Community Foundation for NI: The New Needs Fund

Overview

Fund Objectives:

• To help organisations and communities to respond better, addressing new needs appearing as a result of the Coronavirus and where restrictions mean finding new ways of meeting existing needs.
• To help organisations and communities to #build back better, helping to ensure organisations can thrive and continue to provide longer-term support to communities

It will focus on community led responses that will:

• Enhance existing community services and activities around health and wellbeing and help people cope with adversity.
• Provide ongoing emergency support initiatives that directly support those most at risk as a result of the threat of coronavirus, and that clearly evidence the need for support.
• Support innovation and creativity for those community organisations disrupted as a result of covid-19 but that are continuing to provide a valuable service at this time.
• Encourage collaboration and strengthen collaborative activity and responses to issues affecting those most marginalised in Northern Ireland, in particular the LGBTQ+ community, black, asian and ethnic minorities, and those most at risk, including those suffering from domestic violence, and those living in poverty.
• Invest in social cohesion and resilience, and empower and connect community based organisations.
• Encourage adaptation, innovation and agility of the sector, and ensure preparedness for the future.

The funding is primarily to support communities, and as a result they would expect to see communities, and communities of interest taking action, and to prepare to implement solutions that will work in their areas.

Projects must support at least one of the following beneficiary groups:

• Children and young people, in particular young women and girls
• Older people
• People with disabilities
• People with poor mental health
• Black, asian and ethnic minorities
• Rurally isolated people
• People in poverty
• Persons in institutions such as care homes, rehabilitation centres
• LGBTQ+ community
• Anyone identified as discriminated and excluded; particularly when it comes to practice and policy

Funding Priorities:

• Initiatives that empower and connect community based organisations;
• Initiatives that have a clear social impact;
• Initiatives that involve those with lived experience;
• Organisations who have fewer live grants, ie: less than four live grants, at any one time.

Organisations who have received financial support from the Coronavirus Community Fund are eligible to apply for this funding providing the request is for a new project in line with the New Needs Fund criteria.

Who can apply:

• Constituted organisations with charitable purposes operating within Northern Ireland
• Organisations whose income is £1million or below
• Organisations who have applied to the Coronavirus Community Fund are eligible to apply for financial support, providing this is for a new project in line with the New Needs fund criteria
• Grassroots organisations working within their local community in particular to support the beneficiaries listed above.

What can be supported?

• Costs associated with implementing new systems and procedures, supporting beneficiaries in different ways, and costs associated with identifying new ways of working, or to build capacity, and to develop a plan for the organisation to prepare to continue to support beneficiaries.
• Capital costs (no more than £4500) associated with implementing new systems and procedures
• Bringing together expertise to provide advice, mentoring support, and other actions to maintain viability of the organisation.
• Additional core costs such as rent, heat and light, salary contributions, are eligible, of up to 20% of the amount awarded

With grant sizes of between £1,000 to £15,000, it is the expectation that this funding will support organisations to continue to provide services over the next 6 to 7 months. Projects must be complete by the end of February 2021, with end of grant reports completed by Friday 12th March 2021.

Priorities

The Foundation will prioritise:

• Initiatives that empower and connect community based organisations
• Initiatives that have a clear social impact
• Initiatives that involve those with lived experience
• Organisations who have fewer live grants, ie: less than four live grants, at any one time

Examples of projects may include:

• Financial support to develop new agile and adaptive ways of working, that strengthen preparedness for the future, and build capacity and resilience for those organisations who are supporting vulnerable people, who are experiencing health inequalities, and/or suffering from loneliness and social isolation. This might include health and safety measures to adapt and enable provision of important services, or support for external consultancy and development of a new IT system, to enable an organisation to adapt and continue to support at least one of the fund target beneficiaries.
• Costs associated with community activity, including volunteering, and co-ordination of services that support, and/or increases participation in activities and services that improve the health and quality of life of at least one of the target beneficiaries. An example could include a safe summer scheme for children living in rurally isolated areas, with support for delivery costs, promotion and hygiene and PPE needs. Or continued delivery of a Good Morning Project supporting older people, with support for volunteer mileage and expenses, staffing costs associated with programme delivery, as well as up to 20% of general core costs associated with the applicant organisation.
• Support to address the impact of the covid crisis on vulnerable groups through creative means, for example youth theatre, providing it is done in a safe way and is in line with government restrictions around social distancing. This might include external tutor and facilitation costs, as well as up to 20% of general core costs associated with the applicant organisation.
• Financial support to re employ staff who have been furloughed, providing they are delivering a programme of activity that fits within the wider criteria, for example, online counselling provision for those with poor mental health.

*Organisations who are in receipt of funding from the Comic Relief Support Programme are able to avail of funding from the New Needs Funding, providing that the application is for a different project, and/or different costs associated.