Belfast City Council’s Small Grants 2024-25 Tranche 1

Belfast City Council’s Small Grants 2024-25 Tranche 1 are now open for applications for the grants listed below. The submission deadline for receipt of applications is 12 noon on Friday 12 January 2024.

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

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

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

• Friday 17 November, 2pm-3:30pm, Banqueting Hall, City Hall

• Monday 20 November, 10:30am, Microsoft Teams

• Monday 20 November, 2pm, Microsoft Teams

• Monday 20 November, 7pm, Microsoft Teams

If you wish to attend any of the sessions, please contact the Central Grants Unit Belfast City Council at cgugrants@belfastcity.gov.uk

Police Property Fund Small Grants Scheme

The Police Property Fund Small Grants Scheme will open a third call for funding applications on 1 November 2023.

The Fund, which comprises assets recovered by the PSNI as the result of criminal investigations, is administered by the Board in line with the Police (Property) Regulations NI 1997.

The Board has agreed a Grant Funding Policy which will ensure available monies are used to benefit projects which deliver tangible benefits. This is in line with our Corporate and Policing Plan commitments to achieving the following 3 key outcomes:

• We have a safe community;

• We have confidence in policing; and

• We have engaged and supportive communities

The Small Grants Scheme offers project funding in the range £1000-£10,000. Applications must demonstrate the following criteria to be eligible for consideration:

• Engagement with the Police Service of Northern Ireland;

• Contribute to community safety/ and or building confidence in policing; and

• Closely aligned towards a charitable purpose.

 If you would like more information or to register your interest, just email policepropertyfund@nipolicingboard.org.uk

Sports Group Grants

The Public Health Agency, through the Clear Project, are offering constituted voluntary sector sports clubs in the Western Trust area the opportunity to avail of training, which will help them support their members and receive up to £500 worth of relevant sports equipment for their club.

In order to receive this aid clubs must:

• Be a constituted voluntary sector sports club and enclose a copy of this document and a list of their committee members.

• Be appropriately insured or prepared to obtain appropriate insurance if awarded.

• Enclose the most recent annual accounts or statement of income and expenditure which must be approved and signed by an officeholder.

• Operate within the Western Trust area.

• Have a significant impact upon or involvement from their local community.

• Must have a minimum of 3 to 5 members attend training, either safeTALK or another relevant approved mental health programme (Level 1 Sport NI Level 1 Mental Health Awareness e-learning module and Zero Suicide Alliance).

 Please note: This must be members who have a significant input / involvement / role within the club. 

Equipment requested should help the club develop activities that meet the needs of the local community and support the delivery of the ‘Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing’.  These are five simple steps to help maintain and improve your wellbeing through the themes of ‘Connect’, ‘Be active’, ‘Take Notice’, ‘Keep Learning’ and ‘Give’.

To claim funding from the Clear project clubs will be asked to:

1. Submit grant application, then once accepted complete training.

2. Seek out a quote for the equipment (quote to be approved by the Clear Project).

3. Pay the chosen supplier directly. Where a club cannot provide sufficient evidence of proper financial processes, the Clear Project will pay for direct invoices/items needed.

4. Submit an invoice made out to the Clear Project for the amount spent, accompanied with the receipt/s as proof of purchase.

If the club does not have the finances, then requests for advance payment will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Any relevant sports club within the Western Trust area can apply for the funding however preference will be given to:

• Groups operating in the top 20% most disadvantaged Super output areas (SOA’s).

• Those with lower capacity.

Please note: The funding award will not be released until all training has been completed, and all paperwork has been returned.  All training must be completed by 31st January 2024.

Closing date for application is Monday 6th November, at 3pm

To apply, please download and complete an application form below:

• Announcement Flyer

• Guidance for Applicants - Process for purchase of Sports Equipment

• Application form 2023

• safeTALK Training Flyer

• Take 5 Flyer

• List of SOA's

Completed application forms and supporting documents will be accepted by email to annemarie@dhcni.com

Skills and Innovation Fund

We are delighted to announce the launch of the second year of the Tacking Textiles Grant: Skills and Innovation. This follows the successful pilot grant last year, where we supported five different projects across Northern Ireland. 

These projects included:

• developing skills within schools and communities around repair and reuse.

• supporting vulnerable groups to access sewing classes. 

• developing innovative online resources to inspire people.

• supporting a local business to bring sewing and repair skills into the community and corporate world.

We are looking for your ideas that support tackling textile waste through waste prevention, reuse, repair and reimagine.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful is administering the grant provided by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) – Waste Prevention Policy Branch to explore ways to reduce the environmental impacts of textiles.

The production, consumption and disposal of clothing and textiles is a growing environmental issue both locally and globally. Across the UK we are throwing away over one million tonnes of textile waste with up to 300,000 tonnes ending up in landfill or incinerated*. 

According to WRAP clothing/textiles has the fourth largest environmental impact after housing, transport, and food.

We are looking for your ideas that help tackle this growing issue.

Value of grants available 

Between £500 to £2,500

We would welcome applications from the following types of organisations:

• Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (under 250 employees)

• Social enterprises

• Charities

• Not for profit organisations 

• Community & voluntary groups 

Currently not open to: 

• School and third level education organisations

• Sports clubs, churches, and youth groups

• Unconstituted groups

• Large enterprises (over 250 employees)

What type of projects will the Tackling Textile – Skills & Innovation Fund? 

We are looking for ideas that support:

1. Waste Prevention

2. Reuse and Repair Models

3. Reimagine 

Waste Prevention 

Materials and design innovation is critical to the future of a circular economy. By preventing waste at the design stage of product development, we can have consumption that is healthier and performs better for our people and the planet.

Reuse/Repair Models 

Reuse and repair are essential in the development of a more circular economy. Reuse of products and materials is more beneficial as it retains a product’s inherent value by keeping it in use for longer. This minimises waste, create jobs, has positive social impact, reduces consumption, and associated carbon impacts.

Reimagine

Climate change is real; we know the impact; we know we must act, and we know that we must make changes to our current model of ‘take-make-dispose.’  We are looking for new ways to tackle the problem of production, consumption, and disposal of textile waste with the aim of creating a more circular textile economy.

For more information and to apply please visit Tackling Textiles - Skills and Innovation Fund (Pilot Programme) (etinu.net)

Closing date for applications is Thursday 9th November 2023 at 5pm

LCCC Hardship Funding Programme 2023/24

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has developed a Hardship Funding Programme to support constituted/legally governed community and voluntary /not for profit organisations to address hardship due to the current cost of living crisis, particularly the increase in energy and food costs.  There is an overall allocation of £140,000 available.

The Hardship Funding Programme is developed in recognition of the difficult financial circumstances which currently exist in the community and voluntary sector, especially in respect of covering basic overheads which have increased substantially in cost.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon Friday 3rd November. Late applications will not be accepted.

This fund aims to assist local grass roots groups to:

• keep their community buildings operational for existing services

• provide additionality in programming for local community/individuals who are facing hardship

• enhance service delivery by keeping facilities open and possibly longer during the autumn/winter months

• provide sustenance and resources for the local community/individuals including supporting or developing community fridge initiatives, addressing fuel poverty, holiday hunger initiatives and/or meal projects

• develop or enhance a community planting scheme for materials to grow and supply perishable goods in their community.

For more information and to apply please visit Hardship Funding Programme (lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk)

Renewable Energy Fund

Sport NI Renewable Energy Fund is a £1million pound National Lottery investment for 2023/24, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of sports clubs throughout Northern Ireland.

The Renewable Energy Fund has one overarching objective:

“To reduce the environmental impact of sports clubs in Northern Ireland.”

However, the programme also has secondary objectives, which reflect commitments made in Sport NI’s Corporate Plan – The Power of Sport (2021-2026), including:

• To reduce the environmental footprint of sports clubs.

• To reduce carbon emissions at sports clubs.

• To contribute to a more sustainable sports club network.

• To create a ‘greener’ sports club sector.

