Armagh City Council Financial Assistance Policy

Archived Active citizenship Adult Education/Learning Advice services Age Aged 60+ Archives and artefacts Arts, culture and heritage Black and minority ethnic Buildings and built environment Built heritage Communities Community and neighbourhood development Community development Community safety and crime prevention Craft and design Cross community Cultural heritage Cultural, events and festivals Education and learning environment Family and parenting good relations Governance and charity law Health promotion Health, wellbeing and sport Housing and homelessness Human rights and equality Miscellaneous Monitoring and evaluation Multiculturalism organisational development Peace and reconciliation People with disabilities Performing arts Policy, advocacy and campaigning Poverty and deprivation Rescue and emergency Rural development Social inclusion Social partnership Social welfare and poverty Sport and physical recreation Strategic and project planning Sustainable development Transport, travel and tourism Urban developmen Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Medium (up to £60,000) Micro (up to £1,000) Small (up to £10,000)

Track grant Notes

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Overview

Applicants whose projects meet general selection criteria, objectives of Armagh City and District Corporate Plan and the objectives set out for each of the Grant Aid programmes can apply for funding from Armagh City and District Council. Applicants must clearly indicate that their application is made on behalf of an organisation which benefits the Armagh City and District

Council area. Eligible costs may include:

Publicity and Marketing Expenses
Travel and Transport costs within Armagh City and District
Tutor/Facilitator costs
Hire of equipment for the purpose of project event
Venue Hire
Catering costs (provided they contribute to aims of the project)
Technical assistance
Projects/ programmes/ events that display additionality to core functions.

RANGE OF COUNCIL SUPPORT TO ORGANISATIONS SMALL GRANTS: Armagh City and District Council recognises the unique fabric of activities that take place in the district it serves. This Small Grants Programme aims to fund local activity by voluntary and community groups in order to improve the quality of life of local people in a wide range of areas. Small grants aims to foster community development activities which will ensure communityorganisations have self confidence and ability to sustain themselves. OBJECTIVE: To encourage and develop the range and quality of programmes/projects/ events which promote the underpinning values off:

Community Development
Good Relations
Arts and Culture
Christmas Community Festivities and other Major Ethnic Minority Festivals

Voluntary Contribution Seeding Grant: ROLLING PROGRAMME - Payable to newly established Community groups COMMUNITY FESTIVALS: Armagh City and District Council recognises the unique fabric of Community Activities that take place in the district it serves. This Community Festivals Grant Programme aims to fund local activity by voluntary and community groups in order to improve the quality of life of local people in a wide range of areas. The main purpose of the Fund is to improve the capacity of community festivals, to make them more sustainable and less reliant on public funding. The fund will enable community organisations to celebrate their cultural identity and strengthen good relations. This fund has been transferred from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, where there is clear rational as Local Government already play an important role in promoting social cohesion at community level. The overarching objectives are:

To foster community development activity through community festivals
To improve information flow through the strengthening of community links
To improve community groups’ access to training resources to assist in developing community festivals
Attracts Visitors to the Area
To encourage the adoption of appropriate festival management, health and safety policies and evaluation mechanisms
To foster an ethos of self help, sustainability, empowerment, and innovation.
To increase the level of inter-community contact throughout the District as a whole.
To encourage greater mutual understanding and respect for the different cultures and traditions in the Armagh City and District Council area, through Community Festivals.
To raise the profile of Good Relations within the Armagh City and District area in line with the Councils Good Relations Strategy.
Single identity work may also receive funding where such projects aim to increase the confidence of a community so that it can subsequently reach out and involve itself in networking and joint programme development on a inter-community level.

TOURISM/ ARTS/ SPORTS EVENTS PROGRAMME: Armagh has a rich unique and cultural legacy that makes it one of the most important locations in Ireland. The area is of unparalleled archaeological importance, reflecting over 6,500 years of history. Armagh has played a central role in Irish history and has enjoyed an important religious and political status within Ireland for over four hundred years. The purpose of this Tourism/Arts/ Sports Events Policy is to preserve and enhance Armagh’s uniqueness in Cultural terms and ensure that the area remains a place of significance in the future years ahead. This element is also eligible for Community Festivals contribution as above, which has been transferred from the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, where there is clear rational as Local Government already play an important role in promoting social cohesion at community level. For the purpose of this Events Programme the following types of events will be considered for funding;

Arts Events (performing, visual, multi-media, creative)
Heritage Events
Sport Events
Tourism Events

The programme objectives are:

To stimulate local economic development through increased day visitor numbers and overnight stays in commercial premises within the City and District
To develop the range and quality of events through supporting existing events and developing new events
To stimulate arts and sports activity locally.
To create a positive image and raise the profile of the City and District
To extend the visitor season throughout the year
To encourage events unique to Armagh City and District in keeping with the profile of the area

Regeneration Grant Support This measure is available to community based organisations within the Council who are taking forward significant investment projects (in the region of £500,000-£5,000,000) and for which a large portion of the project funding is already in place. Two types of grant are available:

Capital Grant - A Capital Grant up to a maximum of £60,000 will be available to community organisations who are already advancing significant economic/community regeneration projects of which the majority of funding is in place. For example this may include environmental improvement, workspace, sports capital or other regeneration initiatives funded substantially by central government, lottery or other EU funds.
Revenue Grant: A revenue grant will be available to support general administration costs, fees associated with a major capital funding projects for which funding is already secured. A maximum of £20,000 will be available per year for a period of up to 2 years to advance major regeneration initiatives.

Similar to the Capital Grant, the Revenue Grant will only be available to groups advancing projects for which a substantial level of funding is already secured and in place.The Regeneration Grant measure (Capital and Revenue) is a rolling programme and is available for groups to apply at any time throughout the year providing that 75% of the overall total funding package is in place. Advice services: Since 1975 Councils have been obliged to provide funding for advice services through their community services programme. Armagh City and District Council provides grant assistance to the Citizens Advice Bureau as a sole provider of the service. The Bureau gives added value to this through its own fundraising activities, to provide additional services including outreach andtelephone helpline. Conference Support: Applications for conference support may be submitted at any time but must be made at least two months in advance of the conference/seminar. Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following:

a clear link to the Council’s Corporate Plan objectives
The conference must either be held wholly within Armagh City & District or incorporate a significant element of the Conference Programme within the City & District or have delegates accommodated in the City & District
Maintain and enhance Armagh’s status as a City of historical and cultural significance and actively promote Armagh on the national and international stage
The conference must generate significant commercial bed nights for the City and District
The conference must generate additional secondary revenue spend for the City and District

Form of Support: When National or International Conferences are held within the City and District the Council may provide hospitality which may include one of the following:-

A Drinks Reception, up to a maximum of £300
Guided Tour & Living History Presentation
A Finger Buffet of up to £450 in value in exceptional circumstances where the conference is deemed to generate substantial economic benefit to the City & District

Subscriptions and Donations – Rolling programme: The Council will consider requests from registered charities/organisations/individuals for financial support towards their programmes on an individual basis. Awards will be made on the basis of benefits to the local community. Awards will be capped at £500. This is a rolling grants programme allocated throughout the year. Applicants must be:

A registered charity or voluntary body
Have a base in Northern Ireland
Serve the local community in Armagh City and District Council area

Enabling Fund: Council will implement an amount of up to 15% additional funding under its ‘Enabling Fund’. This will be available for all Section 75 Groups but based on a demonstration of need.

Track grant Notes