Funding NEWS - 1
Department for Social Development Small Grants for Volunteers now open
The DSD NI Small Grants programme for 2015/2016 is now open. Grants of between £200 and
£1200 are available to organisations working with Volunteers in N. Ireland.
Limavady Community Development Initiative, as lead partner for the Association of
Independent Volunteer Centres, has been appointed by DSD as the Intermediary
Funding Body for the Volunteering Small Grants Programme for Northern Ireland.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for grant assistance (minimum award £200 – maximum award
£1,200) organisations must not have an annual income exceeding £100,000 per
year. Examples of grant awards would be for meeting the volunteer out-of-pocket
expenses of an organisation, providing travel or equipment costs for volunteers etc.
To be eligible for funding, organisations must demonstrate how their proposal
deliver on at least one of the programme outcomes set out below:
 Objective 1: Increase Volunteer activity by groups under-represented in the volunteering
population, including people not in paid work.
 Objective 2: Innovation – Increasing Diversity and Numbers
 Objective 3: Increase in numbers of new Volunteers
 Objective 4: New Approaches to Involvement of Volunteers
The following documents must be included with your application
 A copy of your Constitution
 A copy of your group’s most recent Bank Statement
 A copy of your most recent audited accounts or income/expenditure report
 A copy of your Volunteer Policy (a volunteer policy template is available on the AIVC
website)
How to Apply
Application packs can be downloaded from the AIVC website www.aivcni.co.uk
The deadline for completed applications is 12noon on Friday 29 May 2015
Funding NEWS - 2
£1.25 million Natural Environment Fund opens for applications
Northern Ireland Environment Agency administers the Natural Environment Fund (NEF) to
support projects in Northern Ireland to:
wildlife
Provide facilities which help as wide a range of people as possible to enjoy and appreciate our
natural environment
The Natural Environment Fund can provide support towards projects carried out to support
actions contributing to 4 Priority Themes:
 Theme 1: Site Safeguard - Designating, protecting and managing Northern Ireland’s
finest natural environment
 Theme 2: Beyond Sites - Protecting natural environment in the wider countryside
 Theme 3: Enjoying Our Environment - Providing or supporting countryside access and
encouraging closeness to nature
 Theme 4: Living Landscapes - Landscape protection, management and promotion
The Natural Environment Fund (NEF) is a competitive programme. Successful projects will be
those which will most effectively help to achieve the priorities that have been identified. The
programme is open for applications from NGOs, and also Councils where they deliver landscape
management body functions, who had previously been in receipt of DOE funding up until 31
March 2015, or whose funding beyond that date has now been terminated with an appropriate
notice period (mostly up until the end of June 2015), and those who had applications for funding
under consideration at 31 March 2015.
The NEF grant budget is limited and it is highly unlikely that any organisation will be awarded
more than £175,000 under the NEF grant programme. For applications greater than £150,000,
you must seek advice for your project from the DOE Economics Branch before submitting your
full NEF Application Form. Both DOE Economics Branch and DFP have to give approval for
projects over £150,000 before NIEA can offer funding.
How to apply
For more information on the application process please visit:
www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/funding/natural_environment_fund/nef_general_information.htm
You can discuss your project proposal with a member of NED staff. Contact details can be
provided by Grant Team staff who can be contacted by email on nhgrants@doeni.gov.uk or on
028 9056 9600.
The deadline for completed application is 12 noon on Wednesday 20 May 2015
Funding NEWS – 3
Heritage Lottery Fund - First World War: then and now
First World War: then and now provides grants of £3,000 to £10,000 for communities to mark
the Centenary of the First World War. They also provide grants of more than £10,000 for First
World War projects – under the Understanding the First World War scheme.
This scheme is designed to make a real difference to a wide range of people by helping them
understand the war and its impact better. In particular, they believe that involving young people
in marking the Centenary is important. Under this scheme Heritage Lottery Fund expect your
project to achieve a minimum of one outcome for people from the list below. It is unlikely that
your project will achieve a large number of these outcomes.
Outcomes for people
 learnt about heritage
 developed skills
 changed their attitudes and/or behaviour
 had an enjoyable experience
 volunteered time
Outcomes for heritage
 in better condition
 better interpreted and explained
 identified / recorded
Outcomes for communities
 more people and a wider range of people will have engaged with heritage.
