshire East - and best of all, it is the local residents who decide which projects should go ahead!

Your project should take place between  and must be within Downshire East District Electoral Area. This includes Ballymacbrennan, Dromara, Drumbo, Hillhall and Ravernet.

Stage 1.  Application Form 

Generating Ideas and Apply Stage – where groups complete a short application form outlining their project idea.

If you decide to apply for funding and use your personal contact details in the Stage 1 application form. This information will be stored in a safe place and used to contact you about the application. Your full name will not be used in publicity material and contact details will not be shared.

If you are under 18 and you decide to add your personal contact details to the form you must ask a parent/ guardian/ carer to complete the online consent.  It must be submitted by Sunday 13th November.

When you submit your entry, we will check if it meets with our themes – we might give you a call for some further information.

We aim to let groups know if they’ve been shortlisted by Thursday 17th November or as soon as possible thereafter.

The shortlisted projects will be required to exhibit their proposal at a Community Decision Event on Saturday 3rd December 2022.

Stage 2. Community Decision Event

At the Community Decision Event in December you will tell the voters what you plan to do and what you hope to achieve as they visit your stand. All you need to do is tell them some information about what you do, what the project is about and how this will be good for the Lisburn South area. You can do this by using pictures, posters and/or display boards etc.

Your views, ideas and proposal may appear in reports and press releases once that information is made public.

Voting Process

The people attending the Community Decision Event will vote on which projects should be funded. They will be required to vote for 10 projects.

Your project must demonstrate how it relates to one or more of the Take 5 Ways To Wellbeing themes:

• Connect – with the people around you and keep in touch with each other

• Be Active – to help us feel good both physically and mentally

• Take Notice – to ensure the community is safe to incorporate policing and community safety

• Keep Learning – new things that give us a sense of achievement, enjoyment and increased confidence

• Give – doing something that gives back to our community and help each other

For more information and to apply, please visit Grand Choice in Downshire East (lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk)

BBC Children In Need

At BBC Children in Need, children and young people are at the heart of what we do. After the events of the last few years, we have developed a new charitable ambition and grantmaking strategy. This strategy focusses on our principles of:

• Sharing power with children and young people

• Acting flexibly

• Using our voice to build awareness and empathy around issues

• Building partnerships to bring communities and investors together

As part of this, we have made some significant changes to our grantmaking model:

• We will continue to offer project based funding, similarly to how we have in the past.

• We will be offering funding for core (organisational) costs as a separate grants stream.

• In spring 2023, we will launch a funding stream for smaller, emerging organisations. This stream is aimed at organisations who may need greater support to access our funding.

Organisations will only be able to apply for one of these streams per year. Your organisation should choose which stream is most suitable to your work and we will provide more detailed information about them, over the coming months. We will also give more details about our funding priorities at a local and regional level.

Funding currently open for applications are -

• Project Grants Funding Stream - Project Costs Funding Stream - BBC Children in Need

• Core Grants Funding Stream - Core (Organisational) Costs Funding Stream - BBC Children in Need

National Lottery Community Fund - Living Places and Spaces

Grants are available to voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland for small-scale projects to create more sustainable and resilient outdoor spaces.

Fund Information

Funding body: National Lottery Community Fund - Northern Ireland

Maximum value: £ 10,000

Application deadline: 06/01/2023

Background

The Living Places and Spaces programme is administered by the National Lottery Community Fund on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive's Department for Infrastructure.

Objectives of Fund

The funding is intended to support environmental improvement works in local communities through projects in the following areas:

• Greening - planting more trees and plants in an area.

• Rewilding - allowing nature to take over an area.

• Water management - slowing rainwater before it gets to the drainage systems.

Value Notes

The fund has a total value of £750,000.

Grants of £1,000 to £10,000 are available.

Projects may start from April 2023 onwards, and grants must be spent within one year of award.

Who Can Apply

Applications will be accepted from the following organisation types:

• Voluntary or community organisation.

• Registered charity.

• Constituted group or club.

• Not-for-profit company or community interest company

• School.

