Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
Halifax Foundation for NI: COLLABORATE Programme
The COLLABORATE programme is open to 2 or more charities coming together to tackle a social issue at a local level. All collaborating charities must have individual income levels of £500,000 or less. Grants available of up to £20,000, 12 month grant. Your charity must support people in greatest need. For example, supporting people living in poverty; those who are unemployed; those with disabilities or mental ill health, etc. The programme is now open for applications however, you must arrange a pre-application meeting prior to completing an application. Contact [email protected] to arrange. NICVA will deliver group and one to one training for those who wish to avail of this funding. Their next session takes place on Thursday 20th February 2025. To book your place, follow this link – Masterclass in collaboration: Elevate your impact | NICVA.
City & Guilds Foundation: Local Community Skills Fund now open
The Local Community Skills Fund aims to support a wide range of initiatives that will make a positive impact on communities across the UK. This could include anything from setting up a community garden to running a digital skills workshop. The fund for 16+ years also seeks to help disadvantaged people develop the skills they need to find employment by providing training and support. Open to Registered charities with a voluntary income of less that £1m, registered Social Enterprises with asset locks and an income of less than £1m, colleges, FE providers and other City & Guilds customers where projects are additive and individuals and community groups with the support of an organisation previously described. Grants of up to £10,000. No deadlines.
Educational Opportunity Foundation - Main Fund
Charitable organisations dedicated to enhancing access to or the quality of education for children and young people under 25, both within the UK and internationally can apply for grants through the Educational Opportunity Foundation’s Main Fund. UK projects focus on care-experienced young people, improving their educational outcomes and life chances. Grants of £30,000 to £90,000 per project (maximum £30,000 per year for multi-year projects) are available. International projects target initiatives that enhance the quality, sustainability, and access to education in marginalised and vulnerable communities. Grants of £10,000 to £60,000 per project (maximum £30,000 per year) are available. Open on a rolling basis, the application process involves a Stage 1 application, and successful applicants invited to Stage 2 within 4 to 8 weeks.
John Ellerman Foundation offers unrestricted core funding
They aim to advance the wellbeing of people, society and the natural world by focusing on the arts, environment and social action. They believe these areas can make an important contribution to wellbeing. Grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 per year, for up to three years. Priority is to award funds UK-registered charities with an income between £100,000 and £10m with a national significance that may vary from high quality, geographical area, the initiatives being delivered and/or the funding category. Core funding is their signature and preference, but they will make grants for projects or programmes. No deadlines under their three main grant categories.
The Toy Trust, the industry’s charity, welcome applications from small UK-based children's charities - working for the benefit of children across the UK. All applications should be supported by a registered Charity number, be in support of disadvantaged children aged below 13 years, come from a charity that has been running for a minimum of one full year, and be for less than £5000 unless a compelling case can be put forward. Trustees meet four times a year. Next deadline mid-February for March meeting.
Naturewatch Foundation: Pet Rescue Grant now open
Naturewatch Foundation’s Pet Rescue Grant supports UK animal rescue charities working with dogs, cats and/or rabbits who have been affected by the illegal pet trade. A main grant of £10,000 is available annually to UK-registered charities and Community Interest Companies (CICs) with an annual income of up to £5 million. A mini grant of £1,000 is available to unincorporated non-profits, including unregistered charities and community groups. Applications reopen on Friday 24th January 2025 for four weeks.
Upcoming Deadlines
The goal of Scops Arts Trust is to help people to understand, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts. They are keen to find projects which widen access and have a lasting cultural impact on the community. For 2025, the Trustees decided to focus each of the three grant rounds per year on a different area within the performing arts. Round 1 for local music festivals (music performances specifically for children are excluded) registered charities, but they will consider applications from social enterprises, community groups, etc, if they are formally constituted and have clear charitable purposes. Deadline 28 January 2025 (5pm).
Congregational and General Charitable Trust
The Congregational & General Charitable Trust is an independent grant-making charity. They “give grants for all sorts of building projects to all sorts of churches of the Protestant tradition.” Grants from a minimum of £1,000 to a maximum of £25,000. Deadline 30 January 2025 (10am).
Rural Action Awards for 2024/2025
The Awards offer rural community-based organisations in Northern Ireland or the border region of Ireland the opportunity to apply for and secure £1000 or €1000 towards their volunteer led community action project. They are looking to support 12 projects. Open to constituted rural community-based organisations including charities, not for profit community groups, sporting and cultural organisations, heritage groups, Parent Teacher Associations, youth groups/clubs and social enterprises. Deadline 1 February 2025.
CABWI Awarding Body is a registered charity promoting learning and development that enables young people and adults to gain additional skills and confidence to enter the labour market. Grants of up to £35,000 a year are available for one year. The scheme closes 3 February 2025 (6pm).
Ufi’s VocTech Activate grant fund is designed to support the development of early-stage digital tools and approaches with the potential to tackle vocational learning problems and transform how people gain skills for work. Grants between £30,000 and £60,000 for projects lasting between 3 to 12 months are available. Projects must focus on adult vocational learning in the UK (i.e. adults 16+). Opened 6 January and closes 4 February 2025 (5pm).
Fundraising Support
Events
NICVA focuses on Funding in February | NICVA
Every day, thousands of people benefit from the vital services that the voluntary and community sector provides. Committed and skilled fundraisers, paid and voluntary, are fundamental to the sector's ability to deliver, so Funding February aims to support their needs.
A host of free webinars are available such as:
- Funding February: Sport NI’s Creating Opportunities with Crowdfunder
- Funding February: Fundraising for Volunteers
- Funding February: About BBC Broadcast Appeals in Northern Ireland
We'll also be publishing a range of resources written by local funders and support agencies throughout the month to support your fundraising efforts.
Don't forget to save your spot for our Funding Fayre 2025 on 26 February 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Find out more here.
Fundraising Hub
Explore the Fundraising Hub for a wide range of articles and resources to support your fundraising journey. A few are below:
Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund Outreach Workshops
The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund invites you to attend their series of Outreach Workshops or visit their stand at a range of funding fairs, over the course of January and February 2025 including at NICVA.
Crowdfunder UK launches Foundation to empower philanthropy
Crowdfunder UK have officially launched the Crowdfunder Foundation aimed at helping philanthropists, high-net worth individuals, trusts, and foundations maximise their charitable giving through crowdfunding.
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.
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.