TBUC Uniting Opportunities: Uniting Communities Grants

Overview

This good relations programme is delivered through the medium of sport, physical and creative activity.

The programme has three key elements:

• Uniting Communities through Leadership - engages young people aged 16-24 years old who are recruited to become Young Leaders and take part in a structured standardised training programme.
• Uniting Communities through Community Activity – involves young participants aged 11-16. The Young Leaders and younger participants are recruited from specific geographical areas, all of which have good relations and interface issues. Young Leaders are provided with the opportunity to co-facilitate the delivery of the community activity as their training progresses.
• Uniting Communities by Building Capacity - awards funding through a Uniting Opportunities Grant Scheme to short-term intervention projects which support groups of marginalised young people. Over periods of 12 to 24 weeks, projects help young people to better engage with their community by building their confidence, personal abilities and core skills.

The Uniting Opportunities programme seeks to fund projects that will achieve all four of the following objectives:

• Young people who experience barriers to participation in their communities will have increased confidence, self-esteem and social skills to get involved
• Young people have the ability to build good relations in their communities by having a greater understanding of other religious, political, ethnic and marginalised communities
• Young people are more actively involved in sport and creativity, and are presented with opportunities to sustain their involvement
• Young people will have developed the appropriate attributes to enable further engagement with the Uniting Communities through sport and creativity programme

Uniting Opportunities is aimed at young people aged between 11 and 24. The programme will target the following groups:

• Young and Homeless
• Young Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Young People in Care
• Young People with a Disability
• Young People with Poor Mental Health and/or Addictions
• Young Offenders (and young people most at risk of offending)
• Young people at risk of rural isolation

Delivery Areas

Uniting Opportunities projects will be delivered in specific geographical areas (opposite) where our core Uniting Communities programme is currently being delivered, or is scheduled to be delivered. We do not anticipate the introduction of any additional geographical areas within the next two year period. Therefore, please do not apply to Uniting Opportunities in anticipation of funding for other areas becoming available. The delivery areas are as follows:

• Botanic - South Belfast
• Portadown and Lurgan
• Black Mountain (West Belfast) and Castle (North Belfast)
• Causeway - North Antrim
• Waterside/The Moor - Derry City
• Faughan - Derry City and Strabane

Who can apply?

• Charities (registered as a charity with HMRC)
• Community/Voluntary Group
• Public Sector Bodies/Agencies
• Companies limited by guarantee (registered with Companies House)
• Other ‘Not for Profit’ Organisations

What can be funded?

Uniting Opportunities projects must be planned for a duration between 12 and 24 weeks. Projects must be completed by 31 March in the same financial year in which the funding was awarded.

Eligible groups can apply for grants from £20,000–£60,000 per project*

*Subject to budget availability, funding limits may be subject to change. The same funding limits will apply to both ‘Single Location Projects’ and ‘Multi- Location Projects’

• Projects that promote good relations, reconciliation and support increased participation in sport, or creative activities primarily amongst young people from Uniting Opportunities Target Groups
• Costs associated with Goods and Services that can be deemed relevant and appropriate to project delivery (e.g. Insurance, Entry Fees, Refreshments etc)
• Costs associated with residential visits and travel
• Salary costs that can be directly associated to staff involved in project delivery. Costs must be proportionate to the size and scale of the project
• Organisational running costs that are proportionate to the size and scale of the project being delivered
• Costs/Expenses that remove barriers to young people’s participation in a project (e.g. child care, transport, mentoring etc)
• Instructional/Coaching courses or Access NI Registration for those directly involved in project delivery
• Instructor or Coaching fees
• Personal Development courses/training (e.g. Disability Awareness, Good Relations, First Aid, Leadership etc)
• Volunteer ‘Out of Pocket’ Expenses
• Project specific venue hire
• Project specific travel that are proportionate to the size and scale of the project
• Equipment hire to allow you to run your project
• Project specific equipment – Buying equipment shouldn’t be the focus of your project. They view equipment as a means to achieving their target of promoting good relations and increasing participation. Any application for equipment should explain why it is needed and how it will achieve this. No single item can be valued at over £1,000

Further information and video overview of previous Uniting Opportunities projects are available on their website.