Organisations must have at least two people on their board or committee who are not related.

For land or building projects, the applicant must either:

• Own the land or building.

• Have a lease that cannot be ended for five years.

• Have a letter from the owner saying the land or building will be leased to the applicant for at least five years.

• Have a letter from the owner or landlord that says the applicant is allowed to do work on the building.

Applicants must also consider whether they require planning permission for the work.

Location

Northern Ireland

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Individuals.

• Sole traders.

• Organisations that are aimed at generating profits primarily for private distribution.

• Organisations based outside the UK.

• One individual or organisation applying on behalf of another.

• People under the age of 18.

• Revenue costs (including salaries).

• Projects delivered outside of Northern Ireland.

• Items which will only benefit an individual or family, rather than the wider community.

• Contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest.

• Feed-in tariff payments.

• VAT that can be reclaimed.

• Activities that generate profits for private gain.

• Costs that have already been incurred.

• Work on land or buildings where the applicant does not meet requirements around land ownership and permissions.

Eligible Expenditure

Grants may be used to support the following types of projects and activities:

• Community gardens (a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people).

• Pocket parks and forests (small urban or rural forests).

• Allotments (an area of land used for growing fruit and vegetables).

• Rain gardens (an area which is planted so that rainwater from roofs, driveways, etc runs into it and soaks into the ground, and therefore does not cause flooding or other problems).

• Green roofs (a roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation).

• Ponds and living walls or vertical gardens (vertical structures that have living plants or other greenery attached to them).

• Installation of outdoor furniture or features to encourage usage.

• Measures to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling.

Eligible costs include:

• Land and building costs (ie the costs of creating pathways, installation of vertical garden structures, developing a green roof etc).

• Equipment and materials (ie trees, plants, seeds, pots, tools, furniture etc).

All applicants should consider the environmental impact of their project and try to reuse, reduce and recycle where possible.

How To Apply

The programme will open for applications on 9 November 2022 and close to applications on 6 January 2023 (6pm).

Guidance notes and the online application form can be found on the National Lottery Community Fund website.

Contact National Lottery Community Fund for further information.

Useful links

National Lottery Community Fund - Living Places and Spaces
Living Places and Spaces | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)

Rural Action launch new awards

To mark their third birthday, Rural Action will celebrate with the launch of the Rural Action Awards Scheme, aimed at supporting rural communities celebrate their own achievements. 

The scheme is designed to support up to 12 volunteer led community action projects. Rural community-based organisations in Northern Ireland, or the border region of Ireland will have the opportunity to apply for and be in with a chance of securing £1000 or €1000 towards their project.

The scheme is open to constituted rural community-based organisations including charities, not for profit community groups, sporting and cultural organisations, heritage groups, Parent Teacher Associations, youth groups/clubs and social enterprises.   The scheme seeks to support practical, tangible and timebound projects where the project must complete within 12 weeks.

Teresa Canavan, Rural Action Chief Executive, explained, “As we celebrated our third birthday this year and also secured charitable status, we were keen to give something back to rural communities and hence we are delighted to announce the launch of the Rural Action Awards Scheme for 2022/2023.”

“We realise communities have faced and are facing many challenges and we hope this scheme in some small way offers encouragement to celebrate community activity. We are not prescriptive of the type of project we will support.  The only stipulation we have is that the project is volunteer led and supports wider community engagement and celebration.”

“Groups wishing to enter must complete a simple online form available at www.ruralaction.co. The successful groups will then be contacted and following a simple verification process, can avail of the £1000/€1000 to use for their community action project.  Full terms and conditions are available on our website.” 

Applications must be submitted by 20th of each month to be considered for funding and applications will remain valid for 3 months up to the final allocation in March 2023.

Belfast City Council’s Small Grants 2023-24

Belfast City Council’s Small Grants 2023-24 Tranche 1 are now open for applications for the grants listed below. The submission deadline for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Friday 13 January 2023.

1. Community Festivals Fund

2. Arts & Heritage

3. Good Relations

4. Parks Events

5. Sports Events

6. S4S Large Development Grant

7. S4S Small Development Grant

8. S4S Hospitality Grant

9. S4S Sporting Individual Grant

10. Community Summer Scheme

11. Community Activity Medium Grant

12. Community Activity Micro Grant

For further details, guidance notes and to apply online please visit our website www.belfastcity-grants.com  or contact the Central Grants Unit Belfast City Council at cgugrants@belfastcity.gov.uk 

We will be holding the following information sessions on how to apply for the Small Grants:

• Monday 14 November 2-4pm Banqueting Hall, City Hall

• Wednesday 16 November 10am Microsoft Teams

• Wednesday 16 November 2pm Microsoft Teams

• Wednesday 16 November 7pm Microsoft Teams

If you wish to attend any of the sessions, please reply to this email detailing which session you would like to attend. For the online Microsoft Teams sessions we will email you a link in advance of the session you have chosen. Alternatively, if you cannot attend either of these sessions please get in touch with us and we arrange another session that suits.

For further details, guidance notes and to apply online please visit our website www.belfastcity-grants.com  or contact the Central Grants Unit Belfast City Council at cgugrants@belfastcity.gov.uk 

Plant trees, hedges and orchards in your community

If you’re planning to plant trees in your community this coming 2022-2023 winter season, then our grants can help.

Branching Out Fund

This Grant fund supports schools, community groups and Tree Warden Networks to plant trees, hedges and orchards. Grants can be between £200 and £2000. All projects must have strong community involvement, and ideally involve children and/or young people. We encourage you to read the application guidance fully before you complete the application form, particularly in relation to eligibility. The grant is open to the whole of the UK.

Trees and Hedgerows for Wildlife & Biodiversity Fund

Competition is high for our Branching Out Fund, but for the second year we are delighted to announce that thanks to one of our corporate supporters, Animal Friends, we have some extra funding for community tree planting projects from our new ‘Trees and Hedgerows for Wildlife and Biodiversity Fund’.  This fund places a special emphasis on wildlife and biodiversity, and is a great opportunity for planting projects that are planned with care and thought as to how our animal and insect friends might best benefit, or are situated in a location where animals are cared for, such as rescue centres or city farms, as long as they have charitable status. Grants can supports schools, community groups and Tree Warden Networks to plant trees, hedges and orchards.

Up to 15% of the amount awarded may go towards the cost of wider ecological enhancements to support wildlife and biodiversity, such as providing or enhancing nesting, feeding and roosting opportunities for birds, bees, bats and insects, and costs associated with pond creation. If you believe that your project falls into this category please complete the Branching Out application form above, and provide further details in Section 3 on how you are prioritising wildlife and biodiversity.

Closing date for applications is 4th December 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit Our grants - The Tree Council

The Carson Awards

The Carson Awards are an exciting opportunity for young people to express themselves creatively under the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means to Me’.

The Carson Awards were started by Frank and Tony Carson in 2008 and are delivered through the Integrated Education Fund (IEF). There are two categories, the Carson Bursaries which fund arts related projects by post-primary pupils, and the Carson Prize, which is open to all pupils at integrated schools.

Open to Year 11, 12, 13 and 14 students at integrated colleges and, if applicable, collaborative partners. Bursaries provide resources to carry out and complete a creative project under the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means to Me’. Bursaries are awarded up to £1,000.

Closing date for applications is 2nd December 2022. For more information and to apply, please visit Carson Awards - IEF: Integrated Education Fund

Core Funding Scheme

About the Core Funding Scheme

The Core Funding Scheme provides support for organisations which are considered of strategic importance in promoting community relations work across Northern Ireland.

The scheme contributes towards salary and organisational running costs.

Be safe, be innovative, be brave

The Community Relations Council (CRC) appreciates that the organisations we support through all of our grant schemes have been facing many new challenges as a result of the current Covid-19 pandemic. Although many of you have come up with amazing ways of staying connected, it has become clear over the past months that the capacity of some organisations to deliver work programmes have been adversely affected by the necessary social restrictions in place to counter the spread of Covid-19. Given the most up-to-date information we anticipate the impact of the pandemic will continue over the coming months.