How to Apply
For more information please visit:
www.hlf.org.uk/HowToApply/programmes/Pages/FirstWorldWarThenandNow.aspx#.UukNBdFDIV
Funding NEWS - 4
ASDA Foundation - 50th Birthday Community Grants
The ASDA Foundation are making grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 available for good
causes and community groups in your local area.
The Asda Foundation wants to have a strong reputation for managing, co-ordinating and
delivering programmes which really make a significant difference to local communities and
the people who live there. The ASDA Foundation
 identified opportunities, initiatives and new ways to support local communities;
 charity/good cause has developed a relationships with local store, depot or home office
at a grassroots level
 Tackling the underlying problems in your local community
 can apply evidence from programmes of community needs and aspirations to develop
their existing model;
 Benefits the wider community and is not just supporting a single user group
 There is a need for this facility locally
 Will make a real long term difference
 Would Transform your community, improving the lives of those who live there
The Foundation aims to transform communities, improve lives for people and communities in
the UK both now and in the future. They do this by supporting programmes that do this through
Significant Community Projects, Chosen by You, Top-up Funding, Colleague Hardship Fund and
our Partnerships.
Guidelines and Criteria
Please give a clear and concise description of the project/service/equipment you are applying
for. This should include an outline of the activities or equipment that the grant will pay for, how
many / how often they will be run, and where they will be located or delivered.
How to Apply
For more information on how to apply and to complete the eligibility checker please visit:
www.asdafoundation.org/grant
There is no deadline advertised with this funding scheme.
There will be a fund of £220,000 open to charities, social enterprises, community projects, state
funded schools and colleges throughout Ireland with a maximum grant of £35,000.
Any project must focus on a disadvantaged community within the UK or Ireland, helping people
to learn new skills, get into work or start a business. You must be a not-for-profit organisation, a
registered charity or state-funded school or college.
Assessment and Public Vote
When all applications have been received and reviewed, Ulster Bank will publish a shortlist of
projects being considered for funding. Voting will then be open to the public. The outcome of
the public vote will be taken into consideration by the regional judging panels and will count as
one vote. The chosen projects will receive their funding in July this year. Ulster Bank will give
you lots of help and advice on how to gain votes if you reach the shortlist of projects.
How to Apply
For more information on how to apply please visit:
http://skillsandopportunitiesfund.ulsterbank.com/
The deadline for the first round of funding is noon on Friday 22 May, going to a public vote on
Monday 15 June. Don’t worry if you’re not ready to apply this time around as there will be a
second opportunity later in the year (applications open during September 2015).
Funding NEWS - 5
Community Relations Council - Community Relations &
Cultural Diversity Grants Scheme 2015
The Community Relations Council, with the support of Government, has established a fund
of approximately £400,000 to spend each year on community relations projects. This
funding is intended to help community/voluntary groups throughout Northern Ireland
develop their capacity to engage in community relations work and to enhance the
community relations potential of projects they undertake.
This grant scheme seeks to achieve the aims listed below by providing advice and financial
support for projects. Questions 16 and 17 of this application form will ask you to identify
which of these aims best matches the objectives of your project.
 To develop opportunities for groups to explore their own cultures, beliefs and
traditions, thus increasing their capacity to develop relationships of trust with
those of different traditions and values.
 To develop opportunities for groups to extend their knowledge and
understanding of others’ cultures, beliefs, traditions; increasing their acceptance
of and respect for diversity.
 To enable groups to challenge stereotypes of their own and other communities
in order to acknowledge and address difference.
 To increase the ability and confidence of groups and organisations to identify and
address those issues that divide them.
 To develop networks of communication, trust and co-operation between divided
communities.
 To promote models of good practice for community relations work in Northern
Ireland.
Eligibility
 The scheme is aimed at locally based groups such as community development
groups, cultural organisations, women's groups, church groups, tenants
associations and other organisations and groups involved in community
relations, reconciliation projects and cultural engagement.
 The scheme is aimed primarily at projects involving adults. Groups whose main
work is with children or youth may be eligible for funding by the Department of
Education, Education and Library Boards or the Youth Council. People working
with 0 - 5 year olds should contact local health and social services.
The maximum award payable is £10,000 but in the main most grants are much smaller than
this. It may be useful to refer to Community Relations Council annual reports for details of
previous grant allocations.
How to Apply
For more information, visit:
www.community-relations.org.uk/funding-posts/media-grant-scheme-2/
The deadline for completed application is 4.00pm on Friday 21 November 2015