• To save on utility bills and reduce costs, enabling sports clubs to redirect resources back into their clubs/sport.

REMEMBER: any applicant making an application must also complete an Environmental Sustainability Survey to be eligible.

HOW THIS PROGRAMME WILL BE DELIVERED

In 2023/24 the Renewable Energy Fund will operate as a ‘pilot programme’. Subsequently, the ‘pilot’ will not use scoring criteria and applications will not be assessed. The primary purpose of the pilot programme is to provide learning to Sport NI so that we become more knowledgeable about types of energy interventions and their impact, as well as helping to shape future rounds of the Renewable Energy Fund (subject to budget availability).

The application form takes approximately 1-2 minutes to complete. Applications to this Pilot Programme will be selected at random (process outlined in the information and guidance notes), with those selected progressing with project delivery. The programme is being delivered in two main stages:

• Project Development and Project Delivery.

At the Project Development stage, applicants will be required to procure an energy consultant to undertake a ‘building energy survey’ which will identify potential energy projects (more information at Chapter 11). At the development stage the maximum project value will be £3,000.

At the Project Delivery stage, applicants will procure suppliers/contractors to undertake the installation works for the preferred energy project (more information at Chapter 11). At the delivery stage the maximum project value will be £30,000.

WHO CAN APPLY?

The Renewable Energy Fund Pilot Programme will ONLY accept applications from the following organisations who either own or operate their own sports facilities:

• Sports clubs (affiliated to a Sport Northern Ireland recognised governing body of sport).

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS CAN BE FUNDED?

Sport NI are interested in taking forward the following types of energy projects within sports clubs:

• Solar Energy Systems (and ancillary equipment).

• Air Source Heating Systems (and ancillary equipment).

• Ground Source Heating Systems (and ancillary equipment).

• Sustainable Water Recycling Systems.

• Fixed Floodlight Upgrades (Specifically upgrades to LED Bulbs and Connection to Grid).

Sport NI may consider alternative interventions if recommended in your club energy audit, and if the benefits of that intervention have been clearly articulated.

For more information and to apply, please visit Renewable Energy Fund | Sport NI

Deadline 30 October 2023 (4pm).

EA Foundation Offers Funding to Improve Lives of Disadvantaged Communities

The EA Foundation was established in 2021 by the co-founders of Energy Aspects, a data & intelligence company headquartered in the UK. The EA Foundation has been set up to improve the lives of disadvantaged communities around the world. To date, the EA Foundation has received over £5 million of donations, which it will distribute over the coming years.

The funding is intended for charitable projects which align to at least one of the following four funding priorities:

• Provide educational opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged individuals and communities.

• Improve access to basic services and infrastructure to disadvantaged communities, including but not limited to healthcare, clean water and electricity.

• Support people in reduced circumstances, without sufficient means, or those who are experiencing times of need thereby providing important support for the relief of poverty or other forms of disadvantage such as disability.

• Address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development, both and through the pursuit of the other key areas of focus.

There is no specified upper or lower grant limits. However, based on the Foundation’s current giving trends to date, the grants approved have averaged between £20,000 - £50,000 for an average duration of 12-24 months. Applicants are encouraged to operate a full cost recovery mode by including all relevant costs of their project in the budget, including proportionate costs of overheads related to the effective delivery of the project.

UK-based charitable entities can apply. Applications will be considered from a diverse range of organisations irrespective of turnover.

The deadline for applications is 6 November 2023 (12 noon BST).

For more information please visit Home (ea-foundation.org.uk)

Funding to Help Disadvantaged Groups to Improve their Communication Skills (UK)

The Thomas Wall Trust is accepting applications from UK charities with a turnover of £10,000 to £500,000 that have been registered with the Charity Commission for at least three years.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available, and the Trust can support annual repeat funding for up to three years.

The funding will support a project or running costs for a charity that equips disadvantaged people (aged 18 and over) with the communication skills ready for employment.

Priority will be given to:

• Match funded projects.

• Charities that can provide compelling evidence of impact.

• Charities working with collaborative networks.

• Self-sustainable projects, with a view to becoming less reliant on grants in the future.

There is particular interest in hearing from groups supporting people experiencing multiple deprivation or major hurdles to employment including women, people with physical, mental or learning disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers.

There is a two-stage application process.

The deadline for stage one applications is 8 January 2024 for consideration in March 2024.

For more information please visit Thomas Wall Trust | Thomas Wall Trust

Community Benefit Funds administered on behalf of CFNI

The following Community Benefits are open for applications, closing date is 10th November at 1pm;

• Long Mountain Community Benefit Fund - Long Mountain Community Benefit Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

• Rathsherry Community Benefit Fund - Rathsherry Community Benefit Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

• Thornog Community Benefit Fund - Thornog Community Benefit Fund - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

Micro grants of up to £3,000 for small projects

Strategic grants of £30,000 over a 2-year period for larger scale strategic partnership projects, with one lead applicant.

The fund welcomes applications from constituted community and voluntary groups that address the following 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

More information is available in the following link - Available Grants - Community Foundation Northern Ireland (communityfoundationni.org)

The Pink Ribbon Foundation

Any charity working in the field of breast cancer can apply for a grant.

To be considered for a grant in 2024, please submit your grant application to the Foundation by Friday 31st May 2024. Grants are awarded annually in late July. Please note the following:

• All applicants must be prepared to inform the Foundation of their projects progress at least twice in the year of the grant, unless it is to be used for a specific event then only one report is required.

• A set of your most current accounts must accompany any grant application.

• All organisations awarded a grant must send an email of grant award recognition to the Foundation as soon as they are in receipt of the grant.

For more information and to apply, please visit The Pink Ribbon Foundation

LCCC Hardship Funding Programme 2023/24

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has developed a Hardship Funding Programme to support constituted/legally governed community and voluntary /not for profit organisations to address hardship due to the current cost of living crisis, particularly the increase in energy and food costs.  There is an overall allocation of £140,000 available.

The Hardship Funding Programme is developed in recognition of the difficult financial circumstances which currently exist in the community and voluntary sector, especially in respect of covering basic overheads which have increased substantially in cost.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon Friday 3rd November. Late applications will not be accepted.

For more information and to apply, please click on the link: https://www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/resident/community-services/community-grants/hardship-fund

Kellogg’s School Breakfast Club Grants Accepting Applications for Autumn 2023 Funding Round

Kellogg’s, in partnership with Forever Manchester, is offering grants of up to £1,000 to schools across the UK to help fund breakfast clubs and ensure that children who need it most receive a morning meal.

Priority will be given to schools that either:

• Have 35% and above of children eligible for pupil premium funding (for England) and eligible for free school meals (Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales); or

• Are based in an area which is classified as falling in the 10% of most deprived areas according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Only one grant per school in each academic year is available. A limited number of grants are available, and the fund may close at short notice if oversubscribed.

Applications can be submitted at any time.

For more information and to apply, please visit Grants For Schools | Kellogg's (kelloggs.co.uk)

Applications Invited for Arts Council of Northern Ireland Commissioning Programme

Funding is available for arts organisations in Northern Ireland to support the costs of new commissions for specific performances and/or other forms of public presentation.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland's Commissioning Programme is intended to enable organisations to produce 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.

Priority will be given to 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.

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

Grants of up to £25,000 are available for projects taking place between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024.

The grant supports fees paid to the artist(s) by the commissioning organisation. All other costs relating to the rehearsal, production, presentation, exhibition or dissemination of the commissioned work must be borne by the commissioner.

In addition to the maximum amount permitted, the Arts Council will also consider access costs specifically relating to the making of work by D/deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent artists. An amount of up to £3,000 each year is available within the grant for such successful applicants.

The deadline for applications 1 November 2023 (12 noon).

For more information and to apply, please visit National Lottery Commissioning Programme | Arts Council NI (artscouncil-ni.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.

