Social Inclusion gets £7 million Boost

Government announced a £7 million funding boost today that will support 154 voluntary and community groups across Northern Ireland who provide services to people suffering from, or in danger of, social exclusion.

The announcement was made by Ian Pearson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Finance and Personnel, and follows the Executive’s decision in October 2002 to make £6 million available to alleviate the immediate pressures on services provided by the community and voluntary sector.

The funding is from the Social Inclusion and Community Regeneration Fund and it is hoped that it will promote the sustainability of those parts of the sector best placed to deliver specified public and community services that might otherwise be lost. Longer-term strategies are being considered by the Taskforce on Resourcing the Community and Voluntary Sector that met for the first time yesterday to address the funding and sustainability of the sector.

Delivering the announcement, Mr Pearson said: “These awards will provide organisations delivering a wide variety of valuable community based services throughout Northern Ireland with the funds they need to continue.”

"I am pleased that I have been able to allocate extra resources over and above the £6m earmarked by the Executive so that additional projects and organisations can receive funding under this initiative. This means the total sum now earmarked for the sector totals almost £7m.”

“In the longer term the current review of financing the sector by the DSD-led Taskforce, will help identify ways to ensure that the voluntary and community sector can continue to make a valuable contribution to the delivery of Government policy and to the general well-being of people in Northern Ireland"

The 154 recipients all responded to an advertisement placed in the local press on 28 October 2002 that called on bids for funding. More than 400 applicants replied, seeking funding in excess of £19 million. In response, Mr Pearson allocated an extra £1 million to open the scheme to as many additional organisations as possible.

Amounts and organisations earmarked for funding: