Funding News Roundup

Minister Lyons announces funding for Northern Ireland

A long-term programme of investment in local footballing facilities at all levels of the game has been unlocked by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

The Minister has given his approval to The Northern Ireland Football Fund and to unlock for the first time an Executive commitment to modernising footballing facilities at every level in communities across Northern Ireland. He has stated his commitment to fully utilising the £36.2 million and to seeking to sustain the Fund with further investment from the Executive, from within the football sector and from across local government.” Read more…

Additionally, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has launched an innovative new loan scheme aimed at helping the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector develop capital projects which will tackle social need in communities across Northern Ireland. The £13million Social Capital Loan Scheme will be funded by the Department for Communities using Financial Transactions Capital (FTC) and managed by Community Finance Ireland (CFI).  Read more …

Henry Smith announce closure of two grants programmes

The Henry Smith Charity has announced that two grant programmes are to close whilst the charity undergoes a strategic review.

After seven years, they will be closing their Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities grant programmes at 5pm on 28 June 2024.

No applications for these grant programmes will be accepted after that point.

While they will be closed to new applications for a few months, they are aware of the acute need for funding in the sector at present and will be distributing their full Improving Lives and Strengthening Communities annual budget of over £40million in 2024.

A new funding strategy will be launched in Spring 2025 reflecting the changed context since the last strategy was launched in 2017. Their future priorities will continue to fund organisations working to tackle social and economic disadvantage and support those in poverty, as well as seeking to maximise our long-term impact and support the sector in the most effective ways they can. Read more…

Arts Council of Northern Ireland launches new £600,000 Mental Health and Arts Programme

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has invested National Lottery Funding, along with funding from the Baring Foundation, to announce details of a three-year Mental Health and Arts Programme.

Artists, arts groups and representatives from mental health organisations, gathered at a special event in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast to hear about the new £600,000 programme of investment.

The initiative has three strands:

• It will provide tailored training and support for artists to improve their own mental health
• It will offer specialist training and upskilling for artists who work in the field of mental health
• It will benefit wider groups in society, by providing funding that will pair artists with organisations, specialising in mental health work, in order to develop bespoke community arts programmes for vulnerable groups.

This investment programme has been established to improve the mental health of artists and arts participants Further details of training workshop for artists and funding opportunities for eligible projects will be announced via the Arts Council’s website and social media platforms. Read more…

The National Lottery Community Fund updates grant holders on their work during General Election period and opens Access to Resilience Fund

On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, announced the date of the next General Election. On 4 July 2024, elections will take place across the UK to determine the future composition of the House of Commons.

Immediately before every election, there is a Period of Sensitivity. This places restrictions on the use of public resources and the activities of civil servants. “Public resources” includes National Lottery money, Dormant Assets money, and the third-party income they distribute as a funder.

While essential business will continue at the Fund, including making grant decisions, as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), it is vital that they remain politically impartial. To find out what this means for The National Lottery Community Fund and grant holders, please visit here.

The £3million Access to Resilience scheme is now open. This fund will support organisations that provide capacity building support to small VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) groups in Northern Ireland. This programme is supported with money from Dormant Assets NI. Dormant Assets NI is an expansion of the Dormant Accounts Fund NI.

The programme aims to address the gaps in their Dormant Assets investment to date. They will fund support organisations – sometimes known as network, umbrella, membership or community anchor organisations to improve access to the help they provide to small, underrepresented VCSE groups in Northern Ireland with an annual income of around £10,000 up to £100,000. Eligible organisations can apply for up to £150,000, for up to 3 years. They aim to make around 25 to 30 grants. Deadline 4 July 2024 (12pm noon). Read more…

Veterans’ Foundation Makes Changes to Grants Programme

Due to continued support from the UK public, the Veterans’ Foundation has established a substantial grants programme to support charities and not-for-profit organisations in the UK that provide support to those 'in need' among serving armed forces personnel, veterans, operationally qualified seafarers and their immediate families.

Eligible applicants can apply to their Small Grants programme for £500-£5,000 at any time as there are no deadlines – opening in June 2024. Or for a Stand Grant of £5001-£30,000, Salary Grant for up to £25,000 per year for up to 3 years, and express interest in their Major Grants funding offering grants between £100,000 and £200,000, when open. Find out more here.

BFSS changes name to Educational Opportunity Foundation

The British and Foreign School Society has changed its name to better reflect the life-changing work they do. Additionally, from 2024 the Educational Opportunity Foundation will be moving to a rolling application process with applications being assessed at regular intervals throughout the year. Read more...

The MSE Charity

Following a strategic review - the Trustees are pleased to announce that the MSE Charity will be re-opening for outline applications June 2024. More details to follow, but in summary it will consist of an pre-application eligibility quiz, an outline proposal, and then by invitation a more detailed application.

From June 2024, the funding approach is changing from two themed grant rounds per year to two grant rounds per year with no specific themes. Instead of a specific theme, all applications must be aligned with MSE Charity's vision of funding activities which make a lasting impact on the way people think, behave and manage their money.

Project grants of up to £10,000 will be available (this is an increase of £2,000 from previous rounds).

A new staged application process is being introduced:

• Eligibility quiz and Stage 1 Outline proposals open on 19 June.
• Stage 1 Outline proposals close on 31 July; however, please note the closing date may be earlier if too many Stage 1 proposals are received.
• Assessment of Stage 1 proposals during August
• Notification of Stage 1 outcome by 30 August
• Full applications close on 4 October
• Notification of funding decisions in mid November 2024.

Full details will be provided as soon as they are available from MSE Charity.

Stage one applications are expected to open on 19 June and close on 31 July 2024 (or sooner depending on the number of proposals received).

For more information and to apply, please visit MSE Charity.