In light of the current, and, likely on-going challenges, the CRC would encourage grant applicants to explore innovative approaches that allow for delivery of good relations activities whilst taking account of the most up to date directives from government. The CRC fully understands that this is a time for innovation in the pursuit of new peace building initiatives and we want to support you to be at the forefront of these initiatives.

During this time it is vital that organisations clearly and explicitly incorporate the impact of Covid-19 restrictions into their grant applications. It will be important that applicants demonstrate in all relevant parts of their core funding application that they have considered the implications of the pandemic in drawing up safety measures/contingency plans for proposed project plans and budget proposals. Adherence to government guidance on Covid-19 is a condition of all grant awards. To allow you to experiment with approaches that may be new and in recognition of the uncertainty of these extraordinary times, the CRC is committed to being as flexible as is possible with organisations in relation to the delivery of planned activities. We will consider all reasonable and timely requests for alternative methods of project delivery and the related readjustments to approved budget lines. The Community Relations Council remains, as ever, committed to supporting organisations to deliver their projects in a timely and safe manner so be innovative and brave – our community needs your support.

For more information and to apply, please visit Core Funding Scheme Open | Community Relations Council (community-relations.org.uk)

The Core Funding Scheme will close on Wednesday 16 November 2022 at 4PM.

Rural Social Enterprise Investment Scheme pilot - phase 2

The Rural Social Enterprise Investment Scheme is a pilot Scheme, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs which will provide a grant to established Social Enterprises to increase their capacity, potential profitability and sustainability whilst supporting those who live in rural areas.

Grants of between £50,000 to £100,000 are available to Social Enterprises who meet the scheme qualifying criteria and are successful in a competitive process:

• The Scheme will target established Rural Social Enterprises who have been trading for more than two years.

• The project must be located in a rural area.

A call for Expressions of Interest will close at 3pm on Monday 14 November 2022.

There are 2 stages to the application process

Stage 1 – Expression of Interest (EOI)

You must complete an online EOI application. We will use the information you provide on the EOI to determine if the organisation and proposed project are eligible.

Stage 2 – Full Application

Only applicants whose project has been deemed eligible will be invited to submit a full application.

Full information on who can apply, what is eligible, and how to apply is detailed in the Scheme Information document and EOI guidance document.

You can access a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.

For more information, please visit Rural Social Enterprise Investment Scheme pilot - phase 2 | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)

Enkalon Foundation

Enkalon Foundation was established in 1985 following the closure of the British Enkalon Factory in Antrim. The aim of the fund was to support the local community and ex-employees.

As the foundation grew support was offered to charities and community groups across Northern Ireland. To date the foundation has given out over £5 million across Northern Ireland via 6,500 grants. £2.6 million of this funding has been in the former Antrim Borough.

Funding Outline

Enkalon Foundation has an annual budget of around £200,000 which is used to support ex-employees with healthcare equipment as well as charities and community groups to meet and deliver their core objectives through the General Fund.

Applications to the General Fund may be for core running or project costs but must clearly demonstrate the need for the funding and how the group, users and wider community will benefit from it. Enkalon Foundation is a small funder and whilst applications of up to £6000 are accepted the average grant is £1000. If the overall budget exceeds the funding available other funding should be sought elsewhere. Additional applications along with any planned fundraising activities should be detailed with the application.

Enkalon Foundations range of interests are:

- The advancement of education

- The advancement of health and of saving lives

- The advancement of citizenship or community development

- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science

- The advancement of amateur sport

- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage

- The advancement of animal welfare

Please note: Normally grants are not made to playgroups, pta's, senior citizens groups or sporting groups outside the former Antrim borough area or to individuals or for medical research or for travel or projects outside Northern Ireland.

If you wish to submit an application please click on the General Fund tab at the top of this page.

The Trustees meet quarterly and the next closing date for applications is

Wednesday 11th November, 2022.

The trustees will assess these applications in December 2022