BCPP Closing Dates 2023/24

R45 - Level 1 Thursday 12th October 2023

R45 - Level 2 Thursday 9th November 2023

R46 - Level 1 Thursday 29th February 2024

R46 - Level 2 Thursday 21st March 2024

Level 1 Application Pack - Click here

Level 2 Application Pack - Click here

Please visit Building the Community-Pharmacy Partnership Programme | Community Development and Health Network (cdhn.org) for more information.

A Million & Me – Big Sky Programme

BBC Children in Need is here to make sure that every child has the childhood they deserve and the support they need to thrive.

Our A Million & Me fund supports children aged 8-13 years old. It focuses on their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

This fund aims to provide support at an early stage, before mental health problems are established.

As part of this programme, we focused on the impact of geographic isolation on children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health. Research by the Centre for Mental Health (report) highlights the voices of children are often absent from consultations. Dedicated support and funding should be allocated to reaching children in remote communities.

The Big Sky programme has been developed in response to these needs.

Grants are for early intervention approaches. These grants will support the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children aged 8-13 years living in spatially isolated communities.

• This is an invite only programme for organisations working in rural, remote and island areas.

• As applications are by invitation only, they will be developed through conversations with BBC Children in Need teams in each of the 4 nations and draws on our local knowledge and insight.

• We are committed to funding grassroot organisations across the UK, providing those vital positive relationships that support good emotional wellbeing and mental health.

• Funding of up to £5,000 will be awarded although we expect there to be mix in the range of grants awarded.

• Organisations can apply for up to 2 years, with no application deadlines. Applications must fit within BBC CiN localised funding plans and rural identifiers developed at a local level. Contact details for local teams are here.

• Applicants may already hold a grant with us but we are keen to target organisations and groups that have not been funded by us.

• Organisations will only be able to hold one Big Sky grant.

For more information, please visit Big Sky Programme - BBC Children in Need

Shared Island Civic Society Fund

The Shared Island Civic Society Fund is now open for applications.

This initiative will up to make 1 million euro available in January 2024 to organisations working on North South projects across a range of sectors.

The application form can be downloaded here . On completion, please submit the form and accompanying documentation via email to sharedislandcsfund@dfa.ie.

Applications for funding under the Shared Island Civic Society Fund will be accepted from Monday, 25th September 2023 until 1PM on Monday, 23th October 2023.

For more information, please visit Shared Island Civic Society Fund - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)

Teiges Mountain Wind Farm Community Fund

Is your community project located within 5km of Teiges Mountain Wind Farm? If yes your group may be eligible to apply for a grant from the Teiges Mountain Wind Farm Fund.

 For further information CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES (please read the guidelines carefully prior to preparing and submitting an application)

1.  REVENUE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME application form - offering grants up to £2000 towards: community activities, venue improvements / minor capital works, recurring costs for a programme.

2.  STRATEGIC PROJECTS REVENUE GRANTS application form - (up to a maximum of £5000 pa over 1-3 year period) working with a range of organisations across the Area of Benefit, which will make a significant contribution to community life. We would particularly welcome strategic applications which will make a significant contribution to these themes; - reduction in crime / anti-social behaviour, community first aid, defibrillator initiative, hosting of cross-community events, improve access to services via a community volunteer driver scheme, environmental improvements, increasing access to the natural environment, renewable energy, improving mental health.

Nb - an organisation can only hold one grant award from the Fund at any one time. Partnership applications which include an organisation in receipt of another grant at the time will be considered. The Fermanagh Trust will not discuss, or fund applications submitted by professional fundraising consultants on behalf of local groups. We are committed to building the capacity of grass roots organisation's and are here to help voluntary committee members directly.

Closing date for applications is 12 noon Monday 6th November 2023.

For further information:
Tel: 028 66320210 or email: edel@fermanaghtrust.org

Website - Teiges Mountain Wind Farm Community Fund - Fermanagh Trust

Cornavarrow and Slieveglass Wind Farms Community Benefit Funds

Is your community organisation / project located within 5km of either the Cornvarrow or Slieveglass Wind Farm? If yes your group may be eligible to apply for a grant from the Cornavarrow and Slieveglass Wind Farm Community Benefit Funds.

