Your weekly funding news and deadlines update from GrantTracker.
Funding News
Ulster Garden Villages: The Common Fund
Ulster Garden Villages Limited primarily allocates funds to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of people in Northern Ireland. As one of the largest grant-making trusts in Northern Ireland UGV gives grants totalling in the region of £1.5m each year. The main objectives to which funds may be allocated are: Health, Disadvantaged sections of our society, Young people, Culture and heritage, and the Environment. The next round of grant applications is now open and will close at midday on 9th August 2023.
Colmcille is a partnership between Foras na Gaeilge in Ireland and Bòrd na Gàidhlig in Scotland. This scheme aims to promote relations between the language communities of Scottish and Irish Gaeilge and to strengthen Scottish and Irish Gaelic through these relations. Colmcille has three schemes funded: 1) Small grant scheme for carrying out research and planning joint initiatives, 2) Colmcille grant scheme to fund projects (Colmcille's main grant scheme), and 3) Sparrow scheme to help people learn Scottish Gaelic. Applications accepted until December 31st, 2023.
visitBelfast: Belfast & Northern Ireland Conference Support Scheme
Belfast has a financial support scheme available to help offset the costs of your business meeting, conference, or event. The ‘Belfast and Northern Ireland Conference Support Scheme’ has awards ranging from £5,000 to £100,000 to support events taking place in the city. Their association support scheme is open to not-for-profit organisations which can be used for events taking place between 2023-2030. The scheme is funded by Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council and administered by Visit Belfast.
Film Hub NI: FAN Film Exhibition Fund
The Film Exhibition Fund aims to support Hub members to reach new and diverse audiences and offer the best independent film and broader screen experiences to their local communities. Members can apply for £200 to £4,000 to support audience-facing screening projects and funding is open to all Film Hub NI members except those organisation in receipt of FHNI strategic awards. Learn more about FHNI membership here. Application deadline 1 January 2024.
SSGT: Family Matters Grant Programme
St. Stephen's Green Trust (SSGT), an independent social justice grant-maker working across the island of Ireland, will contribute funding towards improving the system of support for families affected by convictions and imprisonment to improve rehabilitation and resettlement outcomes. Applications accepted from non-profit groups across the island; you do not have to be a registered charity. Funding Strand 1 for one-year grants of up to €7,000/£6,000 testing new approaches and adds value to current systems to improve the situation for families. Strand 2 will fund groups up to €25,000/£21,500 pa for one to three years which are working strategically towards the programme outcomes. Deadline 21 September 2023.
Coutts Foundation is an independent corporate foundation supported by Coutts. The mission of the Coutts Foundation is to support sustainable approaches to tackle the causes and consequences of poverty. The Foundation currently focuses on work that supports vulnerable women and girls and work that empowers young people through the performing arts. They do not accept unsolicited proposals for funding but do operate a contact system to bring projects that align with their mission to their attention.
Upcoming Deadlines
The Marc Fitch Fund is an educational charity which makes small grants towards the costs of publishing scholarly work in the fields of British and Irish national, regional and local history, archaeology, antiquarian studies, historical geography, the history of art and architecture, heraldry, genealogy and surname studies, archival research, artefact conservation and the broad fields of the heritage, conservation and the historic environment. Next deadline 1 August 2023.
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) can provide grants to help with assessing the viability of a capital project involving a building, or to help fund development costs. Next deadline 4 August 2023. In Northern Ireland, Project Viability Grants for up to £10,000 and Project Development Grants for up to £20,000 can currently be made, with a focus on villages, and will be assessed on a monthly basis.
Social Enterprise NI: Social Enterprise Awards
The awards, organised by Social Enterprise Northern Ireland, celebrate the amazing work and impact of social enterprises across the region. A wide range of categories to nominate local enterprises for individuals, teams, and collaborations. Winners will be revealed on Friday 27th October 2023 at an award ceremony in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shaws Bridge Belfast, hosted by BBC radio presenter and Social Enterprise NI ambassador Cate Conway. New extended deadline 6 August 2023 (midnight).
James Brown & Sons Community Fund
The James Brown & Sons Community Fund provides charities and not-for-profit organisations who represent communities within a three-mile radius of James Brown & Sons located on Belfast’s Newtownards Road, Lisburn Road, Knockbreda Road, and Dundonald, Newtownabbey and Whiteabbey, can apply for grants of between £300 and £1,500. Funding aims to address the needs of the most disadvantaged by groups which are led by people who demonstrate a clear understanding of community need. Next deadline 7 August 2023 (noon).
BBC Children in Need: Emergency Essentials
BBC Children in Need Emergency Essentials Programme supports children and young people who are facing exceptionally difficult circumstances. Delivered by Family Fund Business Services, the programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items or services critical to a child’s wellbeing. All applications must be made by a registered referrer with applications being processed within 10 working days.
Fundraising Training
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
Events
Meet the Fundraising Regulator - In Person | NICVA
This session in NICVA with Fundraising Regulator is an opportunity to hear more about their work, the guidance they provide and how they can support you. It is also a chance to hear about their upcoming review of the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Resources
Explore the Fundraising Hub for a wide range of resources to support your fundraising journey. A few are below:
NICVA encourages organisations to follow the Code of Fundraising Practice. This article provides information about The Code and The Fundraising Regulator.
An overview of the fundraising series and links to six resources that were developed from the training sessions. To help share and disseminate the knowledge learnt.
NICVA hosted the #Digitalfundraising series, consisting of 6 webinars. This article provides the webinar recordings and resources as well as other resources linked to the topic of digital fundraising.
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.
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.