This Week's Funding News – 21st February 2022

Your weekly funding news and deadlines update from GrantTracker.

Funding news this week

Department of Health: Advance Care Planning Seeds Grants

This new Seed Grant programme offers supports for creative responses from communities across Northern Ireland seeking to reflect on their experience of the pandemic and plan ahead. Grants up to £2,000. Deadline 12pm(noon) on 4th March 2022.

The Henry Smith Charity - Holiday Grants for Children 2022

The purpose of the Holiday Grants programme is to provide access to recreational trips or holidays for groups of children who experience disadvantage or who have disabilities.  Please note the removal of temporary changes made last year to funding.  Grants between £500 to £2,500.

NI Policing Board: Police Property Fund Grants Scheme

The Police Property Fund is made up of assets recovered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as a result of criminal investigations. The Police (Property) Regulations 1997 provide for the Policing Board to make payments to organisations for charitable purposes from the Fund. Grants between £1000 and £10,000.

Belfast City Council – Two Capital project funding schemes currently open

  • Vacant to Vibrant Capital Grant - Through this capital grant, property owners, businesses and organisations wishing to renovate or repurpose a vacant space could apply. Expression of Interest deadline 4pm on 28 February 2022.
  • Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund - A new £8 million fund has been set up to help groups from across Belfast deliver capital projects in their neighbourhoods. Aiming to help groups deliver physical development projects for real, long term differences in their communities, projects must fit within one of three themes: social economy, environmental sustainability, or neighbourhood tourism. May 2022 deadline.

Scops Arts Trust

The goal of Scops Arts Trust is to give people of all ages a better quality of life by enabling them to understand, participate in and simply enjoy the arts, particularly music, drama, opera and dance. They award one-off grants and also consider multi-year funding. The next grant round will open on 12 April and more information will be posted on their website nearer the time.

Upcoming deadlines

Don’t forget about our featured funder - The Big Give: The Green Match Fund

The Green Match Fund is a match funding campaign for charities which are working on environmental issues as part of their core mission. All public donations made to participating charities via theBigGive.org.uk during the week of the campaign (22-29 April) will be matched up to a specific amount.  Each participating charity will be awarded a ring-fenced amount of match funding which will be used to match public donations - either £2,500, £5,000 or £10,000. Deadline 25th February 2022. Further information about the Big Give can be found in our webinar Introduction to the Big Give webinar | NICVA.

Food for Life Get Togethers: Small Grants

Food for Life Get Togethers aim to connect and bring together people of all ages and from different backgrounds through good food to get more people eating healthily, strengthen our communities and reduce experience of loneliness and social isolation.  Offer small grants of £150.

Deadline is 5pm on 22 February 2022.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest dedicated funder of heritage in the UK. They distribute National Lottery grants from £3,000 to over £5million, funding projects that sustain and transform the UK's heritage.

Application deadline for grants over £250,000 is 12pm(noon) on 24th February 2022.

Money Saving Expert Charity

The MSE Charity is funded by Money Saving Expert. The MSE Charity is dedicated to supporting UK voluntary groups and organisations delivering financial life skills, which make a lasting impact on the way people think, behave & manage their money.

Deadline for the Living with Long-term Challenges scheme is 25th February 2022.

Art Work - Covid Recovery: Employment and Skills Initiative for the Arts Sector

The Covid Recovery - Employment and Skills Initiative provides support for individuals to enter into the Arts, Creative Industries, Sport, Heritage, Voluntary and Community sectors in Northern Ireland. A grant to fund the salary and associated costs of a new entry level position for 3 years and an additional and optional grant of up to £3,000 to fund skills and development needs of the newly appointed staff.

Future Screens NI for the Arts sector deadline 12pm(noon) on 25th February 2022.

Fermanagh Recreational Trust

The Fermanagh Recreational Trust supports the organisation, development and funding of sporting activities and facilities in Co. Fermanagh with particular emphasis on young people and youth development.

Next deadline is 5pm on 28th February 2022.

Articles and Resources

Halifax Foundation NI reflects on the past two years and the future | NICVA

Find out from Brenda McMullan, Executive Director of the Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland what this local funder has been doing over the past two years. 

#DigitalFundraising Webinars

The recordings from NICVA’s #DigitalFundraising Webinar Series 2021 are now available on the following links where you can also find out more about:

Limited Time Offer for Northern Ireland Organisations - Supported Giving have kindly offered a 3-month trial period for QR Codes until the end of April 2022 for Northern Ireland organisations. Contact [email protected] to discuss next steps.

The BigGive

If you missed out on the Introduction to the BigGive, catch up in our webinar resource (click link) and find out more about their online matched funding platform.

Upcoming Fundraising Training

Develop your fundraising skills and support your organisations long-term stability with our training:

Remember bespoke training sessions are available on request.

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 here.