Funding News – 14 October 2024
Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
Commonweal Housing: Call for New Ideas - Migration, Asylum and Human Trafficking
The Call for New Ideas is an invitation to not-for-profits across the UK to bring them new and imaginative ideas for housing and support models that seek to address a specific social injustice. Up-to three applicants will receive between £5,000-£10,000 in grant funding. This money is for you to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate your model. For this Call for New Ideas, they are only looking for ideas that tackle injustice faced by vulnerable migrants, those in the asylum system and survivors of trafficking. All applications must require a property acquisition element, as the intention is for Commonweal to acquire property to deliver the project in partnership with you. Submit your proposal by email before 4 November 2024 (5pm).
Department for Communities (DfC): Historic Environment Fund
The Fund has been set up by the Department to stimulate action across the historic environment to help communities to enjoy and realise the value of the historic environment. Divided into four streams, the Heritage Repair stream is focused on the repair of roofs and windows. Applications for up to £8k or 15k per building (non- thatched and thatched buildings respectively) are invited based upon compliance with the terms of this stream, for works in 2025-26. Support in 2025-26 will be subject to confirmation of budget in that year. Accepting applications until 27 November 2024 (5pm).
Institute of Physics (IOP) Ireland Outreach Grants
IOP Ireland awards funding from €100-€1,000 to support outreach activities and initiatives in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The IOP Ireland Outreach Grant Scheme has recently been updated to support the Limit Less campaign, a programme that encourages young people under-represented in the physics community to continue studying physics beyond the age of 16. Applications are accepted from individuals and organisations and those in the arts, community and media sectors who may have an interest in or link to physics. Aims include raising public awareness of, and engagement with, contemporary physics and inspiring and enthusing public audiences, especially those not previously interested in physics such as young people in under-represented groups within physics (those who identify as girls/women, LGBT+, Black Caribbean, disabled, and from disadvantaged backgrounds) and their influencers beyond the classroom. Deadline 29 November 2024.
Derry City and Strabane District Council funding
Derry City and Strabane District Council has the following funds opening soon for applications: Community Festival Fund 2025-26, Christmas Event Fund 2025-26, Headline Events Fund 2025-26, Access Programme for Cultural Organisations 2025-26, Artist & Cultural Practitioner Awards Fund 2025-26, and Heritage Animation & Visitor Servicing Programme 2025-26. Open 14 October 2024 (10:00am). Deadline 15 November 2024 (noon).
Music for All’s round 4 opening soon
Music for All is a charity promoting music making in the UK and Ireland. The next round of its Community Project Funding Programme opens on 18th October 2024. Grants of up to £2,000 are available to community groups and formal/informal education settings that support projects working with people with learning and cognitive challenges, individuals facing financial hardship, underprivileged children aged 0-4 years, those with physical mobility, coordination, and/or accessibility needs, and choral groups.
Community Foundation Northern Ireland Community Benefit Funds
The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland is administering funds that will provide support local projects to educate, raise awareness and demonstrate community involvement in work that promotes environmental issues and healthier lifestyles. Applications are now open for community organisations located within a designated distance of the windfarms listed: Corby Knowe Community Benefit Fund, Cloonty Community Benefit Fund, Dunbeg Community Benefit Fund, Carn Hill Community Benefit Fund, Monnaboy Community Benefit Fund, Dunmore Community Benefit Fund, Brockaghboy Community Benefit Fund, Long Mountain Community Benefit Fund, Rathsherry Community Benefit Fund, and Thornog Community Benefit Fund. Funding levels vary from up to £2,500 through to up to £7,500 or £9,000 (partnership bids). Various deadlines early November 2024. See individual schemes.
Upcoming Deadlines
JustGiving Digital Learning Grant
Thanks to JustGiving, Fundraising Everywhere are offering 200 fundraisers an opportunity to learn, network, and get 1:1 support to boost their digital fundraising skills and confidence. The scheme is open to fundraisers worldwide as all their live and on-demand training is done online so you can join in from wherever you are. They’ll kick things off with an online call with all of the successful applicants on January 7th to show you around, answer any questions, and help you get to know each other. Then it’s up to you to spend time each week to engage with the training available and apply it to your work. Deadline 15 October 2024.
