Your weekly funding news and deadlines update from GrantTracker.
Funding News
The National Lottery Community Fund Strategy 2023 – 2030 launched
The National Lottery Community Fund’s new strategy ‘It starts with community’, has launched and sets their ambitions as a funder from now until 2030. They want to make a bigger difference in the years ahead, both by listening and responding to communities, and being more focused on supporting the greatest impact. Thanks to National Lottery players, they plan to distribute at least £4 billion of funding by 2030. Their funding will focus on: supporting communities to come together, supporting communities to be more environmentally sustainable, supporting communities to help children and young people thrive, and supporting communities to enable people to live healthier lives. They will share more information about the delivery and implementation plans for the new priorities before April 2024.
The annual Social Enterprise Awards has opened for entries. This year applicants will submit entries using the brand NEW awards platform. As an applicant you will be able to register an account via the new user-friendly portal, upload files quickly, save your award application, revisit it as often as you like before submitting your entry in a simple, streamlined way. This user friendly system will ensure the best experience and remove some of the stress that comes when submitting applications via email. They are 100% sure that the participants in this year’s awards, entrants, nominees & judges will save much more time using this reliable and secure system. They invite you to join them for an interactive training session on Wednesday 14 June. Please register your place now: https://bit.ly/43tnHVX.
Creative Communities on a Shared Island
The Creative Communities on a Shared Island initiative seeks to build on the experience and expertise of local authorities’ existing strategic north-south and east-west (Ireland-Britain) ambitions and transform them into a collaborative network across the island of Ireland. It intends to recognise and utilise the inherent creativity of all who live on the island of Ireland. A total of €2.25 million will be provided under the fund and it is envisaged that the following amounts will be allocated: Strand 1: 4 x €250,000 (At least 1 grant will be awarded to a partnership specific to the border region); Strand 2: 25 x €50,000. Deadline 30 June 2023 (5pm).
Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund
The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund has evolved with the aims of both Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Museums Association, see their impact report. They are launching a new phase the fund for 2023 onwards. The new phase includes supporting strategic aims of the applicants in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion, offering core funding to museums, and enhancing their learning from grantees and share this with the wider museum sector. Expressions of Interest deadline 13 September 2023.
Royal Society of Chemistry: Inclusion and Diversity Fund: Socioeconomic Inclusion special call
Royal Society of Chemistry, member-led groups, primary and secondary educators, researchers in academia or industry, museums, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, arts groups, and libraries. Up to £5,000 available for projects to improve socioeconomic inclusion & accessibility within the chemical sciences. Deadline 16 July 2023.
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland: Micro Community Investment Fund reopens
The fund will provide valuable investment for community initiatives making a difference in towns and villages across Northern Ireland. The fund will enable those organisations who are making the lives of others in their communities better, by improving their financial, physical, and mental wellbeing. They want to support smaller, grassroots organisations delivering great work. For this reason, whilst groups with an income of up to £30,000 per annum are eligible to apply preference will be given to groups with an income of up to £10,000. Community Investments available: Up to £2,000
Upcoming Deadlines
British Academy: SHAPE Involve and Engage
The British Academy is pleased to launch a pilot funding scheme to support ambitious projects to engage the public with the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £8,000, offer an exciting opportunity for humanities and social sciences researchers to push boundaries and seek imaginative new ways to engage with the public. They are looking for researchers from across the UK to deliver innovative public engagement projects working in partnership with a gallery, archive, library or museum (GLAM organisation). Deadline 28 June 2023 (5pm).
The Trust specialises in creating opportunities and supporting disabled people who want to play tennis. The Trust provide specialist wheelchairs for individuals, clubs, special schools and centres running disability programmes and also provide equipment/coaching kitbags for coaches, clubs, special schools, disability groups and associations. Please note that the Trust supports people with all disabilities, (e.g., physical impairment, deaf, learning disability, visually impaired etc). Next deadline 13 June 2023.
The bank aims to support over 70 charities this year through the fund. The bank is asking its customers, employees and the wider public in Northern Ireland to nominate registered charities that connect with causes that matter most to them. For 2022, in the UK, there were four awardees who each received £15,000 and six runners up who each received £5,000. Nominations close 14 June 2023.
The Hospital Saturday Fund will consider giving grants to registered medical health charities within the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland towards medical capital projects, medical care or research, and in support of medical training. Standard grants of up to £2,000 or €3,000 or Large grants to up to £10,000 or €13,500 (please note this is the maximum sum that HSF will grant). Next deadline - Large grant 15 June 2023.
Fundraising Training
Cost of Living Fundraising Series for May and June – FREE
NICVA's Fundraising Advice is delighted to be able to offer a wide range of FREE training sessions as part of our response to the Cost of Living Crisis throughout May and June. With a wide range of topics and a variety of trainers, you can sign up to any or all of the sessions and enhance your fundraising knowledge. One person per organisations (additional people will be added to the reserves list).
- A Practical Guide to Completing Funding Applications - 14 June 1pm-4pm ONLINE with Jocelyn Horton, Fundraising Advice Officer, NICVA
To read more about past training events visit:
- Developing a Fundraising Strategy - summary and presentation
- Building Support from Donors and Volunteer Fundraisers - summary and presentation
- Developing Corporate Partnerships - event summary
- The Pilgrim Trust and their Young Women’s Mental Health programme – event summary and presentation
- Introduction to Social Enterprises - event summary
NEW - Free Online Introductory Fundraising Workshops for NICVA Members
Throughout Autumn 2023, we will host a series of FREE workshops for NICVA members introducing a different fundraising topic or aspect of fundraising.
These sessions are an opportunity to find out about an area of fundraising that's new to you, top up your existing knowledge, or be a snapshot into an element of fundraising you'd like to explore. Each workshop is led by NICVA’s Fundraising Advice Officer.
Upcoming Topics
Fundraising Clinics – June 2023
These popular, free fundraising advice clinics provide members with an hour-long chance to discuss and address specific fundraising needs and can be delivered online, over the telephone or face-to-face.
In June, there will be three slots available in total on the following dates – 20th, 21st, 27th or 28th June 2023. Find out more and secure your slot here.
These Clinics are part of our response to the Cost of Living Crisis, supported by the Department for Communities.
Fundraising Hub
NICVA Fundraising Advice has a range of articles from contributors supporting fundraising alongside a range of topics. See a few below:
Guest Blogs
Celia Currie, Stakeholder and Policy Manager for Northern Ireland, reflects on the importance of volunteers in fundraising and why it's important for charities to understand what type of fundraising is being carried out.
Guest Blog: The Chartered Institute of Fundraising in Northern Ireland | NICVA
Paul Montgomery, Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Northern Ireland gives an overview of the work they do and how you can get involved. Plus, Paul invites you to celebrate and recognise the incredible work of local fundraisers in the Northern Ireland Fundraising Awards 2023.
Mark Creaney, from The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF), talks about how the largest community funder across the UK is supporting communities who are seeking to minimise their impact on the environment.
Get ahead with GrantTracker and access over 1000 funding schemes in NI's leading database. Just £100 a year for NICVA members and £145 for non-members. Sign up here.