For further information CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES (please read the guidelines carefully prior to preparing and submitting an application)

Application Forms:

1.  REVENUE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME application form - offering grants up to a maximum of £4000. It is envisaged the majority of grants will normally be awarded up to £2000, towards: community activities, venue improvements / minor capital works, recurring costs for a programme.

2.  STRATEGIC PROJECTS REVENUE GRANTS application form - (up to a maximum of £5000 pa over 1-3 year period) working with a range of organisations across the Area of Benefit, which will make a significant contribution to community life. We would particularly welcome strategic applications which will make a significant contribution to these themes; - Community Education Classes; Community First Aid / Defibrillator Initiative – aimed at improving access and support; Organising / Hosting Cross-Community Events; Improve access to services, via a Community Volunteer Driver Scheme; Environmental improvements; Renewable Energy; Improving Mental Health.

For the Cornavarrow Wind Farm only

3.  STRATEGIC CAPITAL LEGACY PROJECTS application form - providing grant aid up to £25,000 per annum, over a five year period or equivalent amount over a longer period, which will make a significant contribution to improving the health and wellbeing of the local community. An initial outline application requesting support towards a strategic capital project will be considered. If successful in passing this first stage of the application process – the project promoter will then be invited to go to the second stage of the process. To be considered for this funding, on submission of the Full application the project promoter must have the necessary statutory permissions in place.

Nb - an organisation can only hold one grant award from the Fund at any one time. Partnership applications which include an organisation in receipt of another grant at the time will be considered. The Fermanagh Trust will not discuss, or fund applications submitted by professional fundraising consultants on behalf of local groups. We are committed to building the capacity of grass roots organisation's and are here to help voluntary committee members directly.

Closing date for applications is 12 noon Monday 6th November 2023.

For further information:
Tel: 028 66320210 or email: edel@fermanaghtrust.org

Website - Cornavarrow and Slieveglass Wind Farms Community Benefit Funds - Fermanagh Trust

Growth Impact Fund for Social Enterprises

The Growth Impact Fund provides social investment for early stage, growing social purpose organisations. Investment is made to organisations that are:

• Led by diverse leaders and teams.

• Looking to grow their trading income.

• Committed to helping tackle inequality.

The fund hopes to tackle the structural barriers to social investment, as highlighted by the Adebowale Commission, which found that despite £600m of public investment since 2010, the social investment market remained unchanged. In the first 5 years, we hope that:

• 120 Social Purpose Organisations can access support and we hope to make 50-60 investments. We anticipate this averaging out to between 10 - 15 investments a year (depending on size).

• 480,000 people per year can benefit from the Social Purpose Organisations that we support

• Social Investment market changes as a result, and we will be sharing our learnings from the fund publicly through our blog and wider publications to support this.

For more information please visit Apply for investment - Investing for impact. Made for diverse-led organisations (growthimpactfund.org.uk)

Core Funding Scheme

The Community Relations Council is inviting applications to our Core Funding Scheme 2024/25.

Applications open at 1 PM Monday 2 October 2023 and will close at 4 PM Friday 17 November 2023.

If you require further assistance, please speak to a member of the Funding and Development team.

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.

Key Principles of the Core Funding Scheme

1. The work must be intentional.

Regardless of the grant scheme, a programme must have a clear good relations purpose from the outset with deliberate and planned activities which directly address sectarianism.

2. It must address an identified good relations need. 

All applications must be able to clearly demonstrate the good relations need they want to address and how they have identified this need.

Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC)

Applicants are required to outline the outcome in Together: Building a United Community to which the proposed project will contribute.

The Together: Building a United Community Strategy, published on 23 May 2013, reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.

Information Sessions

CRC has organised a number of online information sessions at which further guidance on the Core Funding Scheme and the application process will be given. At these sessions, organisations will also have opportunities to ask questions relating to the Core Funding Scheme.

The information sessions will be held as follows:

• Tuesday 10 October 2023 at 11-12.30 PM

• Wednesday 11 October 2023 at 11-12.30 PM

To register for either of the sessions please contact Paul Killen at the following email address: pkillen@nicrc.org.uk

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