BBC Children in Need: Pudsey Next Steps
The Pudsey Next Steps funding programme will help achieve greater equity, diversity and inclusion in their grant-making. The first round of Pudsey Next Steps is for new applicants to BBC Children in Need with an annual income of £100,000 or less. The minimum you can apply for is £3,000 (£1,000 per year). In Northern Ireland, the Pudsey Next Steps programme welcomes applications from organisations which are either: Situated in Strabane and Rural County Fermanagh that target marginalised children and young people impacted by poverty. Or reaching racially minoritised children and young people impacted by poverty, outside of the Belfast area. Expressions of Interest deadline 16 October 2024 (11:59am).
The Ann McGeeney Trust Fund for women – looking back, reaching forward
In 2024, the Ann McGeeney Trust Fund and the Women’s Fund for Northern Ireland have partnered to offer funding opportunities for individual women who require a small amount of financial aid to support them towards fulfilling their potential. The fund will provide bursaries to individuals to help build resilience, remove barriers to employment and training, and/or build on opportunities they may have to achieve a positive future. Applicants will preferably be affiliated to a constituted community/women’s group and have the support of that organisation, however, if you are not, you will still be eligible to apply. Apply via Community Foundation Northern Ireland’s application portal by 17 October 2024 (1pm).
NIMC: Playful Museums Festival 2025
This grant scheme aims to support activities that promote playful museum spaces, and programming for children under 5. All grant-funded activities should take place during February 2025 to coincide with the Playful Museums Festival. Accredited NI Museums Council Members can apply for up to £500. Deadline 18 October 2024 (5pm).
Arts & Business NI: Investment Programme
The Investment Programme invests in mutually beneficial partnerships between businesses and the arts by supporting arts organisations in developing sustainable relationships with the private sector. All applications must be new or existing partnerships between an arts/cultural organisation and a business in Northern Ireland. This fund is open to both A&BNI members and non-members. They can award up to £15,000 match-funding to the lead arts partner in a financial year; a partnership can receive investment a maximum of 2 times. Open 5 times a year, deadlines for 2024/25 are midnight on 3 November 2024 and 26 January 2025.
Fundraising Support
Events
19 November 2024, 10am to 1pm; In-person at NICVA
Cost: £55 (NICVA Members) or £70 (non-NICVA members)
Described as your written argument as to why you deserve to be funded, a compelling Case for Support can be a powerful tool to secure funding. This 3-hour session in NICVA aims to support those responsible for fundraising within voluntary and community organisations and who are unfamiliar with the use of Cases for Support in their work.
Fundraising Clinics
These popular clinics offer NICVA a free, one-hour tailored session addressing your fundraising needs. Clinics can be arranged by contacting Jocelyn Horton, Fundraising Advice Officer at [email protected].
Fundraising Hub
Explore the Fundraising Hub for a wide range of articles and resources to support your fundraising journey. A few are below:
Read the latest update to our Guest Blog from The Chartered Institute of Fundraising in Northern Ireland and find out how you can get involved with their upcoming Mentoring Programme. This highly rated programme will offer participants a one-to-one mentoring relationship with skilled and highly experienced fundraisers over 18 months.
Every year charities in the UK lose out on £564 million as in Gift Aid goes unclaimed. Find out how you can make Gift Aid work better for you.
Passive income and Micro donations
If you're looking to raise income for your organisation with little effort and make the most of very small donations, we've rounded up some of the options available to you.
Supporting the Planet and Your Organisation
Earth Day is celebrated annually on 22 April. But did you know you can encourage donors to support your work while taking environmental action? There are a few options out there to generate additional income for your work or save you the expense by encouraging your supporters and donors to take action on your behalf.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion in your grant applications
This resource outlines some reasons behind funders wanting organisations to address EDI in the applications alongside advice on broaching the topic in writing, getting started on your journey and where you can find further information on this topic.
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.